James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, California, on 25th January 1938, to an unmarried fourteen-year-old mother, Dorothy Hawkins. According to Etta, her mother claimed that her father was the white Rudolph "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone, and that they received financial support from him on the condition that they keep his paternity a secret. This seems unlikely, though it has not been definitively disproved. Etta was born in Los Angeles in 1938. At the time, Wanderone was known to be managing a pool hall in Washington, D.C. and had not yet become known to be the cross-country traveller he later became.
She received her first professional vocal training at five years old from James Earle Hines, musical director of the Echoes of Eden choir at St Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Her family moved to San Francisco in 1950, and she teamed up with two other girls to form a doo-wop singing group. When the girls were fourteen, band leader Johnny Otis had them audition. They sang an answer to Hank Ballard's "Work with Me, Annie" called "Roll Wwth Me Henry". Otis particularly liked the song, and against her mother's wishes, James and the trio went to Los Angeles to record the song in 1954. The song was recorded on the label Modern Records. By this time, the trio renamed the song "The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)" and released it in 1955. James named her vocal group The Peaches. Richard Berry, a Los Angeles doo-wop luminary, is featured on some of their records.
"The Wallflower" reached number two on the rhythm and blues charts in February 1955, but was undercut in the wider market by a rushed-out cover version by Georgia Gibbs on Mercury Records; in fact, the very first time Gibbs was recorded in studio, they used the first take recorded and it became number one on the top 100 songs nationally. The song's royalties were divided between Hank Ballard, Etta James, and Johnny Otis, and its huge success attracted the attention of the R&B world, resulting in James going on tour with Little Richard. On the tour, though, according to James, she witnessed and experienced situations to which minors are not usually privy, and she allegedly acquired a drug habit.
Soon after the success of "Wallflower", The Peaches and James parted company, but this did not halt her career. Shecontinued to record and release albums throughout much of the decade, and enjoyed more success. Her follow-up, "Good Rockin' Daddy", became another fifties hit. Other songs however, such as "Tough Lover" and "W-O-M-A-N" failed to gain any significant success. James toured with Johnny "Guitar" Watson and Otis Redding in the fifties, and has cited Watson as the most significant influence on her style..
In 1960, James signed a recording contract with Chess Records. She went on to have the biggest success of her career from this label, recording her biggest and most memorable hits. Chess went into high gear with James, releasing many duets with her then boyfriend, the married Harvey Fuqua, who was the lead singer of the Moonglows. One of her duets with Fuqua, "If I Can't Have You", became a hit on the R&B charts in 1960. As a solo artist however, she had more enduring success. One of her first singles released by Chess in 1960 was called "All I Could Do Was Cry"; this blues number became a big hit on the R&B charts in 1960. Leonard Chess, one of the founders of Chess Records, helped James along the way. He saw the potential for her to go in a more pop-oriented direction, and she started recording more pop tunes for the label.
The year 1961 became a year of great change for James. In 1961 came the release of one of her first pop-oriented tunes called "At Last". The song became a big hit in 1961, reaching number two on the R&B charts. The song even went as far as twenty-two on the pop charts that year. It became her signature song. Other songs, such as "Trust in Me", also became hits, and the 1962 tune "Something's Got a Hold On Me" showed more of James' gospel side, a genre she had sung since childhood.
She had other big hits in the 1960s, but mainly on the R&B charts: the song "Pushover" in 1963 and "Stop the Wedding", "Fool That I Am", and "Don't Cry Baby", were hits for her between 1961 and 1963. Her 1963 album Etta James Rocks the House, recorded at Nashville's "New Era" club, also gave her career a boost. James then became one of the most successful R&B artists of the 1960s, having many more top ten and top twenty hit singles. Performing in Memphis, Tennessee helped make her into a blues icon.
In 1967, James released her next hit single, "Tell Mama", and it became a top ten hit on the R&B charts. After a dry period of no hits for almost four years, the song once more made James a household name. The follow-up, "Security", was also a success, and proved that James had staying power on the charts again. Whilst less success came for James after this hit, she was still on the charts regularly and, despite the death of Leonard Chess, stayed with the Chess label into 1975. Towards the end of the Chess years though, she went into more rock-based songs. She recorded for many other labels, and continued to release albums, such as 1978's Deep In the Night on Atlantic Records.
Despite a dry period during the early to mid 1980s, James got back on track and began to record music again. She received accolades for her 1981 rendition of Randy Newman's "God's Song". Her 1988 album Seven Year Itch proved this comeback capability; the album showed more of her soul side. In 1989, she recorded the song "Avenue D" with David A. Stewart of Eurythmics. The song was featured on the soundtrack to the Robert Wise film Rooftops. She also performed with the Grateful Dead for two shows in 1982. In the 1990s she continued to record and perform. Her albums widely varied in styles and genres. Her 1992 album, The Right Time, was another soul album that was released by Elektra Records. She also began to record more jazz, which became the style for many of her 1990s albums.
Drug-related and romantic problems interfered with her career, but James managed to maintain a career throughout the latter half of the twentieth century. Later in life, she struggled with obesity, experiencing mobility and knee problems. In 2003, she underwent gastric bypass surgery.
In 2011, a vocal sample from Etta's "Something's Got a Hold on Me" was used in "Levels" by Avicii. "Levels" became a monster EDM hit, making Etta's "sometimes I get a good feeling" one of the most recognizable samples in 21st century music.
She died on 20th January 2012.
Lovin' You More Every Day
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm lovin' you more, sho' 'nuff now, in every way now
Oh you got me so I can't eat and I can't sleep a wink
Everybody gonna start talkin', askin' what are you, what are you doin' to me?
I tell 'em you're makin' me love you more, more, more, more now,
Oh love you more every day, oh yes I do
I said, I wanna love you, I wanna love you
And not just for a boyfriend, oh, I want you to marry me and take me home to stay
And if I get you I'm gonna have a full time job
I'm gonna work hard all day
'Cause when you come home, when you come home to me little boy,
I know, I know, I know I'm gonna get my for lovin' you more, more, more, more, more
More every day
Yeah, and if I get you, if I get you I'm gonna treat you right,
I'm gonna love you day and night
And if you argue and if you fuss at me
All I want to do is just squeeze you tight and keep on lovin' you
More, more, more, more, mmm every day
The song "Lovin' You More Every Day" by Etta James is a beautiful tribute to the intense emotions that come with being in love. The lyrics of the song express the singer's deep affection and increasing love for her partner. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "lovin' you more every day," emphasizing the growth and strength of the singer's love.
The first verse of the song describes how the singer's love for her partner has completely consumed her. She can't eat or sleep because she is so consumed by her emotions. She anticipates that people will start to notice how deeply she loves her partner because of how it affects her every day life. In the second verse, the singer expresses not only her desire to love her partner every day but to marry them and build a life together. She promises to work hard for their love and to take care of them.
The overall tone of the song is one of joy and excitement for the deep love that the singer feels. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the growth of her love, and the verses express the singer's deep commitment to her partner.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm lovin' you more, more now, lovin' you more every day, oh yes I am
I have a growing love for you, more each day, and I want you to know it.
I'm lovin' you more, sho' 'nuff now, in every way now
I love you sincerely and completely, in all ways possible.
Oh you got me so I can't eat and I can't sleep a wink
My love for you is so strong, it consumes my thoughts and actions.
Everybody gonna start talkin', askin' what are you, what are you doin' to me?
Others can see the profound impact you have on me and wonder what you've done to make me feel this way.
I tell 'em you're makin' me love you more, more, more, more now,
I attribute my growing love for you to your actions and behavior toward me.
Oh love you more every day, oh yes I do
I cannot help but love you more and more with each passing day.
I said, I wanna love you, I wanna love you
I express my desire to love you deeply.
Oh, not only on weekends, I wanna love you every day, oh yes I do
I want to love you beyond just casual or occasional encounters, but every single day of our lives.
And not just for a boyfriend, oh, I want you to marry me and take me home to stay
My love for you is not just limited to a dating relationship; I want to commit to you for the long term and build a life together.
And if I get you I'm gonna have a full time job
If we become a couple, I vow to work hard to maintain our relationship and ensure we are happy and fulfilled.
I'm gonna work hard all day
I will put in the effort required to make our relationship succeed, no matter what it takes.
'Cause when you come home, when you come home to me little boy,
I look forward to a future where you come home to me after a long day, and we can spend our evenings together.
I know, I know, I know I'm gonna get my for lovin' you more, more, more, more, more
I recognize that loving you more each day will likely bring its own rewards.
Yeah, and if I get you, if I get you I'm gonna treat you right,
If we end up together, I promise to treat you with the respect and love you deserve.
I'm gonna love you day and night
I will devote myself to loving you fully, all day and all night.
And if you argue and if you fuss at me
Even in the face of disagreements, I will remain committed to you.
All I want to do is just squeeze you tight and keep on lovin' you
My love for you is so strong that in the midst of conflict, I only want to hold you close and continue loving you.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: JAMES MITCHELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Linda Pope
I just heard this for this firsr time today on Spotify and I'm in love!!!🔥🔥🔥
Aneessa Music
I saw her performed in Opus Cafe years ago in Paris, France and she was AMAZING!
Jazziz Café
Great rendition, love it! Thanks for share it! "Loving You More ... In The Spirit Of Etta James", editado en 2012 por Shanachie Ent. era el cuarto álbum de la californiana Leela James, con once temas como "I'm Loving You More Every Day" en homenaje a la gran diva, que junto a Roberta Flack, Toni Braxton y Gladys Knight fue quien más influyo en ella. En 2017 James consiguio su mayor éxito a la fecha con "Don't Want You Back" de su último álbum, "Did It For Love", que alcanzó el número 1 de la lista de R&B del Billboard. #RnB #Soul
Sifiso Ivor Koza
I love how Leela remade her grandma's song into something funky and disco-like. ❤
M Estroughtonaire
What a jam!
Melissa Reynolds
🔥 Fire!! 💃💃
m mélanie
Ça donne la pêche le matin pr aller au travail👍
geraldo barbosa
Super Track!
Betsy Ellen
Wow wow wow
Tennille Sapp
Thank you for this recommendation