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.
Miss Pitiful
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby that's my name now
They call me Miss Pitiful that's how I got my fame
But people just don`t seem to understand
How someone can feel so blue
They call me Miss Pitiful cause I lost someone just like you.
This everybody know now
They call me Miss Pitiful Most everyplace I go.
But nobody seems to understand now,
How can a woman sing such a sad song
When she lost everything that she had.
How can I explain to you
How somebody con get so very blue
How can I tell you about my past
If all things won`t end.
Miss Pitiful
That's my name now
They call me Miss Pitiful that's how I got my fame
But nobody seems to understand
What make a woman can feel so very blue
They call me Miss Pitiful cause I m in love with you
Can I explain to you
Everything is going wrong
I`ve lost everything I had
I have to sing this sad song
To get back to her
And I m gonna sing this song to you
And I want you
And I want you
And I want you
And I want you
[And I want to tell you everything is going through my mind]
And I want to sing
And I want to sing
And I want to sing
And I want to sing this song with you
[And I want to sing this song to everyone]
'Cause I want them to understand what I talkin about
I want you to understand what I`m sayin......
In Etta James's song Miss Pitiful, the singer laments her heartbreak and despair in a soulful and impassioned manner. She expresses her frustration at being misunderstood, despite the fact that she has gained fame as "Miss Pitiful." She explains that she has been called this name because she has lost someone and feels deeply sad and blue. Despite her success, people just don't seem to comprehend how she can sing such a sad song when she has lost everything she had.
In the chorus, she repeats that she is called "Miss Pitiful" everywhere she goes because it has become her identity. However, she questions how a woman can feel so very blue and how she can explain to listeners how she is feeling when everything has ended. She addresses her love for a specific person, but notes that everything is going wrong and she has lost everything she had. She sings this sad song in order to get back to that person and to express her feelings to them.
Overall, the lyrics of Miss Pitiful express a deep sense of heartbreak, despair, and frustration. The song is a powerful reflection of the emotional turmoil that can come with losing someone you love.
Line by Line Meaning
They call me Miss Pitiful
That's the name they gave me, and it's what I am known by.
Baby that's my name now
I respond to that name because it has become my identity.
They call me Miss Pitiful that's how I got my fame
My reputation came from singing blues and expressing my feeling of misery.
But people just don`t seem to understand
Others fail to comprehend the extent of suffering I experience.
How someone can feel so blue
They cannot conceive why I feel so pained.
They call me Miss Pitiful cause I lost someone just like you.
The reason behind my heartbreak and pitiful expression is that I lost someone I loved, as you have.
This everybody know now
People are well aware of my musical persona as Miss Pitiful.
Most everyplace I go.
Almost everywhere I visit, they know who I am.
But nobody seems to understand now,
Despite the familiarity with my name, no one seems to grasp the depth of my sorrow.
How can a woman sing such a sad song
Some wonder how a woman could possibly sing such a mournful tune of distress.
When she lost everything that she had.
Those people fail to realize that my music is how I cope with losing everything I ever had.
How can I explain to you
It's hard for me to find the words to tell you.
How somebody con get so very blue
I can't describe how someone can feel so exceedingly unhappy.
How can I tell you about my past
It's challenging for me to recount my unhappy past.
If all things won`t end.
If things continue as they are, I may never be able to get over my loss.
But nobody seems to understand
Yet no one seemingly gets why I'm in so much pain.
What make a woman can feel so very blue
They don't understand what could drive a woman to feel so mournful.
They call me Miss Pitiful cause I m in love with you
People mistake my romantic heartbreak as the only reason for me being so miserable.
Can I explain to you
Can I attempt to tell you how I feel?
Everything is going wrong
Everything in my life is falling apart at the seams.
I`ve lost everything I had
I've lost everything that was dear to me.
I have to sing this sad song
Through my music, I need to let out all of my sadness.
To get back to her
It's how I hope to heal my wounded heart and gain myself back.
And I m gonna sing this song to you
Through my music, I hope to share my deepest emotions with you.
And I want you
All I want is to be with you.
And I want you
I long for your companionship and support.
And I want you
I need you in my life.
And I want you
Above all, I desire your understanding and love.
And I want to sing
Singing is the outlet and passion that brings me solace and relief.
And I want to sing
I feel compelled to express myself through my music.
And I want to sing
Above all, I desire to share my feelings with others to connect with them.
And I want to sing this song with you
I hope singing with you will bring me the solace and company that my heart needs.
And I want to sing this song to everyone
It's how I hope to connect with everyone else who feels the same way.
Cause I want them to understand what I talkin about
I want to shed light on my pain and suffering in hopes that others can relate and understand.
I want you to understand what I`m sayin
Above all, I hope that you, the listener, can truly comprehend what's in my heart.
Lyrics © Royalty Network
Written by: OTIS REDDING, STEVE CROPPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Erik brodland
on I Just Want to Make Love to You
Love this song so much, it makes me think of my son's Beautiful mommy jasmin and her amazing.voice.