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.
Misty Blue
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Looks like to get you off my mind but I can't
Just the thought of you, ooh, oh babe, just the thought of you
Turns my whole world a misty blue
Just the mention, just the mention of your name, yeah
Turns a flicker to a flame, listen to me good
I think of the things, oh, I think of the things we used to do
Oh, my whole world turns misty blue, yeah
I should forget you, heaven knows I've tried
But when I say I'm glad we're through
My heart, my heart knows I've lied, I've lied
Oh, I'm glad we're through
Yes, but my heart knows, my heart knows I've lied, yes
Just the mention, just the mention of, of your name, yeah
Turns a flicker to a flame, listen to me good
I think of the things, I think of the things we used to do, yeah
That's when my whole world, my whole world turns misty blue
Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah
And I, I should forget you, heaven knows, heaven knows I've tried
But when I say I'm glad we're through
That's when my heart knows
That's when my heart knows that I've lied and I've lied and I lied
Oh, oh, it's been such a long, long, long, long time, babe
Looks like I can't get you
I'm gonna get you off my mind but I can't, oh no
Just the thought of you, just the thought of you
Turns my whole world, it turns my whole world
Just the thought of you, just to think of you
Just the thought of you
Turns my whole world misty, misty blue
The lyrics to Etta James's song "Misty Blue" describe the ongoing struggle of trying to forget an old flame. Even though the singer believes she should move on, just the mention of her ex-lover's name causes her heart to ache and her memories to resurface. The chorus illustrates the pain she experiences, as the thought of the person turns her "whole world misty blue." Despite her attempts to forget, her heart knows that she's lying when she says she's glad they're through. The song ends with the repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the all-consuming nature of the singer's longing.
Overall, the song is a melancholic reflection on the difficulty of moving on from someone who left a lasting impact. The lyrics are raw and honest, conveying the singer's struggle to reconcile her desire to move forward with her endless affection for the person who's still occupying her mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, it's been a long, long time
It has been a significant amount of time since they were last together.
Looks like to get you off my mind but I can't
The singer has attempted to forget their past love, but they cannot seem to shake the memories.
Just the thought of you, ooh, oh babe, just the thought of you
The mere idea of the person they once loved is enough to consume the singer's mind.
Turns my whole world a misty blue
Memories and emotions associated with their past love overwhelm the artist, making everything seem foggy and unclear.
Just the mention, just the mention of your name, yeah
Even hearing the person's name mentioned brings up intense feelings for the artist.
Turns a flicker to a flame, listen to me good
The slightest memory or thought of their past love quickly turns into a strong emotional response for the singer.
I think of the things, oh, I think of the things we used to do
Thinking about past experiences with their love causes the singer to become nostalgic and emotional.
And that's when my whole world
This is the moment where everything for the artist begins to change emotionally.
Oh, my whole world turns misty blue, yeah
The artist becomes consumed by their emotions to the point that everything becomes clouded and unclear.
I should forget you, heaven knows I've tried
The artist has attempted to move on from their past love but cannot seem to forget them.
But when I say I'm glad we're through
Externally, the singer claims to be over their past love, but internally they still struggle with their emotions.
My heart, my heart knows I've lied, I've lied
The artist's true feelings are still very much present and active, despite claiming to have moved on.
Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah
An emotional exclamation from the singer, acknowledging the intensity of their feelings.
And I, I should forget you, heaven knows, heaven knows I've tried
The singer reiterates their constant attempts to move on from their past love.
That's when my heart knows
Despite the singer's attempts to forget, their true emotions are still very present.
That's when my heart knows that I've lied and I've lied and I lied
The artist acknowledges the dishonesty in their claims of being over their past love.
Oh, oh, it's been such a long, long, long, long time, babe
The artist emphasizes the length of time that has passed since they were last with their past love.
Looks like I can't get you
Despite their efforts, they cannot seem to forget their past love.
I'm gonna get you off my mind but I can't, oh no
The singer reiterates their attempts to forget, but cannot seem to shake the thoughts and feelings associated with their past love.
Just the thought of you, just the thought of you
The memories and emotions associated with their past love still have a strong grip on the artist.
Turns my whole world, it turns my whole world
The emotions consume the artist to the point where their entire perception of the world is altered.
Just the thought of you, just to think of you
Even the simplest thought or memory of their past love can cause emotional turmoil for the artist.
Turns my whole world misty, misty blue
Emotions associated with their past love become all-consuming and overwhelm the singer to the point of clouding their perception of the world.
Writer(s): Bob Montgomery Copyright: Talmont Music, Talbot Music Publishing Inc., BMG Rights Management (Ireland) Ltd.
Contributed by Jake J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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.