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.
On The 7th Day
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How it all got started, how it all begin
God made the heavens, God made the earth
Made a man and a woman out of blood, sweat and dirt
And He looked around the neighborhood
And He said to His self, "This is good"
God made the rivers and the mountains with his hands
He put the fishes in the, in the deep blue sea
Filled up the garden with flowers and the trees
And God looked around the neighborhood
And He said to His self, "This is good"
But the devil he was jealous, took the apple in his hand
The devil tempted woman and woman tempted man
God, He mourned and the tears rolled down His face
It broke His heart to see His children fall from grace
And on the seventh day they say, "God rested"
But you know that ain't the truth
Cause on the seventh day, God made the blue
Cause on the seventh day, God made the blue
The blues is been around ever since that day
Everybody gets the blues, everybody got to pay
For the wicked things we do
And what we put each other through
And on the seventh day they say, "God rested"
But you know that ain't the truth
Cause on the seventh day, God made the blue
Cause on the seventh day, God made the blue
God made the blue
Etta James's song "On The 7th Day" is a beautiful and insightful account of the creation of the world by God and the fall of man. The lyrics trace the creation narrative in the book of Genesis, beginning with the creation of the heavens and the earth, and then the creation of man and woman from the dust of the earth. God looks upon his creation and is pleased, and on the seventh day, he rests.
However, the story takes a melancholic turn as the devil becomes envious of God's creation and tempts Adam and Eve with the forbidden fruit. God is disappointed and saddened at the fall of his children from grace. The blues is introduced into the tale as a constant reminder of the wickedness that plagues humanity and the need for atonement.
The refrain, "On the seventh day, God made the blue," is a poignant reminder that even amidst the tragedy of the fall, there is hope for redemption through the blues. The blue notes in music were born to express the soulful emotions of regular people and became a means of solace and healing through the pain of life.
Overall, the lyrics of "On The 7th Day" tell a powerful story of creation, sin, and redemption that is laced with emotional depth and spiritual meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I'm gonna tell you, so you'll understand
I will explain something to you comprehensively.
How it all got started, how it all begin
I will recount the beginning of everything.
God made the heavens, God made the earth
God created the sky and the ground.
Made a man and a woman out of blood, sweat and dirt
He fashioned humans from the elements of the earth.
And He looked around the neighborhood
God surveyed His creation.
And He said to His self, "This is good"
God was pleased with His work.
God made the rivers and the mountains with his hands
God formed rivers and mountains with His own hands.
God made the wind to blow the shifting sands
He created the wind that shifts sand.
He put the fishes in the, in the deep blue sea
God placed fish in the deep ocean.
Filled up the garden with flowers and the trees
The garden was abounding with trees and flowers.
And God looked around the neighborhood
God surveyed His creation.
And He said to His self, "This is good"
God was pleased with His work.
But the devil he was jealous, took the apple in his hand
The devil, full of envy, took an apple in his hand.
The devil tempted woman and woman tempted man
The devil tempted the woman who in turn tempted the man.
God, He mourned and the tears rolled down His face
God was sad and cried.
It broke His heart to see His children fall from grace
God was devastated to see his children lose His favor.
And on the seventh day they say, "God rested"
It is said that on the seventh day, God rested.
But you know that ain't the truth
But we know that is not the entire truth.
Cause on the seventh day, God made the blue
God made what we know as the blues on the seventh day.
Cause on the seventh day, God made the blue
Again, God made the blues on the seventh day.
The blues have been around ever since that day
The blues have existed since the day it was created.
Everybody gets the blues, everybody got to pay
Everyone experiences the blues, and everyone pays the price.
For the wicked things we do
For the sins we commit.
And what we put each other through
For the pain and hardships we cause each other.
And on the seventh day they say, "God rested"
It is said that on the seventh day, God rested.
But you know that ain't the truth
But we know that is not the entire truth.
Cause on the seventh day, God made the blue
God made what we know as the blues on the seventh day.
Cause on the seventh day, God made the blue
Again, God made the blues on the seventh day.
God made the blue
God created the blues.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KEVIN BOWE, KOSTAS LAZARIDES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
REM700sniper@playstation network
Etta will always be the best blues ... Thank God for sharing her with us.
missclimpson
Such a great song and Etta is fantastic.
brejtesi
On the 7th day GOD made the minor pentatonic scale, so everybody who got the blues could play it! And than HE sent his prophets BB King, Etta James, Albert King, SRV, John Lee Hooker etc so they could spread the word of GOD through his mightiest creation THE BLUES!
srfgrn
What a song! Never heard it until I saw a photo of Wes Montgomery in a club with a sign on the wall behind him which said "God made the Blues." Great song!!
Raul Severo
most perfect blues slim
MerkJan Oosterhoff
One of the best female singers. Never made a bad record. Unbelievable talented and authentic..
Less0634Abel HuertaSR
We are to let it be by all out ❤️ mind 😉 and soul 👻🙌
Dom Imbroisi
the best
flywerasew
22 views only??? Man, world doesn't know what good music is...
Gerard Marsman
God and Etta make this song