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.
Sail Away
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Poke the fire, don't let the cold in.
Gonna try to sail away from the rest of my life.
Found a boat to make the break in.
Filled with hope 'bout the step I'm takin'.
Gonna try to sail away from the rest of my life.
Shoutin' orders to his crew; no one hears but me.
Cast away, tide's a runnin'
Hoist the sail, strong wind's comin'.
Gonna try to sail away from the rest of my life.
Spent a long time list'ning to the captain of the sea,
Shoutin' orders to his crew; no one hears but me.
Lock the door, sun's a fallin'.
Poke the fire, don't let the cold in.
Gonna try to sail away from the rest of my life.
Gonna try to sail away from the rest of my life.
The song "Sail Away" by Etta James is a ballad about escaping the monotony of everyday life and finding a new beginning. The first two lines, "Lock the door, sun's a fallin' / Poke the fire, don't let the cold in," set up the scene of a winter's night, with the singer seeking warmth and comfort. The following lines, "Gonna try to sail away from the rest of my life / Found a boat to make the break in / Filled with hope 'bout the step I'm takin'" reveal the singer's desire to leave it all behind and start again.
The singer has spent a long time listening to the captain of the sea, learning about life on the water and how to navigate through it. The captain's orders are only heard by the singer, symbolizing the idea that sometimes we must trust our own instincts and not rely on the opinions of others. The lines "Cast away, tide's a runnin' / Hoist the sail, strong wind's comin'" show the singer's determination to move forward, even if the journey may be difficult.
The repeated chorus of "Gonna try to sail away from the rest of my life" reinforces the theme of escape and new beginnings. The final two lines, "Lock the door, sun's a fallin' / Poke the fire, don't let the cold in" bring the song full circle and show that even though the singer is embarking on a new journey, they still feel the need for comfort and safety.
Overall, "Sail Away" can be seen as a song about hope and the courage to take risks in order to find happiness and fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
Lock the door, sun's a fallin'.
It's getting dark outside and it's time to close the door to keep the outside world from intruding.
Poke the fire, don't let the cold in.
Keep the fire going to stay warm and keep the cold out.
Gonna try to sail away from the rest of my life.
I want to escape from my current life and start fresh somewhere else.
Found a boat to make the break in.
I found a way to escape my old life and start anew.
Filled with hope 'bout the step I'm takin'.
I am hopeful about the new path I am taking in life.
Spent a long time list'ning to the captain of the sea, Shoutin' orders to his crew; no one hears but me.
I have been listening to my own inner voice and taking my own directions to make this change in my life.
Cast away, tide's a runnin'
I am leaving everything behind as the tide carries me away towards my new life.
Hoist the sail, strong wind's comin'.
I am taking control of the direction of my life and embracing the new opportunities and challenges that are coming my way.
Lock the door, sun's a fallin'.
It's getting dark outside and it's time to close the door to keep the outside world from intruding.
Poke the fire, don't let the cold in.
Keep the fire going to stay warm and keep the cold out.
Gonna try to sail away from the rest of my life.
I am committed to starting fresh and leaving my old life behind.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RANDY NEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Spokane Steve
"I had this idea of a slave ship and a sea shanty – this guy standing in a clearing, singing to a crowd of natives. These people in my songs don’t know they’re bad. They think they’re fine. I didn’t just want to say, 'Slavery is awful.' It’s too easy. I wasn’t doing 'Roots'. I knew Bobby Darin pretty well. He covered this [in 1972], but he was such a musical guy that he missed the point. He was like, 'Little one, come to America.' Etta James did it, and I guarantee she knew what it was about, absolutely." -Randy Newman
Vercingetorix
@Nessuno Dorme Nilsson sang the best cover by far.
Nessuno Dorme
I'm amazed how many people have covered this song! I haven't heard Bobby Darin's rendition but, so far, this is the best one. Ray Charles and Joe Cocker both had the potential to knock it out of the park but, instead, they held back -- Joe Cocker almost swallowing the refrain, while Ray Charles draped the song in a sort of anthem sound and both, like Darin, substituted "little one" for "little wog".
I can understand being apprehensive about the song but I can't imagine anybody failing to get what the song is about. I
murp h
So did Darin !!!!!!! Dispite what Randy Newman said --- he was wrong ____ Darin was super intelligent and positively understood the song
murp h
One of our great vocalists she is forever RIP
Michael Ebbert
Fantastic! I'm glad she had the courage to record a song that is easily misunderstood. Many people do not understand irony.
Zanti
Uh, where's the irony in this interpretation? Doing this song as if it were meant to be an uplifting gospel number seems strange. Having a black female sing it is even stranger. I want to hear the song performed by Robert Preston in his Harold Hill character.
picklez
to hear a black artist cover this just wow. how much more integrated can 2 people have shown the world way back then than randy and etta ...shame on the future for not following...
Nagasaki Inline Skating Club
Be sure to hear the Terry & McGhee version too, from around the same time as this
rosemary'sbaby10 rosemary'sbaby10
if no one knows Etta James as a jazz/scat singer and a voice of the old classics and contemporary needs to look her up bigtime. unbelievable, expression, intonation, musicalitity. she could rock and roll with anyone between classical and Janis Joplin.
a natural. her range and expression were nothing short of an signature. no one could do do this. she had born pipes and would wale her stuff.
you think her freakin backup would have done this if not inspired by her dead ahead lead? no! this stuff is first take recording! live off mike. closed studio.
a great tribute to a great Randy Newman comp.