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.
Strongest Weakness
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Threw that nasty habit away
Laid down my last dollar on my last bet
Didn't ever win anyway
Gave up the wine and whiskey
'Cause everybody said I should
But I'm givin' up on quittin' you, baby
You are my strongest weakness
Can't get enough, can't give you up
You are my deepest secret
I know it's wrong but I can't go on
And I try, try, try
I ask myself why, why, why?
My strongest weakness
You been runnin' around for a long time now
I know all the games you play
Sooner or later you will put me down
Gonna have to face it someday
But baby, every time you hold me
And I get another taste of your kiss
I feel a power comin' over me
That my body just can't miss
You are my strongest weakness
Can't get enough, can't give you up
You are my deepest secret
I know it's wrong but I can't go on
I try, try, try,
I ask myself why, why, why?
My strongest weakness
Why can't you just say no?
(Strongest weakness)
I said why can't I let you go?
(Strongest weakness)
Why, why do I keep, keep breakin' down?
(Strongest weakness)
I said why can't I turn around?
(Strongest weakness)
You know I try, try, try
I ask myself why, why, why?
I give in to you, baby
You are my strongest weakness
(Strongest weakness)
Can't get enough, can't give you up
(Deepest secret)
Deepest secret
(Strongest weakness)
Strongest weakness
(Deepest secret)
You are, you are
(Strongest weakness)
The song "Strongest Weakness" by Etta James describes a situation where the singer is trying to give up various vices – smoking, gambling, and drinking – but cannot resist the attraction and love of someone who is not good for them. The singer admits that this person is their "strongest weakness" and that they cannot get enough of them, even though they know it is wrong. The song also acknowledges that the singer's lover is not trustworthy, but they cannot help being drawn to them.
The lyrics "I try, try, try, I ask myself why, why, why? My strongest weakness" suggest that the singer is aware of the problems of their relationship and is trying to resist the temptation to be with their lover despite everything. The phrase "strongest weakness" implies that the attraction to the other person is stronger than any other vice or addiction.
Overall, the song is about the power of love and its ability to overcome the best interests and better judgment of an individual. It speaks to the experience of being caught up in a passionate and intense relationship, even when it may not be the healthiest thing for us.
Line by Line Meaning
I smoked my last cigarette
I have quit smoking
Threw that nasty habit away
I got rid of smoking permanently
Laid down my last dollar on my last bet
I stopped gambling too
Didn't ever win anyway
I didn't gain anything by gambling
Gave up the wine and whiskey
I quit drinking alcohol
'Cause everybody said I should
I quit due to peer pressure
But I'm givin' up on quittin' you, baby
I am giving up my attempt to quit you
'Cause it feels so damn good
Because I enjoy being with you too much
You are my strongest weakness
You are the person I want to be with, even if it's not good for me
Can't get enough, can't give you up
I am addicted to you
You are my deepest secret
My feelings for you are something I keep hidden
I know it's wrong but I can't go on
I acknowledge this is a bad situation, but I can't stop
And I try, try, try
I attempt to resist my attraction to you
I ask myself why, why, why?
I wonder why I can't resist you
You been runnin' around for a long time now
You have fooled around with others for a while
I know all the games you play
I am aware of your mannerisms and tricks
Sooner or later you will put me down
Eventually, you will break my heart
Gonna have to face it someday
I need to face this harsh reality at some point
But baby, every time you hold me
Despite the danger, I can't resist being close to you
And I get another taste of your kiss
I get another chance to feel your lips on mine
I feel a power comin' over me
This attraction overpowers my rational thinking
That my body just can't miss
My body craves to be near you
Why can't you just say no?
Why can't you resist this unhealthy bond?
I said why can't I let you go?
I wonder why I can't stop being attracted to you
Why, why do I keep, keep breakin' down?
Why am I unable to resist this temptation?
I said why can't I turn around?
I am frustrated that I cannot change my feelings
I give in to you, baby
I cave in to my desire for you
You are, you are
You are everything that is both wrong and attractive to me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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.