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.
Summer Heat
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Out on the street
The summer heat
Boys playing games
Changing their names
Pulling tricks
Getting their kicks
Let it ride
Meetin the stars
In funky bars
Shiny new cars
And back door lies
Trying to hike
Or any other type of ride
All the way down
Let it ride
Trying everythank now
Gotta check it out
Trying everythang now
Gotta check it out
Hey girl!
You want a blow
Why not
I got nowhere to go.
Benny the Albino
Says don't be a whino
Try these here flakes
They got what it takes
To make you a star
All the way down
And change who you are
Let it ride
Tell me were you satisfied
Did you mix it
Did you like it
Oooh! Tell me was it good to you.
I wanna know did you make enough money
Did you make enough money to do down in style
Or did you find yourself just dying, dying, dying
After a while
Got to get off!
Got to get off!
I got to go, got to, got to, got to get off!
Please help me, help me!
To git off now, now!
Before I freeze, and before I can come up off my knees
And lose my key to freedom.
And I go, all the way down,
All the way down.
Etta James's Summer Heat is a poignant track that highlights the struggles of individuals who are trying to make their mark in life but are inevitably weighed down by addiction and other societal issues. Etta's voice captivates the listener, delivering a sense of desperation and hopelessness that captures the song's theme. The song's narrative is about the summer streets where boys are playing games, changing their names, and pulling tricks. As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the lyrics tell of the challenges that these boys face on the streets, including trying every drug known to man, being propositioned for sex, and being offered various shady deals.
Through the song's lyrics, Etta reveals that the boys are simply trying to make enough money to live and survive in society. They meet people in bars, get involved in back-door lies as they resort to anything to get by. You can sense the desperation in the song as the boys try to climb the social ladder by any means necessary, even if it means losing themselves in the process. They make deals with people like Benny the Albino, who promises to offer them a shot at stardom in exchange for their soul.
In conclusion, Summer Heat's lyrics are a heartbreaking reminder of how easy it is to lose oneself in the quest for success and survival. The song highlights the harsh realities of the streets, particularly for those facing addiction and societal issues, and how it can be impossible to escape its clutches. Overall, Summer Heat is a powerful and poignant track that is as relevant today as the day it was released.
Line by Line Meaning
Out on the street
Outside in the heat of summer
The summer heat
The oppressive, stifling heat of summer
Boys playing games
Young men fooling around
Changing their names
Assuming false identities
Pulling tricks
Engaging in scams or unlawful activity
Getting their kicks
Finding pleasure in dangerous or risky activity
All the way down
Going as low as possible
Let it ride
Not worrying about the consequences
Meetin the stars
Socializing with celebrities
In funky bars
In seedy, disreputable bars
Shiny new cars
Expensive, flashy automobiles
And back door lies
Deceitful behavior
Trying to hike
Looking for a ride or transportation
Or any other type of ride
Willing to take any form of transportation
Trying everythank now
Experimenting with everything
Gotta check it out
Needs to investigate everything
Trying everythang now
Experimenting with everything
Hey girl!
Making an offer to a woman
You want a blow
Are you interested in illicit drugs
Why not
No reason not to
I got nowhere to go.
Have nothing else to do
Benny the Albino
An individual named Benny who lacks melanin in their skin
Says don't be a whino
Advising to not be an alcoholic
Try these here flakes
Used as a reference to drugs
They got what it takes
Will provide the desired effect
To make you a star
Will make you feel great
And change who you are
Will transform your personality
Tell me were you satisfied
Asking if the individual was content
Did you mix it
Did you combine drugs
Did you like it
Did you enjoy it
Oooh! Tell me was it good to you.
Asking if the experience was positive
I wanna know did you make enough money
Asking if they were financially successful
Did you make enough money to do down in style
Did you make enough for a lavish lifestyle
Or did you find yourself just dying, dying, dying
Were you unhappy and struggling
After a while
Over an extended period
Got to get off!
Need to leave or escape
Please help me, help me!
Request for assistance
To git off now, now!
Needs to leave immediately
Before I freeze, and before I can come up off my knees
Before it is too late
And lose my key to freedom.
Running the risk of losing freedom
And I go, all the way down,
Falling lower and lower
All the way down.
Reaching the lowest point
Contributed by Lucas F. 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.