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.
Sunday Kind of Love
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A love to last past Saturday night
And I'd like to know it's more than love at first sight
And I want a Sunday kind of love
Oh, yeah, yeah
I want a, a, a love that's on the square
Can't seem to find somebody
And I'm on a lonely road that leads to nowhere
I need a Sunday kind of love
I do my Sunday dreaming, oh, yeah
And all my Sunday scheming
Every minute, every hour, every day
Oh, I'm hoping to discover
A certain kind of lover
Who will show me the way
And my arms need someone
Someone to enfold
To keep me warm when Mondays and Tuesdays grow cold
Love for all my life, to have and to hold
Oh, and I want a Sunday kind of love
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
I don't want a Monday, Tuesday
A Wednesday or Thursday
Friday or Saturday
Oh, nothing but Sunday oh, yeah, yeah
I want a Sunday, Sunday
I want a Sunday kind of love
Oh, yeah
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday kind of love
The song "Sunday Kind of Love" by Etta James is an ode to the desire for a fulfilling and lasting romantic love. The singer of the song explains that she wants a love that is more than just a fleeting attraction, something that will last beyond Saturday night. She longs for a connection that goes deeper than surface level and wants to know that her partner feels the same way. The idea of a "Sunday kind of love" represents a deeply fulfilling and meaningful love that lasts through all the days of the week, but particularly on Sundays - a day of rest and reflection.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses her frustration with her current situation of not having that kind of love. She explains that she is lonely and cannot seem to find a person willing to truly care for her. She spends all of her Sundays dreaming and scheming about finding the right person to show her the way to this love. The melancholy tone reflects her longing and the sense of emptiness she feels without a partner to share her life with.
Line by Line Meaning
I want a Sunday kind of love
I want a true and long-lasting love with someone special on Sundays.
A love to last past Saturday night
I want a love that will go beyond the fun and good times of Saturday night.
And I'd like to know it's more than love at first sight
I want a love that is not just infatuation or attraction, but something deeper.
Can't seem to find somebody
I am struggling to find someone who really cares about me.
Someone to care
I want someone who will genuinely care about me and my well-being.
And I'm on a lonely road that leads to no where
I feel isolated and alone in my search for love.
I need a Sunday kind of love
I yearn for a true and long-lasting love that will fill the emptiness inside me.
I do my Sunday dreaming, oh yea
I spend my Sundays daydreaming about finding true love.
And all my Sunday scheming
I plan and strategize on how to find the kind of love I am looking for.
Every minute, every hour, every day
I am constantly thinking about love and how to find it.
Oh I'm hoping to discover
I am filled with hope that I will eventually find the love of my life.
A certain kind of lover
I am searching for a specific type of person who will be my perfect match.
Who will show me the way
I want someone who will guide me and help me navigate through love and relationships.
And my arms need someone
I long for physical affection and intimacy with someone.
Someone to enfold
I want someone who will embrace me and hold me close.
To keep me warm when Mondays and Tuesdays grow cold
I want someone who will be there for me during difficult times, and provide warmth and comfort.
Love for all my life to have and to hold
I want a love that will last a lifetime, and someone to share my life with.
I don't want a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, or Thursday, Friday or Saturday
I don't want a love that is fleeting or temporary, only present for a few days of the week.
Oh nothing but Sunday oh yea
I want a love that is consistent and present every day, like every Sunday.
I want a Sunday Sunday
I want a true and long-lasting love, like a beautiful Sunday.
I want a Sunday kind of love
I yearn for a love that will fill me with happiness and contentment every day of my life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: Anita Nye, Barbara Belle, Louis Prima, Stanley Rhodes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joannloves8232
SONG LYRICS
I want a Sunday kind of love
A love to last past Saturday night
And I'd like to know
It's more than love at first sight
And I want a Sunday kind of love
Oh yeah, yeah
I want a, a love that's on the square
Can't seem to find somebody
Someone to care
And I'm on a lonely road
That leads to nowhere
I need a Sunday kind of love
I do my Sunday dreaming, oh yeah
And all my Sunday scheming
Every minute, every hour, every day
Oh, I'm hoping to discover
A certain kind of lover
Who will show me the way
And my arms need someone
Someone to enfold
To keep me warm when Mondays and Tuesdays grow cold
Love for all my life to have and to hold
Oh and I want a Sunday kind of love
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah
I don't want a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday
Or Thursday, Friday or Saturday
Oh nothing but Sunday, oh yeah
I want a Sunday
Sunday
I want a Sunday kind of love, oh yeah
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday kind of love
@SimpleModernWoman
coffee.
laundry.
gardening.
morning walk.
watering house plants.
dancing around the house.
podcasts, audiobooks, playlists.
meditating and practicing gratitude.
enjoying life's simple pleasures.
sunday kind of self-love. ❤️
@ralitsageorgieva3437
Imagine dancing to this with the love of your life on Sunday while making coffee and pancakes
@melaniegallegos6946
Omg lez be lovers pls 🙏💖
@vnsalafeliz
😢
@ralitsageorgieva3437
@@melaniegallegos6946 I am down ;))
@janejoud3665
no!
@m.a.4603
Damn you on that deep shit
@barbarasunday3514
I was very lonely till 22 years ago when I met a man with the last name Sunday.This song always makes me remember how blessed I am to have found him.
@kerrianjames7135
Bless you and your union. ❤
@jessicamcdade1813
The most beautiful story
@aztros8128
thank you for commenting this! love to hear stories like this!