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.
Tell Mama
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One to love you and give you the world
Now you find that you've been misused
Talk to me, I'll do what you choose, I want you to
Tell Mama, all about it
Tell Mama, what you need
Tell Mama, what you want
That girl you had didn't have no sense
She wasn't worth all the time that you spent
She had another man throw you outdoors
Now the same man is wearing your clothes, I want you to
Tell Mama, all about it
Tell Mama, what you need
Tell Mama, what you want
And I'll make everything alright
Tell me, tell me now
She would embarrass you anywhere
She'd let everybody know she didn't care
Give me a chance I've been beggin' you
And I just want to take care of you, I want you to
Tell Mama, all about it
Tell Mama, what you need
Tell Mama, what you want
Tell Mama, what you want right now
Tell me, tell your mom
I'm your Mama
Tell me what you want
The lyrics of Etta James's song "Tell Mama" revolves around a man who thought he had found the perfect girl to love and give him the world, but after realizing that she has been misusing him, he turns to the singer, referred to as "Mama," for comfort and guidance. The singer tells the man to confide in her and allow her to make everything right. The man's previous lover is portrayed as someone who lacked basic sense and respect for him, even going as far as letting everyone know she didn't care about him. The singer reminds the man that she has been begging him for a chance to take care of him, unlike his previous lover, and encourages him to trust her and tell her what he needs.
The song's repetitive use of the phrase "Tell Mama" serves as a reminder for the man to confide in someone who genuinely cares about him and wants to make everything right. The singer presents herself as a trustworthy figure, someone who is willing to listen to the man's problems and provide a solution. The song's overall message is one of hope, reminding the listener that there is always someone who cares and is willing to help them through tough times.
Line by Line Meaning
You thought you'd found a good girl
You believed that you had found a nice woman
One to love you and give you the world
Someone who would adore you and provide everything for you
Now you find that you've been misused
Now you realize that you have been taken advantage of
Talk to me, I'll do what you choose, I want you to
Speak to me, I will do whatever you want, and I am willing to help
Tell Mama, all about it
Confide in me, tell me everything
Tell Mama, what you need
Share with me your desires
Tell Mama, what you want
Express to me what you want
And I'll make everything alright
I'll do my best to fix things for you
That girl you had didn't have no sense
The girl you were with was foolish
She wasn't worth all the time that you spent
She did not deserve the amount of time you devoted to her
She had another man throw you outdoors
She allowed someone else to kick you out of your own residence
Now the same man is wearing your clothes, I want you to
That individual is now wearing your clothes, and I urge you to say something about it to me
She would embarrass you anywhere
She did not mind embarrassing you in public
She'd let everybody know she didn't care
She presented herself as someone who did not care
Give me a chance I've been beggin' you
Please give me an opportunity, I've been asking you
And I just want to take care of you, I want you to
All I want is to nurture you, and I plead with you to let me
Tell Mama, what you want right now
Inform me immediately of what you want
Tell me, tell your mom
Disclose it to me, your mother figure
I'm your Mama
I'm the person you can confide in and trust
Tell me what you want
Let me know what is it you require
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILBUR TERRELL, MARCUS DANIEL, CLARENCE CARTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kathankapoor5773
You thought you'd found a good girl
One to love you and give you the world
Now you find that you've been misused
Talk to me, I'll do what you choose, I want you to
Tell Mama, all about it
Tell Mama, what you need
Tell Mama, what you want
And I'll make everything alright
That girl you had didn't have no sense
She wasn't worth all the time that you spent
She had another man throw you outdoors
Now the same man is wearing your clothes, I want you to
Tell Mama, all about it
Tell Mama, what you need
Tell Mama, what you want
And I'll make everything alright
Tell me, tell me now
She would embarrass you anywhere
She'd let everybody know she didn't care
Give me a chance I've been beggin' you
And I just want to take care of you, I want you to
Tell Mama, all about it
Tell Mama, what you need
Tell Mama, what you want
Tell Mama, what you want right now
Tell me, tell your mom
I'm your Mama
Tell me what you want
@brucerivera4550
Back when The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inducted artists who deserved it. RIP Etta.
@BCT611
She's one of my favorite artists but Etta shouldn't be in the RARHOF because she's not roak. They need a Motown/funk reggae Hall of Fame
@bahnibyrd9247
~💜~
@isaacgomez5778
Nobody belted out a song like Etta
@Glidescube
tell mama??? look mama no computers and look at the master piece they made.
@bellasam1429
i guess i am the only 15 year old here listening to old songs, i just love them lol...
and yes pls tell mama what u been holding, it gets so much easier
@EricBrownBey
I’m 20 going on 21
@avagd6293
Bass guitar and bass sax that make you want to dance. Hoorah.
@cahetmclendon5564
I used to listen to this with my grandma but she passed away last year. Miss you granny
@blackcougar1959
❤