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.
The Rock
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rock me, baby, rock me all night long
I want you to rock me, baby, rock me all night long
I want you to rock me, baby, like my back ain't got no bone
Roll me, baby, roll me till you make me feel
I said roll me, baby, roll me till you make me feel
And I want you to do this for me, baby
I said roll me, baby now, roll me like you roll a, a big old wheel
I said roll, roll me, baby now, roll me like you roll a big old wheel
'Cause I know that you know, baby, you know how to make me feel
Roll me slow, roll me all night long
I said roll me, roll me slow, baby, roll me all night long
I said I know that you know that
I know that you know how to make me feel
I said rock me, baby, now rock me all night long
Say, baby you rock me, baby, rock me all night long
I said rock me, baby, like
Like my back ain't, my back ain't got no bone
Roll me, baby now, roll me like you roll a big old wheel
Roll me, baby now, roll me, roll me like you roll a big old wheel
I said I know that you know, you know how to make me feel
In the song “The Rock” by Etta James, the singer is expressing her desire for her lover to rock and roll with her all night long. She pleads to be rocked and rolled until she feels as though her back has no bone. This is a metaphor for the physical release and pleasure that sex can bring. The way she requests to be rocked and rolled with increasing urgency in the refrain, accompanied by the repetition of the phrase “all night long,” evokes a sense of sensual longing and urgency.
The verses go back and forth between the request to be rocked and rolled and the request to be rolled like a big old wheel. The comparison to a wheel is another metaphor for the power of her lover to control her and move her in ways that bring her pleasure. Etta James sings the phrase “I know that you know” several times throughout the song, emphasizing that her lover understands how to make her feel good. This creates a sense of intimacy between two people who are comfortable with each other and know each other’s bodies well.
Overall, “The Rock” is a sultry and sexy song that emphasizes the importance of physical connection in a romantic relationship. Etta James’ powerful voice and confident delivery suggest that she knows exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid to ask for it.
Line by Line Meaning
I want you to rock me, baby
I desire for you to undulate and sway me, my darling
Rock me, baby, rock me all night long
Undulate and sway me all through the darkness, my beloved
I want you to rock me, baby, rock me all night long
I long for you to undulate and sway me throughout the entirety of the night, my love
I want you to rock me, baby, like my back ain't got no bone
I yearn for you to sway me until my back has no structure, my darling
Roll me, baby, roll me till you make me feel
Move me, my love, until I sense the passionate intensity within me
I said roll me, baby, roll me till you make me feel
I repeat, move me until I feel the fiery fervor, my beloved
I said roll me, baby now, roll me till you make me feel
I reiterate, move me until I feel the passionate energy, my dearest
And I want you to do this for me, baby
I desire for you to fulfill this yearning for me, my darling
I said roll me, baby now, roll me like you roll a, a big old wheel
Move me like a massive wheel being rotated, my love
I said roll, roll me, baby now, roll me like you roll a big old wheel
I repeat, rotate me like a colossal wheel, my beloved
'Cause I know that you know, baby, you know how to make me feel
I understand that you possess the knowledge, my love, of how to bring out emotions within me
Roll me slow, roll me all night long
Rotate me leisurely, move me throughout the night, my darling
I said roll me, roll me slow, baby, roll me all night long
I repeat, move me leisurely all through the night, my beloved
I said I know that you know that
I know that you know how to make me feel
I understand that you know how to bring out emotions within me
I said rock me, baby, now rock me all night long
I repeat, undulate and sway me throughout the entirety of the night, my dearest
Say, baby you rock me, baby, rock me all night long
Declare to me, my love, that you will undulate and sway me all through the night
I said rock me, baby, like
Like my back ain't, my back ain't got no bone
I desire for you to undulate and sway me until my back is free of any structure, my darling
Roll me, baby now, roll me like you roll a big old wheel
Move me like a colossal wheel being rotated, my love
Roll me, baby now, roll me, roll me like you roll a big old wheel
Move me, my love, like a massive wheel being rotated
I said I know that you know, you know how to make me feel
I understand that you possess the knowledge, my dearest, of how to bring out emotions within me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MELVIN JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gruvchild
Sing it Etta like no one else can! I love all the life lessons expressed in your music. You can sing them because you experienced them and can vocalize them like NO ONE ELSE!!!!! Check out: Don't Touch Me; Love's Been Rough On Me; If I Can't Have You etc. etc.etc. I will always love and be grateful for your beautiful music!
Janice Rigsbee
This song no matter who sings it has a very haunting Millatti I love it.
Chantay Link
Love love love it. Rest in peace Momma Etta. You taught us well
missclimpson
This is a great album.
Paula Morin
I love this song and Etta was incredible!
catherine ortiz
i love her sound , so rich , nobody ,i said nobody can compare that deep deep voice , contralto , i love it can't think of enough words to express how good she sounded , any way thank you MISS ETTA , for doing what came so natural for you and made it possilbe for so many to hear you do what you loved to do , once again THANK YOU
arxsyn
she sounds great on this record. Mature, deep, stern and oh-so-strong! Contralto version of Ella Fitzgerald
Phoenix Star
I'VE JUST STARTED LISTENING TO ETTA JAMES AND I JUST LOVE HER. I AM NOW HER NUMBER 1 FAN! :)) I JUST LOVE HER VOICE AND YES SHE BREAKS MY HEART EVERYTIME BUT THAT'S HOW SONGS WERE WRITTEN IN THE 1940’s 50’s 60’s 70’s 80’s 90’s. I AGREE WITH EVERYONE WHO FEELS THAT ARTISTS FROM THIS ERA/TIME WERE DEFINITELY IN A CLASS OF THEIR OWN - UNIQUE AND SO SPECIAL IN EVERY WAY. "DON'T YOU JUST MISS THEM" I BELIEVE THAT - “HOW OUR WORLD EVOLVES FROM DECADE TO DECADE DETERMINES THE FATE OF HOW SONGS ARE WRITTEN TODAY" SO PEOPLE “WHERE IS THE LOVE” THANK YOU ETTA FOR REMINDING US THAT IT’S OK TO WRITE SONGS ABOUT “FALLEN IN LOVE” “BROKENHEARTS” “LOST LOVES” AND “TRUE LOVE”. PEOPLE LET'S WRITE SONGS ABOUT "FALLEN IN LOVE" "PEACE NOT WAR" "LOVE NOT HATE" YOU NEVER KNOW THE RIPPLE EFFECT COULD BE ENOUGH TO ENTHUSE A POSITIVE CHAIN REACTION AROUND THE WORLD - OUR HOME:))
Laura Hedges
I saw her at BBKings about 15 yrs ago w my sister...Etta was wheeled onstage in a wheelchair it was a fabulous show and we dressed up for her I wore black leather skirt and top w/ fuschia sandals and bag...and pearls.... she warranted that...Classic lady!!..#Neverforget & TY!!
sandy connie
Just one of the amazing songs written by Russell Smith (amazing rhythm aces)..love ya Russell & Happy Birthday!!!