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.
Tough Lover
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He show an old kind of rock n' roll
'Cause he's a tough lover (yeah, yeah)
He's a tough lover (woo)
Tough Lover (yeah, yeah)
Tough Lover (hum, hum)
When he kisses me
But when he does that wiggle
I can't keep still
'Cause he's a tough lover (yeah, yeah)
He's a tough lover (woo)
Tough Lover (yeah, yeah)
Tough Lover (hum, hum)
The seven sisters got nothin' on him
I'm talkin' about love and he's fast as the wind
People are all talkin' about how he's got me fixed
It ain't hoodoo it's just that twist
He's the greatest lover ever come to pass
Don Juan ain't got the half of a chance
He can make you laugh
He can make you cry
He's so tough he'll make Venus come alive
He can do anything that he wants to do
Step on Jesse James's blue suede shoes
'Cause he's a tough lover (yeah, yeah)
He's a tough lover (woo)
Tough Lover (yeah, yeah)
Tough Lover (hum, hum)
The seven sisters got nothin' on him
I'm talkin' about love and he's fast as the wind
People are all talkin' about how he's got me fixed
It ain't hoodoo it's just that twist
He's the greatest lover ever come to pass
Don Juan ain't got the half of a chance
He can make you laugh
He can make you cry
He's so tough he'll make venus come alive
He can do anything that he wants to do
Step on Jesse James's blue suede shoes
'Cause he's a tough lover (yeah, yeah)
He's a tough lover (woo)
Tough Lover (yeah, yeah)
Tough Lover (hum, hum)
You've got a lover
That you wanna love right
Just (pops? i don't know this one) him on the head
Once or twice
He'll be a tough lover (yeah, yeah)
He'll be a tough lover (woo)
Tough lover (yeah, yeah)
Tough lover (hu, hu!)
The lyrics to Etta James's song "Tough Lover" talk about the love that the singer has for her significant other. The singer calls her lover a tough lover because of the way he moves and how he makes her feel. He shows an old kind of rock n' roll which adds to his charm. The singer describes how she gets a thrill when he kisses her and how she can't keep still when he does that wiggle. The love that the singer has for her partner is so strong that she compares it to the seven sisters, a reference to Greek mythology, implying that her love is stronger than theirs.
The singer goes on to talk about how fast her partner is and how he can make Venus come alive. She compares him to Don Juan, saying that he can do anything he wants to do. Even stepping on Jesse James's blue suede shoes would be a minor feat for him. The song ends with the singer advising the listener to love their partner right and to encourage them to be tough as well.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I've got a lover that moves me so
The singer has a lover who impresses and excites them.
He show an old kind of rock n' roll
The lover embodies the classic rock n’ roll spirit.
'Cause he's a tough lover (yeah, yeah)
The lover is strong-willed and resolute.
He's a tough lover (woo)
The lover is passionate and intense.
Tough Lover (yeah, yeah)
The lover's disposition is uncompromising.
Tough Lover (hum, hum)
The lover is a difficult person to handle emotionally.
When he kisses me
The singer feels a powerful emotion when kissed by the lover.
I get a thrill
The artist feels excited and invigorated.
But when he does that wiggle
The lover's physicality and energy are captivating.
I can't keep still
The lover's movements inspire the artist's own physicality.
The seven sisters got nothin' on him
The lover is superior to the Seven Sisters, a musical group.
I'm talkin' about love and he's fast as the wind
The lover is quick and agile in matters of love.
People are all talkin' about how he's got me fixed
Others are impressed and envious of the singer's infatuation with the lover.
It ain't hoodoo it's just that twist
The singer's attraction to the lover is sincere and not magical in nature.
He's the greatest lover ever come to pass
The singer considers the lover to be the best romantic partner they have ever had.
Don Juan ain't got the half of a chance
The lover is a more skilled and successful lover than Don Juan, a legendary seducer.
He can make you laugh
The lover has a sense of humor and can make people laugh.
He can make you cry
The lover is capable of eliciting strong emotions from others.
He's so tough he'll make Venus come alive
The lover's strength of character is enough to make even the goddess of love, Venus, feel inspired and invigorated.
He can do anything that he wants to do
The lover is capable and confident.
Step on Jesse James's blue suede shoes
The lover is powerful and dominant, and can even best the famous outlaw Jesse James.
'Cause he's a tough lover (yeah, yeah)
The lover's toughness and resilience are central to their identity.
He'll be a tough lover (yeah, yeah)
If challenged, the lover will respond with strength and determination.
He'll be a tough lover (woo)
The lover is a force to be reckoned with, and will not be easily tamed.
Tough lover (yeah, yeah)
The lover's uncompromising disposition is a defining feature of their personality.
Tough lover (hu, hu!)
Dealing with the lover can be a difficult and emotionally charged experience.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ELMORE JAMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
lamarxiana
Well I've got a lover that moves me so
He show an old kind of rock n' roll
'Cause he's a tough lover (yeah, yeah)
He's a tough lover (woo)
Tough Lover (yeah, yeah)
Tough Lover (hum, hum)
When he kisses me
I get a thrill
But when he does that wiggle
I can't keep still
'Cause he's a tough lover (yeah, yeah)
He's a tough lover (woo)
Tough Lover (yeah, yeah)
Tough Lover (hum, hum)
The seven sisters got nothin' on him
I'm talkin' about love and he's fast as the wind
People are all talkin' about how he's got me fixed
It ain't hoodoo it's just that twist
He's the greatest lover ever come to pass
Don Juan ain't got the half of a chance
He can make you laugh
He can make you cry
He's so tough he'll make Venus come alive
He can do anything that he wants to do
Step on Jesse James's blue suede shoes
'Cause he's a tough lover (yeah, yeah)
He's a tough lover (woo)
Tough Lover (yeah, yeah)
Tough Lover (hum, hum)
The seven sisters got nothin' on him
I'm talkin' about love and he's fast as the wind
People are all talkin' about how he's got me fixed
It ain't hoodoo it's just that twist
He's the greatest lover ever come to pass
Don Juan ain't got the half of a chance
He can make you laugh
He can make you cry
He's so tough he'll make venus come alive
He can do anything that he wants to do
Step on Jesse James's blue suede shoes
'Cause he's a tough lover (yeah, yeah)
He's a tough lover (woo)
Tough Lover (yeah, yeah)
Tough Lover (hum, hum)
You've got a lover
That you wanna love right
Just (pops? i don't know this one) him on the head
Once or twice
He'll be a tough lover (yeah, yeah)
He'll be a tough lover (woo)
Tough lover (yeah, yeah)
Tough lover (hu, hu!)
TheEccentric
IMO Both versions are amazing, Etta was the Christina of her time
xMantra Ns
@cam coop too bad even etta liked christinas voice more since the influence of her singing shows more and has approved all her covers of her songs
cam coop
TheEccentric BEYONCE OF HER TIME
Gvantsa Chakhava
she has so much power in her voice, you know what i mean? not only the vocal range, but the power coming within... etta u are amazing... :o.... i love this song....
Emia Clark
Etta James is such a great and talented singer! I wish her and her family the best, and I hope she overcomes her horrible illness♥
jtizzle369
Christina RIPPED this song to PIECES in Burlesque! Etta would be proud!
Chris Darling
Etta James what a voice she was fantastic
Asspotatos
This is back when NO autotune people actually had a voice and real drums and pionos etc
teja f
you can't change originals- and so you can't break this one!! that's one of her best singles :] she has an amazingg voice :]
Rebecca Avila
Love both versions! So great!!