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.
Try a Little Tenderness
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Them young girls they do get wearied
Wearing that same old miniskirt dress
But when she gets weary
You try a little tenderness
Oh man that
Un hunh
Just anticipating
The thing that you'll never never possess
No no no
But while she there waiting
Try just a little bit of tenderness
That's all you got to do
Now it might be a little bit sentimental no
But she has her greavs and care
But the soft words they are spoke so gentle
Yeah yeah yeah
And it makes it easier to bear
Oh she wont regret it
No no
Them young girls they don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness
Yeah yeah yeah
But its all so easy
All you got to do is try
Try a little tenderness
Yeah
Damn that hart (hard?)
All you got to do is know how to love her
You've got to
Hold her
Squeeze her
Never leave her
Now get to her
Got got got to try a little tenderness
Yeah yeah
Lord have mercy now
All you got to do is take my advice
You've got to hold her
Don't squeeze her
Never leave her
You've got to hold her
And never
So you got to try a little tenderness
A little tenderness
A little tenderness
A little tenderness
You've got to
Got to got to
You've gotta hold her
Don't squeeze her
Never leaver her
You got
Got got got to
Now now now
Got got got to
Try a little tenderness
Ye
The song 'Try a Little Tenderness' by Etta James talks about how a woman can get tired of doing the same things, and sometimes it can be exhausting. The opening lines convey that the woman may be worn out, and young girls tend to get tired quickly. She dresses up the same, wears the same miniskirts, but eventually gets weary. However, when she is feeling low, the lyrics suggest that instead of giving up on her or walking away, one should try just a little bit of tenderness. The song focuses on how love flourishes when one shows tenderness, affection and care.
Later in the song, the lyrics suggest that the woman has been waiting for the man to make a move, but he doesn't have the thing she anticipates. The song implies that one does not need to possess everything to make someone happy. The soft words spoken gently can make it easier to bear, even the hardships or difficulties. The love between two people can take a sentimental turn, but that doesn't make it any less potent or valuable. The song encourages the man to try a little bit of tenderness and make the woman feel loved and valued.
Overall, the song 'Try a Little Tenderness' is about how small acts of tenderness can make a significant difference in relationships. It encourages people to be kind and loving towards each other, especially when one partner may be feeling down or exhausted.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh she may be weary
The woman you desire may be feeling tired and exhausted
Them young girls they do get wearied
Young women often feel weary and tired
Wearing that same old miniskirt dress
She may be feeling bored and worn out from always wearing the same outfit to impress you
But when she gets weary
However, when she is feeling exhausted
You try a little tenderness
Show her some gentle care and affection
Oh man that
I understand
Un hunh
Yes, I agree
I know shes waiting
I am aware that she is waiting for your attention
Just anticipating
Anxiously waiting in anticipation for you to love and care for her
The thing that you'll never never possess
She desires your love and attention, but you won't be able to possess her entirely
No no no
You must understand that
But while she there waiting
However, while she remains there waiting
Try just a little bit of tenderness
Take the initiative to show her some affection and care
That's all you got to do
It's that simple
Now it might be a little bit sentimental no
It may seem a bit cheesy or romantic, but
But she has her greavs and care
She has her own difficulties and problems that she carries with her
But the soft words they are spoke so gentle
However, when you speak to her with kind and gentle words
Yeah yeah yeah
It will give her a sense of ease and comfort
And it makes it easier to bear
It makes her problems and hardships easier to bear when she feels loved and cared for
Oh she wont regret it
She will never regret the love and care you show her
Them young girls they don't forget it
Young women always remember the love they receive
Love is their whole happiness
Love is the source of their happiness
But its all so easy
It's not difficult
All you got to do is try
All you need to do is make an effort
Damn that hart (hard?)
It may be challenging or frustrating
All you got to do is know how to love her
To make her happy, you just need to know how to show love
You've got to
It's necessary
Hold her
Show her physical affection by holding her
Squeeze her
Hold her tightly to show her that you care
Never leave her
Always be there for her and never leave her side
Now get to her
Go to her and show her your love
Got got got to try a little tenderness
It's necessary to show her some gentle care and affection
Yeah yeah
Yes, indeed
Lord have mercy now
An exclamation to express enthusiasm and excitement about the love and affection you will show her
All you got to do is take my advice
Just follow my suggestions
You've got to hold her
You must hold her to show physical affection
Don't squeeze her
However, don't hold her too tightly
Never leave her
Stay with her and never abandon her
You've got to hold her
Show her affection by holding her
And never
And above all
So you got to try a little tenderness
To show her that you care, you just need to be a little bit more gentle and loving
A little tenderness
A small amount of love and care is all that it takes
A little tenderness
A small amount of love and care is all that it takes
A little tenderness
A small amount of love and care is all that it takes
You've got to
It's necessary to
Got to got to
You must
You've gotta hold her
You must hold her to show her physical affection
Don't squeeze her
Don't hold her too tightly
Never leaver her
Stay with her and never abandon her
You got
You must
Got got got to
You absolutely must
Now now now
Do it right now
Got got got to
You must
Try a little tenderness
Try showing some gentle care and affection
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CAROLE BAYER SAGER, DAVID W. FOSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
anybodycanart
I swear first note and I got chills....very little singers to keep this energy going..remember..there's no computer fixing shit going on here...RIP Queen.
typpy4theg26
Great rendition, I love the smoothness of the whole arrangement...Two step all the way
Dawn Marie May
Amen!
Leona Jones
She was a queen she could sing anything Rip Etta we love you
cheryl coleman
Oh Yes, no other has a voice or cool, confident style like this Queen, Etta James. There is NO ONE ELSE ANYWHERE that compares with this lady. SANG SISTER, SANG GIRL!!! You know you got it!!!đđâ€ïžâ€ïž
DN West
Greatness! Soulful blues at the highest level!
ManagerGuy1
RIP Etta! Thank you for all the great music you left us.
Vicki Jay
Been listening all night ...my thanks to everyone who has posted her music....Today the world has lost a "voice crying in the wilderness "....May God give her rest ...RIP Etta
cissie cobb
Great playlist! Well doneđđ»
Vinetta Davis
You'll be truly missed, love you Etta!