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.
Walking the Back Streets
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He said, "I don't love you, baby
And you got to, you got to let me go"
And that was too much, too much for me
That's why I walked the back streets and cry
You know it hurts me so bad
To hear my baby say
He said another reason that makes me wanna leave
You ain't got enough of nothin' to keep me, keep me ?
That was too much, oh, too much for me
That's why I walked the back streets, the back street and cry
Oh yeah
Oh, it hurts me, it hurts me so bad
Oh, to hear my baby
Hear my baby say goodbye
He said, "You're a good woman, Etta
To treat me like you do"
He said, "You ain't done nothin' to me
I just can't stay here with you"
I stood and watch my baby as far as I could see
You know the men started runnin'
After waiving, waiving goodbye to me
That was too much, too much for me
That's why I walked the back streets and cry
Oh yeah
You know it hurts me, it hurts me so bad
Oh, to hear my baby
Hear my baby say goodbye
Hear and say goodbye
You know it hurts me so bad
To hear my baby say goodbye
That's why I walked the back streets
The back streets and cry
Oh, I said it hurts me, it hurts me so bad
Hear my baby say, so long
Oh, it hurts me, hurts me, hurts me so bad
Hear my baby say, hear my baby say goodbye
Oh baby, oh, oh, it hurts me so bad
Hear my baby say goodbye
That why I walked the back streets
That why I walked the back streets and cry
Oh, that why I walked the back streets and cry
Cry, cry
In "Walking the Back Streets," Etta James sings about the pain and heartbreak of a failed relationship. The song is filled with raw emotion as she recounts her lover telling her that he doesn't love her anymore and that she has to let him go. The weight of these words is too much for her to bear, which leads her to walk the back streets and cry.
She laments the hurt that comes from hearing her baby say goodbye, as it leaves her feeling empty and broken. She reveals that her lover also provided another reason for leaving, stating that she doesn't have enough to offer to keep him by her side. Etta James expresses her deep distress over his departure, causing her to retreat to the back streets to grieve and shed tears.
The lyrics indicate that her baby acknowledges her goodness as a woman but claims that she hasn't done anything wrong. However, he states that he just can't stay with her any longer. As she watches him leave, she notices other men running after him, waving their goodbyes to her, amplifying her anguish.
Throughout the song, Etta James repeatedly emphasizes the pain she feels in hearing her baby say goodbye. The lyrics convey her deep-seated hurt and longing, highlighting the emotional toll that a broken relationship can take.
Line by Line Meaning
You know my baby told me not so very long ago
My significant other recently informed me
He said, "I don't love you, baby
He expressed that he no longer harbors love for me
And you got to, you got to let me go"
And insisted that I release him from our relationship
And that was too much, too much for me
This revelation was overwhelming and unbearable
That's why I walked the back streets and cry
Consequently, I found solace in wandering through the less frequented paths while shedding tears
You know it hurts me so bad
The emotional pain inflicted is severe
To hear my baby say
The words uttered by my beloved
Hear my baby say goodbye
Specifically, bidding farewell to me
He said another reason that makes me wanna leave
Furthermore, he provided another justification for his desire to depart
You ain't got enough of nothin' to keep me, keep me ?
Claiming that I possess insufficient qualities to maintain his interest
That was too much, oh, too much for me
This additional remark compounded the distress already experienced
That's why I walked the back streets, the back street and cry
Hence, I resorted to meandering the less populated roads while shedding tears
Oh, it hurts me, it hurts me so bad
Oh, the anguish inflicted upon me is agonizing
Oh, to hear my baby
Oh, when I listen to my beloved
Hear my baby say goodbye
Specifically, uttering their farewell to me
He said, "You're a good woman, Etta
He acknowledged my virtues, Etta
To treat me like you do"
Yet, he expressed dissatisfaction with how I treat him
He said, "You ain't done nothin' to me
Stressing that I have not caused him any harm
I just can't stay here with you"
Merely stating his inability to remain in this relationship
I stood and watch my baby as far as I could see
I stood and observed my beloved until they disappeared from sight
You know the men started runnin'
It was at that moment that other men began to approach hastily
After waiving, waiving goodbye to me
Waving fervently, bidding me adieu
That was too much, too much for me
This spectacle was overwhelming and unbearable for me
That's why I walked the back streets and cry
Hence, I sought refuge in traversing secluded paths while shedding tears
You know it hurts me, it hurts me so bad
The pain inflicted upon me is deeply agonizing
Oh, to hear my baby
Oh, to listen to the words of my beloved
Hear my baby say goodbye
Specifically, hearing the farewell from my beloved
You know it hurts me so bad
The emotional pain endured is profoundly distressing
To hear my baby say goodbye
Especially when my beloved expresses their departure
That's why I walked the back streets
Consequently, I wandered through secluded paths
The back streets and cry
Those less frequented roads, shedding tears as I traverse
Oh, I said it hurts me, it hurts me so bad
Oh, I admit the excruciating pain I endure
Hear my baby say, so long
Perceiving the utterance of farewell from my beloved
Oh, it hurts me, hurts me, hurts me so bad
Oh, the unbearable distress it causes
Hear my baby say, hear my baby say goodbye
Listening to my beloved expressing their goodbye
Oh baby, oh, oh, it hurts me so bad
Oh, my dear, it brings me immense pain
Hear my baby say goodbye
To hear my beloved bidding farewell
That why I walked the back streets
Hence, my reason for wandering through secluded paths
That why I walked the back streets and cry
That's why I traversed the less crowded roads while shedding tears
Cry, cry
Crying, shedding tears
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SANDY JR. JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Erik brodland
on I Just Want to Make Love to You
Love this song so much, it makes me think of my son's Beautiful mommy jasmin and her amazing.voice.