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.
You Got Me
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I get a feeling that I never, never, never, never had before, no no (Yeah)
And I just wanna tell you right now that I
I believe, I really do believe that
Something's got a hold on me, yeah (oh, it must be love)
Oh, something's got a hold on me right now, child (oh, it must be love)
Let me tell you now
Everything about me seems to have changed
Step by step, I got a brand new walk
I even sound sweeter when I talk
I said, oh (oh), oh (oh), oh (oh), oh (oh)
Hey, hey yeah
Oh, it must be love (you know it must be love)
Let me tell you know
Something's got a hold on me, yeah (oh, it must be love)
Oh, something's got a hold on me right now, child (oh, it must be love)
Let me tell you now
I've never felt like this before
Something's got a hold on me that won't let go
I believe I'd die if I only could
I feel so strange but it sure is good
I said, oh (oh), oh (oh), oh (oh), oh (oh)
Hey, hey yeah
Oh, it must be love (you know it must be love)
Let me tell you know
My heart feels heavy, my feet feel light
I shake all over, but I feel alright
I never felt like this before
Something's got a hold on me that won't let go
I never thought it could happen to me
Got me heavy without the misery
I never thought it could be this way
Love's sure gonna put a hurting on me
I said, oh (oh), oh (oh), oh (oh), oh (oh)
Hey, hey yeah
Oh, it must be love (you know it must be love)
Oh, you know he walks like love (you know he walks like love)
He talks like love (you know he talks like love)
Makes me feel alright (makes me feel alright)
In the middle of the night (in the middle of the night)
La la la la (la la la la)
La la la la (la la la la)
"You Got Me" is a classic song by the legendary R&B and soul singer Etta James that was released in 1964. In the song, James describes how the person she is singing to has an immense amount of power over her and she is completely under their control. The lyrics describe how this person has captured her heart, and she can't resist their charm. James sings about hoping that this person is satisfied with the power they have over her, and how they hardly had to try to achieve it. She describes how one single look was all it took for her to fall deeply in love with this person and how her heart went on a roller coaster ride. She admits that her chances are almost nil when it comes to taking control of her heart back from this person. In the end, she confesses that being under their control is where she wants to be.
The song's lyrics are a perfect representation of what it feels like to be completely under someone's spell. James's emotional and soulful voice enhances the feeling of being trapped and controlled by someone that you love. The lyrics capture the desperation and longing that often comes with being in love, even when things aren't perfect. They also speak to the power dynamics that can arise in relationships when one person has all the control.
One interesting fact about "You Got Me" is that it was written by the songwriting duo of Randy Newman and Bobby Darin. Newman is known for his iconic songwriting, and Darin was a successful singer, songwriter, and actor at the time. The song's success helped launch James's career as a successful R&B and soul singer. The song has been covered by many artists, including The Black Keys and The Blues Brothers.
Line by Line Meaning
You've got me where you want me
I am completely under your control
And I hope you're satisfied
I hope you are happy with the power you have over me
You've got me where you want me
My will is at your mercy
And you hardly even tried
You didn't even have to put in much effort to gain this power over me
One single look was all I took
I was immediately captivated by you with just one glance
And then, starry-eyed
Enchanted and dazzled by you
I watched my poor old heart
My emotions and feelings were completely taken over by you
Go on that roller-coaster ride
My heart went through a tumultuous experience of ups and downs because of you
I say I won't surrender
I try to resist but am failing to keep my guard up
But I know darn well I will
I know deep down that I will ultimately give in to your power over me
My hopes are pretty slender
I don't have much faith in my ability to resist you
And my chances almost nil
I feel like I have no chance of overcoming your hold on me
Why should I try to alibi
Why should I even bother trying to justify my feelings for you
When anyone can see
It's obvious to everyone that you have complete control over me
And it's where I wanna be
Despite the inner turmoil and uncertainty, I'm content with being under your spell
And it's where I wanna be
I'm willingly surrendering to your power, as it's where I feel most comfortable
And it's where I wanna be
I'm submitting to your control, as it's where I truly want to be
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Etta James, Leroy Kirkland, Pearl Woods
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Thulani Hamilton
Great song Billy Vera, thanks as always
L.Russell Brown
Billy and I wrote dozens of tunes and this is one of our very finest efforts
L.Russell Brown
Rosane Corrêa
Love your song!
Billy Vera
Happy Birthday Etta James! And thanks for recording my song!
January 25, 1938
http://youtu.be/5gPdQv8S2M8