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.
man i love
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every night I dream a little dream
And of course Prince Charming is the theme
The he, for me.
Although I realize as well as you
It is seldom that a dream comes true,
To me it's clear
That he'll appear.
Some day he'll come along, the man I love
And he'll be big and strong, the man I love
And when he comes my way,
I'll do my best to make him stay.
He'll look at me and smile, I'll understand
And in a little while, he'll take my hand
And though it seems absurd
I know we both won't say a word.
Maybe I shall meet him Sunday,
Maybe Monday, maybe not
Still I'm sure to meet him one day
Maybe Tuesday will be my good news day.
He'll build a little home just meant for two
From which I'll never roam, who would? would you?
And so, all else above,
I'm waiting for the man I love.
In Etta James's "Man I Love," the singer sings about her dreams of finding the perfect man - her "Prince Charming." She acknowledges the reality that dreams often don't come true, but still holds onto the hope that "he'll appear." The lyrics describe a future in which the man she loves comes to her and she does everything she can to make him stay. The narrative also touches on the uncertainty of when she will meet this man - maybe on Sunday, maybe on Monday, maybe not at all.
The singer's longing for love is palpable in the lyrics, and James's soulful voice adds to the emotional weight of the song. The repetition of the phrase "the man I love" throughout the song drives home the message of the lyrics and the singer's deep yearning.
The song was originally written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1924 musical "Lady, Be Good!" and has been covered by many artists, including Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Diana Ross. James recorded her version in 1962 for her album "Etta James Sings for Lovers," adding her own powerhouse vocal flair to the classic tune.
Line by Line Meaning
When the mellow moon begins to beam
Each night when the moon is out and shining gently, I begin to dream
Every night I dream a little dream
During every night, I indulge in a small dream
And of course Prince Charming is the theme
My imagination constantly conjures up stories of Prince Charming
The he, for me.
This dream Prince Charming is destined for me
Although I realize as well as you
I understand just like how you do
It is seldom that a dream comes true,
It is rare that fantasy turns into reality
To me it's clear
But in my mind it's evident
That he'll appear.
I know that he will come into my life
Some day he'll come along, the man I love
One day, the man I love will enter my life
And he'll be big and strong, the man I love
The man I love will be confident and robust
And when he comes my way,
When he finally arrives
I'll do my best to make him stay.
I'll make sure to put all my efforts into making him stay
He'll look at me and smile, I'll understand
I'll comprehend the feelings he has for me just by his smile
And in a little while, he'll take my hand
Soon enough, he'll hold my hand
And though it seems absurd
Although it may sound ridiculous
I know we both won't say a word.
Neither of us will need to speak as we feel the same way
Maybe I shall meet him Sunday,
Perhaps Sunday will be the day I finally meet him
Maybe Monday, maybe not
It could even be Monday or any other day for that matter
Still I'm sure to meet him one day
But I am certain that I will eventually meet him
Maybe Tuesday will be my good news day.
Perhaps, my long-awaited good news will finally arrive on Tuesday
He'll build a little home just meant for two
Together, we will build a small and cozy home just for both of us
From which I'll never roam, who would? would you?
I'll never feel the need to leave this place, and I'm sure you wouldn't either
And so, all else above,
In the end, regardless of everything else
I'm waiting for the man I love.
I am simply waiting for the man that I love
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SaraTorraco
Someday he'll come along
The man I love
And he'll be big and strong
The man I love
And when he comes my way
I'll do my best to make him stay
He'll look at me and smile
I'll understand
And in a little while
He'll take my hand
And though it seems absurd
I know we both won't say a word
Maybe I shall meet him Sunday
Maybe Monday, maybe not
Still I'm sure to meet him one day
Maybe Tuesday will be my good news day
He'll build a little home
Just meant for two
From which I'll never roam
Who would, would you?
And so, all else above,
I'm waiting for the man I love
@1957PLATO
She just mastered every style and genre. The most versatile female singer ever. Period.
@murph3001
1957PLATO you are so right
@deadandburied7626
Linda Ronstadt beats Etta, but both are great. 😊
@user-tz6xl3be2e
кто слушает эту красоту в 2023
@rockybrown5284
this lady is the reason I play the Blues & jazz one of the best voices of your times.
@granddelight2856
THE LYRICS RING TRUE ...WITH ETTA ....HER RENDITION. ..NO COMPARISON...SHE LIVED THE WORDS....WILL ALWAYS CHERISH ...THE MUSIC OF ETTA JAMES ...JAZZ AND THE BLUES WERE HER INSTRUMENTS. ... SO HONORED TO HAVE BEEN ALIVE DURING HER CAREER AND LIFETIME....THANK YOU...ETTA...FOR YOU...
@cmpruitt1
Your hear that Sax? Blow baby Blow. My favorite instrument!!!!!
@stevecooter8796
Awesome cut. What an artist. Every word. Every phrase has feeling that just seamlessly flows.
@tan_ya_
It's been almost 8 years since I posted this and I still love this song just as much as I did then.
@user-xb7dp4vu3r
Thank you for doing that! ;)