Fontella Bass (born July 3, 1940 in St. Louis, Missouri - died December 26,… Read Full Bio ↴Fontella Bass (born July 3, 1940 in St. Louis, Missouri - died December 26, 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri) was an American soul and rnb singer, recording the iconic hit "Rescue Me" in 1965. The daughter of gospel singer Martha Bass (of the Clara Ward Singers), Bass was exposed to music at an early age. She was singing in her church's choir at just six years old.

As a teenager, Bass was attracted by more secular music. Throughout high school she began singing contemporary R&B songs at local contests and fairs. In 1961, Bass found steady work on the local Leon Claxton Show, playing piano and singing in the chorus. She also began playing piano on blues vocalist Little Milton's records. With the support of Bob Lyons, the manager of St. Louis station KATZ, Bass recorded several songs released through Bobbin Records. She saw no notable success outside her home town, however.

Two years later, she moved to Chicago after a dispute with Little Milton. She auditioned for Chess Records, who immediately signed her as a recording artist. Her first works with the label were several duets with blues singer Bobby McClure, also a newcomer to the label. Released early in 1965, "Don't Mess Up a Good Thing" found immediate success, reaching the top five at R&B radio and peaking at #33 at pop. They followed their early success with "You'll Miss Me (When I'm Gone)" that summer, a song that had mild success, reaching the top 30 at R&B, but barely charting at pop.

After a brief tour, Bass returned to the studio. The result was an original composition with an aggressive bass and drum work by Maurice White, of the future Earth, Wind, & Fire. The song, "Rescue Me," shot up the charts in the fall and winter of 1965. After a month-long run at the top of the R&B charts, the song reached #4 at the pop charts.

She followed with "Recovery," which did moderately well, peaking at #13 at R&B and #37 at pop in early 1966. The same year brought two more R&B hits, "I Can't Rest" (backed with "I Surrender)" and "You'll Never Know." Her only album with Chess Records, The New Look, sold reasonably well, but Bass decided to leave the label after only two years, in 1967.

In 1970 Bass recorded two albums with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, The Art Ensemble of Chicago with Fontella Bass and Les Stances A Sophie. The latter was the soundtrack from the French movie of the same title. Bass' vocals, backed by the powerful, pulsating push of the band has allowed the Theme De YoYo to remain an underground cult classic ever since.

The next few years found Bass at a number of different labels, but saw no notable successes. After her second album, Free, flopped in 1972, Bass retired from music. She returned occasionally, being featured as a background vocalist on several recordings, including those of her husband, Lester Bowie, a jazz trumpeter and member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. In the 1990s she hosted a short-lived Chicago radio talk show, and has released several gospel records on independent labels.

Like many outstanding artists of her time, Bass experienced a revival of interest. Her still-powerful tones can be heard on the 2002 Cinematic Orchestra album, 'Everyday'.

She has been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame. She is the older sister of R&B singer David Peaston, who was a former Showtime at the Apollo champion.

Fontella Bass, 72, died of heart-attack complications in her home town of St. Louis, Missouri, 26 December 2012. She is survived by four children.

Discography

Albums

* The New Look (1966, Chess) US: #93
* Les Stances A Sophie , with the Art Ensemble of Chicago (1970, Nessa Records)
* The Art Ensemble of Chicago with Fontella Bass, (Prestige Records, 1970)
* Free (1972, Paula)
* From The Root To The Source (1980)
* No Ways Tired (1995, Nonesuch)
* Now That I Found a Good Thing (1996, Jewel)
* Travelin (2001, Justin Time)

Singles

* "Don't Mess Up a Good Thing" (1965, Chess) R&B: #5 US: #33 with Bobby McClure
* "You'll Miss Me (When I'm Gone)" (1965) R&B: #27 US: #91 with Bobby McClure
* "Rescue Me" (1965) R&B: #1 US: #4 UK: #11
* "Recovery" (1966) R&B: #13 US: #37 UK: #32
* "Safe and Sound" (1966) US: #100 (b-side of "Recovery")
* "I Can't Rest" (1966) R&B: #31
* "I Surrender" (1966) R&B: #33 US: #78 (b-side of "I Can't Rest")
* "You'll Never Know" (1966) R&B: #34

Rescue Me
Fontella Bass Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Rescue me
Take me in your arms
Rescue me
I want your tender charm
'Cause I'm lonely
And I'm blue
I need you
And your love too

Come on and rescue me

Come on, baby, and rescue me
Come on, baby, and rescue me
'Cause I need you by my side
Can't you see that I'm lonely

Rescue me
Come on and take my heart
Take your love and conquer every part
'Cause I'm lonely
And I'm blue
I need you
And your love too
Come on and rescue me

Come on, baby, and rescue me
Come on, baby, and rescue me
'Cause I need you by my side
Can't you see that I'm lonely

Rescue me
Take me in your arms
Rescue me
I want your tender charm
'Cause I'm lonely
And I'm blue
I need you
And your love too
Come on and rescue me (come on baby)

Take me baby (take me baby)
Hold me baby (hold me baby)
Love me baby (love me baby)
Can't you see that I need you baby
Can't you see that I'm lonely

Rescue me
Come on and take my hand
C'mon, baby and be my man
'Cause I love you
'Cause I want you
Can't you see that I'm lonely

Mmm-hmm (mmm-hmm)
Mmm-hmm (mmm-hmm)
Take me baby (take me baby)
Love me baby (love me baby)
Need me baby (need me baby)
Mmm-hmm (mmm-hmm)
Can't you see that I'm lonely
Rescue me

Rescue me
Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm

Overall Meaning

"Rescue Me" is a classic soul song by Fontella Bass that was released in 1965. The song is about a woman who is feeling lonely and blue and is pleading with her lover to come and rescue her. The lyrics are quite straightforward, and the call-and-response-style chorus adds to the urgency of the song. This song has a classic 1960s sound with a strong beat, soulful horns, and backup singers that make it very catchy.

The song’s opening lines “Rescue me, take me in your arms” sets the tone for the plea of the song — the singer is calling out to her lover to rescue her from her sadness and loneliness. In the second verse, Fontella Bass sings "Come on and take my heart, take your love and conquer every part" which indicates that she wants her lover to be intimately involved in her life and help her overcome her emotional struggles.

Overall, "Rescue Me" is quite a simple song. Its power lies in its soulful delivery, which is typical of the era.

Line by Line Meaning

Rescue me
I need someone to come and save me from my loneliness.

Take me in your arms
Hold me tightly and give me comfort.

Rescue me
I need someone to come and save me from my loneliness.

I want your tender charm
I desire your affection and care.

'Cause I'm lonely
I feel lost and alone.

And I'm blue
I'm sad and melancholic.

I need you
I require your presence in my life.

And your love too
I need not only your company, but also your affection.

Come on and rescue me
Please come and take me out of this emotional distress.

Come on, baby, and rescue me
I'm pleading with you to come to me and help me out of my loneliness.

'Cause I need you by my side
I cannot live without you; I need you there for me.

Can't you see that I'm lonely
It's apparent that I'm lonely and in need of someone.

Come on and take my heart
Give me your love and affection completely.

Take your love and conquer every part
Let your love be the answer to all my problems and troubles.

Come on and rescue me (come on baby)
Please come my way and take me out of this sadness.

Take me baby (take me baby)
Hold me and give me affectionate love.

Hold me baby (hold me baby)
Cradle me in your arms and give me comfort.

Love me baby (love me baby)
Give me the love and affection that I need.

Can't you see that I need you baby
I'm desperately in need of you; please rescue me.

Rescue me
Come and free me from this state of loneliness.

Come on and take my hand
Please lead me through this tough time and guide me towards a better place.

C'mon, baby and be my man
Come and be the one to rescue me from my pain and become my partner, my solace.

'Cause I love you
My love for you is the biggest reason why I need you to rescue me from my loneliness.

'Cause I want you
I desire to be with you, to feel your love and affection.

Mmm-hmm (mmm-hmm)
A way to express affirmation and agreement.

Need me baby (need me baby)
I'm asking you to fulfill my emotional needs.

Mmm-hmm (mmm-hmm)
A way to express affirmation and agreement.

Can't you see that I'm lonely
It's apparent that I'm lonely and in need of someone.

Rescue me
Come and free me from this state of loneliness.

Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm
A way to express affirmation and agreement.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@user-ww7ec2ot4n

Lyrics:

Rescue me
Or take me in your arms
Rescue me
I want your tender charms
‘Cause I’m a lonely and I’m blue
I need you
And your love too

C’mon and rescue me
C’mon baby and rescue me
C’mon baby and rescue me
‘Cause I need you by my side
Can’t you see that I’m lonely?

Rescue me
C’mon and take my heart
Take your love and conquer every part
‘Cause imma lonely and I’m blue
I need you
And your love too

C’mon and rescue me
C’mon baby and rescue me
C’mon baby and rescue me
‘Cause I need you by my side
Can’t you see that I’m lonely?

Rescue me
Or take me in your arms
Rescue me
I want your tender charms
‘Cause I’m a lonely and I’m blue
I need you
And your love too

C’mon and rescue me
C’mon baby
Take me baby
Hold me baby
Love me baby
Can’t you see that I need you baby?
Can’t you see that I’m lonely?

Rescue me
C’mon and take my hand
C’mon baby and be my man
‘Cause I love you
‘Cause I want you
Can’t you see that I’m lonely?

Mhm, mhm, mhm, mhm
Take me baby, (take me baby)
Love me baby, (love me baby)
Need me baby, (need me baby)

Mhm, mhm, mhm
Can’t you see that I’m lonely baby?
Rescue me
Rescue me
Mhm, mhm, mhm

All comments from YouTube:

@kevingavigan7883

3y↑9

This song features future Earth, Wind & Fire members Maurice White on drums and Louis Satterfield on bass. Pete Cosey and Gerald Sims contributed guitar parts. Minnie Riperton provided backing vocals. It's widely believed that the rest of the lineup consists of Leonard Caston on piano, Sonny Thompson on organ, and Charles Stepney on vibes. However, session logs indicate that Charles Stepney was errsoniasly credited with vibes, but actually played percussion, and that Fontella Bass played the piano part herself, while Leonard Caston played organ rather than piano.

@raymondmalcuit8361

2y↑4

This Song Went To Number 4 On The Billboard Hot-100 Chart In 1965.

@annamariehewitt3173

23w

This song went to #1 for 4 weeks on the R+B chart

@evaweyde6838

48w

Love this song 👍💗

@erichuffstutler9734

4y↑5

Also was #1 R&B on Cash Box in October and November 1965

@user-ww7ec2ot4n

@wmbrown6

3y↑1

UK Peaks: 5 (D), 7 (NME), 8 (MM), 11 (RR)

Just as US Record World and Cash Box charted this higher on the "pops" than Billboard, so it was in the UK, with it reaching higher chart positions on Disc, New Musical Express and Melody Maker than Guinness' favorite "canonical" source for 1960-69, Record Retailer (which, in 1966, was acquired by Billboard, so there seems to be something more to Guinness using RR than meets the eye - especially since Guinness was the UK publisher for Whitburn's Billboard chart books).