Born John Henry Kendricks in Detroit, Michigan, Ballard along with his brother, Dove Ballard, grew up and attended school in Bessemer, Alabama after the death of their father. He lived with his paternal aunt and her husband, and began singing in church. His major vocal inspiration during his formative years was the "Singing Cowboy", Gene Autry, and in particular, his signature song, "Back in the Saddle Again". Ballard returned to Detroit in his teens and later worked on the assembly line for Ford.
In 1953, Ballard joined doo-wop group The Royals, which had previously been discovered by Johnny Otis and signed to Federal Records, (a division of King Records), in Cincinnati. Ballard joined Henry Booth, Charles Sutton, Sonny Woods and Alonzo Tucker in the group, replacing previous singer Lawson Smith.
The Royals released "Get It" (1953), an R&B song with possibly sexually oriented lyrics, which some radio stations refused to play, although it still made it to number 6 on the Billboard R&B chart.
The group then changed its name to The Midnighters to avoid confusion with The "5" Royales. In 1954, Ballard wrote a song called "Work with Me, Annie" that was drawn from "Get It". It became The Midnighters' first major R&B hit, spending seven weeks at number 1 on the R&B charts and also selling well in mainstream markets, along with the answer songs "Annie Had a Baby" and "Annie's Aunt Fannie"; all were banned by the FCC from radio air play. Their third major hit was "Sexy Ways", a song that cemented the band's reputation as one of the most risqué groups of the time.
They had four other R&B chart hits in 1954–55, but no others until 1959, by which time the group was billed as "Hank Ballard and The Midnighters" with their label changed from Federal to King, the parent label. Between 1959 and 1961 they had several more both on the R&B and Pop charts, starting with "Teardrops on Your Letter", a number 4 R&B hit in 1960 that had as its B-side the Ballard-written song "The Twist". A few months later, Chubby Checker's cover version of the song went to number 1 on the pop charts. It would return to the top of the charts again in 1962–the only song in the rock'n'roll era to reach number 1 in two different years.
Ballard & the Midnighters had several other hit singles through 1961, including the Grammy-nominated "Finger Poppin' Time" and "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" which hit number 7 and number 6, respectively, on the Billboard pop charts. They did not reach the charts again after 1962 and dissolved in 1965.
After the Midnighters disbanded, Ballard launched a solo career. His 1968 single, "How You Gonna Get Respect (When You Haven't Cut Your Process Yet)", was his biggest post-Midnighters hit, peaking at number 15 on the R&B chart. James Brown produced Ballard's 1969 album You Can't Keep a Good Man Down. A 1972 single, "From the Love Side", credited to Hank Ballard and the Midnight Lighters, went to number 43 on the R&B chart. Ballard also appeared on Brown's 1972 album Get on the Good Foot, in a track ("Recitation By Hank Ballard") that features Ballard describing Brown and the album.
During the 1960s, Ballard's cousin, Florence Ballard, was a member of the Detroit girl group The Supremes.
In the mid-1980s, Ballard re-formed The Midnighters and the group performed till 2002.
In 1990, Ballard was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; the other Midnighters were inducted in 2012.
On March 2, 2003, he died at age 66 of throat cancer in his Los Angeles home. He was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ballard was the great uncle of NFL player Christian Ballard.
Let's Go Let's Go Let's Go
Hank Ballard & The Midnighters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's go, let's a-go, let's go
There's a thrill upon the hill
Let's go, let's a-go, let's go
There's a house honey, way across town
People coming from miles around
Put on your pretty red dress
That's it, baby let's git
And go way far upon the hill
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun
We gonna greet the risin' sun
All night long we gonna ball
Until we hear yo mama call
That's it, baby let's git
And go way far upon the hill
There's a thrill upon the hill
Let's go, let's a-go, let's go
There's a thrill upon the hill
Let's go, let's a-go, let's go
Let's go!
Eee-yeah!
Everybody's gonna be there
My friends and yours from everywhere
Oh, what a time it's gonna be!
Come on baby, let's go see
That's it, baby let's git
And go way far upon the hill
There's a thrill upon the hill
Let's go, let's a-go, let's go
There's a thrill upon the hill
A-let's go, let's a-go, let's go.
The lyrics of Hank Ballard and The Midnighters's song "Let's Go Let's Go Let's Go" captures the excitement and anticipation of getting together with friends to have a good time. The line "There's a thrill upon the hill" sets the scene for a party that is happening somewhere up high, maybe at a house on a hill. The mood is infectious, and the lyrics convey a sense of urgency, with the repeated refrain urging the listener to join in on the fun.
The second verse describes people coming from all over town to attend the party, and the singer's suggestion to their partner to put on their best clothes adds to the sense of anticipation for the night ahead. The images of partying all night long and having a good time until the break of dawn encapsulate the spirit of the song, which is all about letting loose and having fun.
Overall, the lyrics of "Let's Go Let's Go Let's Go" reflect the simple pleasures of getting together with friends to party and have a good time. The song's energetic beat and catchy refrain make it a classic party anthem that continues to inspire people to let loose and have fun.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a thrill upon the hill
Excitement can be found at the top of the hill
Let's go, let's a-go, let's go
Let's go there right now
There's a house honey, way across town
There's a specific house located far away
People coming from miles around
Many people are aware of this event and are traveling great distances to attend
Put on your pretty red dress
Get dressed up in your finest attire
Let's go see about this mess
Let's go investigate what's happening at the house
That's it, baby let's git
Let's leave immediately
And go way far upon the hill
Let's travel high up the hill
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun
We'll have a great time
We gonna greet the risin' sun
We'll stay up all night until sunrise
All night long we gonna ball
We'll dance and have a good time all night
Until we hear yo mama call
We'll stay out until we hear someone's mother calling them to come home
Everybody's gonna be there
All of our friends will be in attendance
My friends and yours from everywhere
People from all over will be there
Oh, what a time it's gonna be!
It's going to be an amazing time
Come on baby, let's go see
Let's go and check it out for ourselves
A-let's go, let's a-go, let's go
Let's go, right now!
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HANK BALLARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@georgeamink7090
This type of music will never get old !
@saleemmuhammad6470
One of the soulful, rockingest , get down and funk brothers of all time. Do it Hank and keep on keeping on. Gone but not forgotten. Peace and love!
@TheShizue777
One of my morning songs. This is the definition of upbeat. Drummer and sax. That guitar at the beginning. Never better. Thank you, Hank Ballard! Thank you, Midnighters!
@johnspear7020
amen
@daryleballard4912
TheShizue777 thank you
@fuggity1
That guitar might have been the great Steve cropper. Aldo
@STUCATZOMARINE
There are just some songs that just make you feel good and inspire you or the day . This song is one ! I love the sax solo and that clever low note .
@daryleballard4912
STUCATZOMARINE thank you
@carlosmitrani1980
I agree.I think the same as you.
@timothythorne9464
I second that emotion! This song is so bright and positive feeling and I love it