With a booming voice and looming physical presence, Burnett is commonly ranked among the leading performers in electric blues; musician and critic Cub Koda declared, "no one could match Howlin' Wolf for the singular ability to rock the house down to the foundation while simultaneously scaring its patrons out of its wits." A number of songs written or popularized by Burnett—such as "Smokestack Lightnin'", "Back Door Man", "Killing Floor" and "Spoonful"—have become blues and blues rock standards.
At 6 feet, 6 inches (198 cm) and close to 300 pounds (136 kg), he was an imposing presence with one of the loudest and most memorable voices of all the "classic" 1950s Chicago blues singers. This rough-edged, slightly fearsome musical style is often contrasted with the less crude but still powerful presentation of his contemporary and professional rival, Muddy Waters. Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), Little Walter Jacobs, and Muddy Waters are usually regarded in retrospect as the greatest blues artists who recorded for Chess in Chicago. Sam Phillips once remarked, "When I heard Howlin' Wolf, I said, 'This is for me. This is where the soul of man never dies.'" In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him #51 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
Burnett died at Hines VA Hospital in Hines, Illinois on January 10, 1976 and was buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Hillside, Cook County, Illinois in a plot in Section 18, on the east side of the road. His large gravestone, allegedly purchased by Eric Clapton, has an image of a guitar and harmonica etched into it.
The Howlin' Wolf Memorial Blues Festival is held each year in West Point, Mississippi. Wolf's Juke Joint Jam is another annual Howlin' Wolf tribute festival held in West Point. Some of the artists who have played 'Wolf Jam' include Wolf's lead guitarist Hubert Sumlin, Muddy Waters' back band of Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Calvin "Fuzz" Jones and "Steady Rollin" Bob Margolin, Willie King, Blind Mississippi Morris, Kenny Brown, Burnside Exploration, etc. The festival is held at the 500-acre (2.0 km2) festival grounds known as Waverly Waters Resort.
A popular music venue in New Orleans, Louisiana was named The Howlin' Wolf when it opened in 1988.
Burnett was portrayed by Eamonn Walker in the 2008 motion picture Cadillac Records.
Tell Me What I've Done
Howlin' Wolf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh you said I hurt your feelings, but you won't tell me what I done
And if I done hurt your feelings, some kinda way, God knows I didn't mean no harm
Oh well if I could get 'cha babe, just to lay back up in my arms
An' if I could get cha babe, just to lay back up in my arms
I would prove to you baby, God knows I didn't mean no harm
(Well all right)
Ah little girl if you don't love me, oh little girl my mama do
I don't mean to hurt your feeling, God knows I didn't mean to do ya no harm
I didn't mean no harm, I'm goin' home
In Howlin' Wolf's song Tell Me What I've Done, the singer is trying to reconcile with his lover. He is aware that he has hurt her feelings but does not know exactly what he has done to cause it. The repetition of the first two lines of the song emphasizes the frustration he is feeling because he wants to make things right but cannot do so without knowing the root of her hurt. He pleads with her to just come back to him so he can hold her in his arms and prove to her that he did not mean any harm. The reference to his mother's love also suggests that he is hoping for forgiveness and acceptance, albeit from a different source.
The song captures the struggle of communication in a relationship and the power of knowing what went wrong in order to make it better. Howlin' Wolf's deep, soulful voice adds to the emotional weight of the lyrics, making it a powerful blues ballad.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh you said I hurt your feelings, but you won't tell me what I done
You told me I hurt you, but you won't explain the reason behind it.
And if I done hurt your feelings, some kinda way, God knows I didn't mean no harm
If I did hurt your feelings, in any way possible, I didn't have any intention to harm you, God is my witness.
Oh well if I could get 'cha babe, just to lay back up in my arms
If you would just come and lay in my arms, maybe then I'll be able to make things right.
I would prove to you baby, God knows I didn't mean no harm
If you give me a chance, I'll prove to you that I didn't mean to hurt you.
Ah little girl if you don't love me, oh little girl my mama do
If you don't love me, that's okay because my mother does.
I don't mean to hurt your feeling, God knows I didn't mean to do ya no harm
I want you to know that I didn't mean to hurt your feelings in any way, and God knows that as well.
I didn't mean no harm, I'm goin' home
I truly didn't mean to cause you any harm and now, I'm leaving.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHESTER BURNETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind