Reed was born in Dunleith, Mississippi, in 1925, learning the harmonica and guitar from Eddie Taylor, a close friend. After spending several years busking and performing in the area, Reed moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1943 before being drafted into the US Navy during World War II. In 1945, Reed was discharged and moved back to Mississippi for a brief period, marrying his girlfriend, Mary "Mama" Reed, before moving to Gary, Indiana to work at an Armour & Co. meat packing plant. Mama Reed appears as an uncredited background singer on many of his songs, notably the major hits "Baby What You Want Me to Do", "Big Boss Man" and "Bright Lights, Big City".
By the 1950s, Reed had established himself as a popular musician and joined the "Gary Kings" with John Brim, as well as playing on the street with Willie Joe Duncan. Reed failed to gain a recording contract with Chess Records, but signed with Vee-Jay Records through Brim's drummer, Albert King. At Vee-Jay, Reed began playing again with Eddie Taylor and soon released "You Don't Have to Go", his first hit record. This was followed by a long string of hits.
Reed maintained his reputation despite his rampant alcoholism; sometimes his wife had to help him remember the lyrics to his songs while recording. In 1957, Reed developed epilepsy, though the condition was not correctly diagnosed for a long time, as Reed and doctors assumed it was delirium tremens.
In spite of his numerous hits, Reed's personal problems prevented him from achieving the same level of fame as other popular blues artists of the time, though he had more hit songs than many others. When Vee-Jay Records closed down, Reed's manager signed a contract with the fledgling ABC-Bluesway label, but Reed was never able to score another hit.
In 1968 he toured Europe with the American Folk Blues Festival.
Jimmy Reed died in Oakland, California in 1976, of respiratory failure, eight days short of his 51st birthday. He is interred in the Lincoln Cemetery in Worth, Illinois.
In 1991 Reed was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Rolling Stones have cited Reed as a major influence on their sound, and their early set lists included many of Reed's songs, including tracks like "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby", "The Sun is Shining" (also played at the Stones' 1969 Altamont concert), "Bright Lights, Big City" and "Shame, Shame, Shame" ; the B-side of their February 1964 hit single "Not Fade Away" was a pastiche of "Shame, Shame, Shame" entitled "Little by Little". Their first album, The Rolling Stones, (subtitled England's Newest Hit Makers in America), released in April 1964, featured both "Little by Little" and their cover of Reed's "Honest I Do".
The Yardbirds recorded an instrumental dedicated to him entitled "Like Jimmy Reed Again", which was released on the "definitive edition" of their album Having a Rave Up.
Van Morrison's group Them covered "Bright Lights, Big City" and "Baby, What You Want Me To Do", both of which can be found on The Story of Them Featuring Van Morrison.
"Big Boss Man" was sung regularly by Ron "Pigpen" McKernan with the Grateful Dead during the 1960s and early 1970s and appears on their live album Skull and Roses. It was revived a few times by Jerry Garcia with the Dead during the 1980s. Bob Weir of the Dead also played it a few times with Kingfish in the mid 70s, and more recently with Ratdog. Phil Lesh also plays it with Phil & Friends. The Grateful Dead have also performed Baby What You Want Me to Do with Brent Mydland on vocals.
Elvis Presley recorded several of Reed's songs, scoring a 1967 hit with "Big Boss Man" and recording several performances of "Baby, What You Want Me to Do" for his 1968 Comeback TV Special. (However, Presley's 1964 hit, "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" is a different song than that recorded by Reed.) The song "Baby, What You Want Me to Do" was also covered by Wishbone Ash on their 1972 live album, Live Dates. "Baby What You Want Me to Do" was also frequently performed by Etta James and Hot Tuna. Johnny and Edgar Winter performed the song live in 1975 and included it on Johnny and Edgar Winter Together.
Reed's recordings of "Big Boss Man" and "Bright Lights, Big City" were both voted onto the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
Noted Austin, Texas musicians, Omar Kent Dykes and Jimmie Vaughan released an album entitled On the Jimmy Reed Highway as a tribute to Reed.
Bill Cosby covered 4 of Reed's songs – "Bright Lights, Big City", "Big Boss Man", "Hush Hush" and "Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth" – on his 1967 album Silver Throat: Bill Cosby Sings.
Steve Miller Band covered 5 of Reed's songs – "You're So Fine" on his 1968 album Sailor; "I Wanna Be Loved (But By Only You)", "Big Boss Man", "Caress Me Baby" and "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" on his 1986 album Living in the 20th Century.
Neil Young historically plays Reed's music to his audience before his shows.
British punk pioneer Billy Childish and his band Thee Headcoats released an EP of Reed covers entitled The Jimmy Reed Experience on Get Hip Records in 1997.
Aint That Lovin' You Baby
Jimmy Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Know I love ya babe?
Know I love ya babe?
But you don't even know my name
Let me tell ya baby
I'll tell ya what I would do
I would rob, steal, kill somebody
Ain't that lovin' ya, baby?
Ain't that lovin' ya, babe?
Ain't that lovin' ya, babe?
But you don't even know my name
Let me tell ya baby
Don't sound like it's true
They could drop me in the ocean
I'd swim to the bank
An' crawl home ta you
Ain't that lovin' ya baby?
Ain't that lovin' ya babe?
Ain't that lovin' ya baby?
But you don't even know my name
They may kill me baby, bury me like they do
My body might lie but my spirit gonna rise
And come home to you
Ain't that lovin' ya baby?
Ain't that lovin' ya babe?
Ain't that lovin' ya baby?
But you don't even know my name
The song "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" by Jimmy Reed is a blues classic about unrequited love. The singer of the song expresses his love for a woman who doesn't even know his name. He says he would do anything for her, including robbing, stealing or killing, just to get back home to her. The chorus repeats the phrase "Ain't that lovin' ya, baby?" emphasizing how he believes that his love for her is true despite her not even knowing his name. The singer also talks about the possibility of being killed, but his spirit will always rise and come home to her.
The first verse of the song establishes the theme of unrequited love. Despite the singer's love for the woman, she doesn't even know his name, suggesting that they have never had any real interaction. The second verse emphasizes the depth of the singer's love by stating that he would do anything for her, including violent acts. This verse highlights the idea that love can drive people to do extreme things. The chorus is a rhetorical question, and the repetition of the phrase emphasizes the singer's belief in the genuineness of his love for her. The final verse introduces the theme of mortality and emphasizes the idea that even if the singer dies, his love will always remain.
Line by Line Meaning
Know I love ya babe?
I adore you, honey, but seems like you don't even have a clue about who I am.
Let me tell ya baby
I'll tell ya what I would do
I would rob, steal, kill somebody
Just ta get back home ta you
Listen carefully, my love, I'm telling you my heart's deepest desires; I'm ready to commit the most heinous crimes to make it back to you.
Ain't that lovin' ya, baby?
Ain't that lovin' ya, babe?
Ain't that lovin' ya, babe?
But you don't even know my name
Isn't that what affection is all about, darling? Sacrificing anything and everything for the one you love, while the person doesn't even bother to remember your name?
Let me tell ya baby
Don't sound like it's true
They could drop me in the ocean
I'd swim to the bank
An' crawl home ta you
Listen, my sweetie, don't think I'm lying to you; I'm so devoted to you that even if anyone throws me into an abyss like the ocean, I'll swim my way to the shore and make my way to you crawling.
They may kill me baby, bury me like they do
My body might lie but my spirit gonna rise
And come home to you
Even if someone tries to end my life, buries me underground, and decomposes my body, my soul will rise and go back to where it belongs, to you, darling.
Ain't that lovin' ya baby?
Ain't that lovin' ya babe?
Ain't that lovin' ya baby?
But you don't even know my name
Isn't it clear by now, my love, that my adoration for you knows no bounds although you don't care to know my name?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: James Reed
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jofre Sheila
Ain't That Lovin' You Baby
Jimmy Reed
Know I love ya babe?
Know I love ya babe?
Know I love ya babe?
But you don't even know my name
Let me tell ya baby
I'll tell ya what I would do
I would rob, steal, kill somebody
Just ta get back home ta you
Ain't that lovin' ya, baby?
Ain't that lovin' ya, babe?
Ain't that lovin' ya, babe?
But you don't even know my name
Let me tell ya baby
Don't sound like it's true
They could drop me in the ocean
I'd swim to the bank
An' crawl home ta you
Ain't that lovin' ya baby?
Ain't that lovin' ya babe?
Ain't that lovin' ya baby?
But you don't even know my name
They may kill me baby, bury me like they do
My body might lie but my spirit gonna rise
And come home to you
Ain't that lovin' ya baby?
Ain't that lovin' ya babe?
Ain't that lovin' ya baby?
But you don't even know my name
Mary Ann Campbell
Wow, you can't help but love a guy that would go through all of that to get back home to you. Jimmy Reed, you're the man for me.
Janice McCabe
Am an 82 year white woman who loved the blues from the time she heard Jimmy Reed sing “Ain’t That Lovin You Baby.” He led me to Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Robert Johnson, Bobby Blue Bland. I could go on forever. Of course, when I saw Elvis at 13 singing the songs I had been listening to for 3years; I was mesmerized. It was his courage to bring to the masses what white youth had been searching for & listening to for years. Music that validated all youth, worldwide. How lucky we have been!!! Jimmy I will be forever grateful! J
Busta444
This man is the main influence of the British Blues Boom Boom Boom Boom and I love his art.That slight off key sound is the sound of humanity.He's got me dizzy.
telesanchez
Him, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley
Ronshycherly
And Elmore James and Howlin’ Wolf...
theoriginalbadbob
That album, by Etta, is amazing. The audience was just short of burning the joint down, and Etta was incredible, on "Baby, What You Want Me to Do?", where she uses her voice to sound like a horn and/or harp, and blows a riff for several minutes.
blingdring
Sublime. When he sings "crawl home to yooooo" it still kills me 30 years after first hearing it.
kneelandpray2
A masterpiece !
D.R. PEREA
JIMMY REED...STILL THE MAN OF BLUES..YOU GOT ME DIZZY THATS MY SONG
theoriginalbadbob
THIS has always been my favorite Jimmy Reed song.