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.
Baby What You Want Me To Do
Jimmy Reed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've got me hidin'
You've got me run, hide, hide, run
Anyway you wanna let it roll
Yeah, yeah, yeah
You've got me doin' what you want me
A-baby why you wanna let go
I'm goin' down
I'm goin' up, down, down, up
Anyway ya wanna let it roll
Yeah, yeah, yeah
You've got me doin' what you want me
A-baby why'd you wanna let go
You've got me peepin'
You've got me hidin'
You've got me peep, hide, hide, peep
Anyway you wanna let it roll
Yeah, yeah, yeah
You've got me doin' what you want me
So baby why ya wanna let go
The song "Baby What You Want Me To Do" by Jimmy Reed is a classic blues tune that is centered around a relationship between the singer and the person they are addressing. The song is all about the power dynamic in their relationship, with the singer feeling as though they are constantly under the control of the person they are addressing. The lyrics "You've got me running," "You've got me hiding," and "You've got me peeping" all show how the person has a hold on the singer's actions and emotions, making them feel like they have no control over their own life.
Throughout the song, the singer seems to be desperately trying to understand what it is that the person they are addressing wants from them. They repeat the line "Baby what you want me to do," almost as if they are pleading with the other person to tell them what they need in order to make things work in their relationship. It's a song that speaks to the universal human experience of wanting to understand the people we care about and do what we can to make them happy.
Overall, the song presents a complex and emotional look at the dynamics of a relationship, and how two people can have very different ideas of what they want and need. The lyrics convey a sense of helplessness and confusion, as the singer struggles to understand and please the person they are addressing.
Line by Line Meaning
You've got me runnin'
You have made me anxious
You've got me hidin'
You have made me fearful
You've got me run, hide, hide, run
You have put me in a state of constant movement and confusion
Anyway you wanna let it roll
You have complete control over the situation
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I acknowledge your authority
You've got me doin' what you want me
You have complete control over my actions
A-baby why you wanna let go
Why are you considering letting go of your control?
I'm goin' up
I am rising to meet your expectations
I'm goin' down
I am descending to meet your expectations
I'm goin' up, down, down, up
I am constantly adjusting to meet your expectations
You've got me peepin'
You have made me cautious and sneaky
You've got me hidin'
You have made me fearful
You've got me peep, hide, hide, peep
You have put me in a state of cautious movement and confusion
So baby why ya wanna let go
Why are you considering letting go of your control?
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jimmy Reed
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@JohnSmith-fg7rd
I'm 67 yrs old now, but when was young ...I mean like around eight yrs old ...my oldest brother would
be listening to Jimmy Reed all the time. He played it loud and often.
As a child...man I loved Mr. REED.
As time moved on, we listened to popular music, really got in to Soul music. Then later Rock N Roll.
All really just awesome music.
All except for DISCO MUSIC.
It was quite popular , but I thought
It was lame. BUT we stuck with
Rock N Roll. After awhile I discovered that many of the RockN Roll music was nothing
more than electrified blues.
All done by white people. AND the music was good. It was only after
some time all these white players would talk about the origins of the
blues. All were black people. I didn't know all that, THEY WERE THE ORIGINAL BLUES MUSICIANS. They invented a sound that is truly timeless. AND
sadly never given the credit due for it all those years when white
musicians were getting rich and famous from their music. I hope
Im not sounding racist here, BUT
that was the way it was back then.
ANYWAY from a small child, I've come full circle and have been enjoying the blues ever since.
And from the beginning it started
with JIMMY REED. In the history of
the blues , they seem to always bypass or forget JIMMY REED's
contribution to the blues music
sound and origins. BUT I haven't
and I'll never forget Mr. REED. His music lives on in my heart and soul.❤😎
@Lektrikgold
I'm 77 years young, and have had this bluesy tune goin' thru me all my life... great toe tapper!
@bltviera8652
I'm 75 and still loving it!
@rsu8689
Baby why ya want a daddy doodoo?
@oldlady7589
@BLT Viera loving it too. 72 years of years.
@TheVatonaught
I remember this on the jukebox in our cafeteria at school...Jimmy Reed was on the top 100 lists for a long time back then. Hypnotic.
@Garybe441
Dido 74 here, love it
@Karl-Jensen
Im 14 Years Old and i never thought I would become a fan of a certain Jimmy Reed. Thank You Jimmy for the nice Music!
@ChildofYHVH
He’s one of the greatest of all time.
@Marco81blues
I was also 14 when I started listening to blues. I didn't liked music till one night I heard Muddy Waters.
@Karl-Jensen
@Pei Mei I got to know the blues through Elmore James