James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.” Turner was a huge man with a husky, booming voice who could out-shout a big band without amplification while projecting clarity and control. He was born in Kansas City, and it was in that city’s jumping nightspots that he began his career as a bartender and singer. Kansas City was, in those days, a hotbed of jazz and blues whose many clubs rocked around the proverbial clock. As a young man, Turner worked at various of these joints - including the Backbiter’s Club and the Sunset Café - as a bouncer, bartender and singer. It was here that he hooked up with pianist Pete Johnson (nominally referred to in the songs “Roll ‘Em Pete” and “Johnson & Turner Blues"). Turner also sang with the big bands of Count Basie and Benny Moten when they came through town.
Turner and Johnson helped popularize boogie-woogie and jump blues in the late Thirties and early Forties. “Everybody was singing slow blues when I was young,” Turner told Rhino’s James Austin, “and I thought I’d put a beat to it and sing it uptempo.” Crowds would clamor for Johnson to play some boogie - “Roll ‘em, Pete!” Make ‘em jump!” - and he’d oblige. Thus did this duo help ignite a musical trend in the nightclubs of Kansas City and beyond. The songs Turner sang (and sometimes wrote) were often risqué, employing coy slang words and metaphors for sex in ways that would amusing a partying club crowd.
The duo brought their routine to New York in the late Thirties, and their appearance at the “Spirituals to Swing” concert in December 1938 proved to be a major turning point. Turner sang without a microphone, his forceful pipes carrying into the furthest reaches of the sold-out hall with ease. In New York, Turner and Johnson became regulars at the Cafe Society nightclub and signed to Vocalion Records, cutting some seminal versions of “Roll ‘Em Pete” and “Cherry Red” for the label.
Turner recorded prolifically in the Forties for various labels, including Decca, National and Aladdin. He worked with Johnson as well as a number of other pianists, including such giants as Albert Ammons, Willie “the Lion” Smith and Meade Lux Lewis. In 1946, Turner had his first R&B hit, “My Gal’s a Jockey,” released on Herb Abramson’s National label. Abramson would go on to co-found Atlantic Records with Ahmet Ertegun 1948. Meanwhile, Turner - who recorded for a bewildering variety of labels during this period - charted again in 1950 with “Still in the Dark,” issued on the Houston-based Freedom label.
In 1951, Ertegun brought Turner to Atlantic Records, where he cut a string of rhythm & blues and early rock & roll classics over the next decade. Among them were “Chains of Love,” “Sweet Sixteen,” “Honey Hush,” Shake, Rattle and Roll,” “Flip Flop and Fly,” and “Corrine Corinna.” Pianist Fats Domino accompanied Turner on the romping “TV Mama.” “Shake, Rattle and Roll” and “Honey Hush” were particularly massive hits, topping the R&B charts for three and eight weeks, respectively. For a spell Turner was a bonafide rock and roll star, cutting such songs as “Teenage Letter” for the burgeoning youth market and appearing in the teen flick Shake, Rattle and Rock. No other figure straddled rock and roll and rhythm & blues with such authority as Turner. Capitalizing on his reputation as a pioneer, Turner shuttled easily between the two worlds, sharing stages with Fats Domino, the Clovers, Bo Diddley and a variety of other acts on Alan Freed’s package tours.
But Turner’s musical roots were too deep to limit him to the faddish teen market. Turner’s definitive work for Atlantic came in 1956, and the title said it all: The Boss of the Blues: Joe Turner Sings Kansas City Jazz. A sequel of sorts, Big Joe Rides Again, appeared in 1960. In the Sixties, after the first wave of rock and roll had died down, Turner returned to blues and boogie-woogie. He moved to Los Angeles, where he recorded with jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie and Roy Eldridge for some well-received albums on the Pablo label. He also schooled a young backup band that eventually became the Blasters.
The 1983 album Blues Train, on which he was backed by Roomful of Blues and produced by Doc Pomus, was a late-career gem. Having outlasting trends until his sound had became timeless, Big Joe Turner continued to record and perform until his death in 1985.
What Do You Want
Joe Turner & His Blues Kings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You got me run, hide, hide, run, any way you wanna let it roll
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you got me doin' what you want me to, baby why ya' wanna let go
I'm goin' up, I'm goin' down
I'm goin' up, down, down, up, any way you wanna let it roll
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you got me doin' what you want me to, baby why ya' wanna let go
You got me peep, hide, hide, peep, any way you wanna let it roll,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you got me doin' what you want me to, baby why ya' wanna let go
The song "Baby Look at You" by Joe Turner and Pete Johnson is a classic blues tune that speaks to the singer's intense emotional and psychological experience of being under the spell of a woman who has complete control over him. The repetitive lyrics create a sense of obsessive urgency as the singer proclaims that his love interest has got him "runnin'" and "hidin'" and that he is willing to do whatever she asks.
The first verse begins with the line "You got me runnin', you got me hidin'," which suggests that the singer feels as though he is being chased or pursued by the woman in question. The repetition of the phrase "run, hide, hide, run" emphasizes the chaotic and disorienting nature of his feelings, as though he is constantly changing direction and trying to evade her grasp. The chorus then echoes these sentiments, with the singer pleading with his love interest to explain why she would want to "let go" of such a devoted companion.
The second verse continues to explore the emotional turmoil that the singer is experiencing, with the repetition of the phrase "I'm goin' up, I'm goin' down" suggesting a rollercoaster of highs and lows that he is unable to control. He is willing to submit to her will, willing to go "up, down, down, up" or "any way you wanna let it roll." The final verse brings the repetition of the first line to a climax, with the singer expressing a sense of helplessness as he is "peepin', hidin'" from the woman's omnipotent presence.
Overall, "Baby Look at You" is a powerful exploration of the complex relationship between intimacy and power and the ways in which humans can become consumed by their desires and romantic longings.
Line by Line Meaning
You got me runnin', you got me hidin'
You have complete control over me and are making me feel constantly on the move and in hiding.
You got me run, hide, hide, run, any way you wanna let it roll
You dictate the rhythm of my life, making me feel like I can't escape your influence no matter how I try.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you got me doin' what you want me to, baby why ya' wanna let go
You've got me completely enthralled and under your spell, so why would you ever want to give up that power?
I'm goin' up, I'm goin' down
My emotions and feelings are fluctuating wildly based on your actions and desires.
I'm goin' up, down, down, up, any way you wanna let it roll
You have complete control over the direction my life takes, whether it's up or down, good or bad.
You got me peepin', you got me hidin'
You're making me feel like I have to be constantly on guard and secretive, watching for your every move.
You got me peep, hide, hide, peep, any way you wanna let it roll
You're in control of the way I live my life, forcing me to constantly switch between being open and being closed off.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you got me doin' what you want me to, baby why ya' wanna let go
Your power over me is so strong that it's hard to imagine ever giving it up, so why would you ever want to let it go?
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jimmy Reed
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@usmc1917916
Man! This is Music History........These guys were the real deal......RIP
@nobodyyouknow222
I have been listening to Big Joe Turner almost every day for a couple of years.. listening to the arrangements.. the horns playing one line behind the soloist.. and the bass.. its just the classic early early rock back ups.. with jazz players, and Joe. The 48-55 transition from R&B / jazz of the day into Rock and modern R&B is some rich territory... the horns went away, replace by voices and guitars.. but the stuff was all laid down here.
@donmacquarrie9161
I'm just figuring out this is the man who invented rock and roll...one of his early songs is spoken almost like rap...incredible.
@tungstun1977
Thank goodness for YouTube how else would I have ever found this...thanks for posting
@THEMOJOMANsince1959
The Beginning these kids today have missed SO MUCH. This is where it came from. I was about 12-13 then
@anthonycorreia6491
this is pure rock n roll born out of the blues, god's music
@davecyr1063
Big Joe rules !!!!! Thanks for posting this fine video of what most consider his best-known composition. One of the finest examples of rock and roll being born from the blues. YES !!!!!!!
@animequeen5624
This is my dad's favorite song rip to my dad I miss him
@marsha-madness-super-badness
The brother on the bass knew what the hell he was doing. Damn.
@ryanb7476
very well played on that bass