John Lee Hooker could be said to embody his own unique genre of the blues, often incorporating the boogie-woogie piano style and a driving rhythm into his masterful and idiosyncratic blues guitar and singing. His best known songs include "Boogie Chillen" (1948) and "Boom Boom" (1962).
There is some debate as to the year of John Lee Hooker's birth, 1915, 1917, 1920, and 1923 have all been cited, 1917 (the date on his grave marker in Oakland, California) is the one most commonly cited although Hooker himself claimed, at times, 1920.
Hooker was the youngest of the eleven children of William Hooker (1871β1923), a sharecropper and a Baptist preacher, and Minnie Ramsey (1875β?).
Hooker and his siblings were home-schooled. They were permitted to listen only to religious songs, with his earliest musical exposure being the spirituals sung in church.
In 1921, his parents separated. The next year, his mother married William Moore, a blues singer who provided John's first introduction to the guitar (and whom John would later credit for his distinctive playing style). The year after that (1923), John's natural father died; and at age 15, John ran away from home, never to see his mother and stepfather again.
He was a cousin of Earl Hooker,
Throughout the 1930s, Hooker lived in Memphis where he worked on Beale Street and occasionally performed at house parties. He worked in factories in various cities during World War II, drifting until he found himself in Detroit in 1948 working at Ford Motor Company. He felt right at home near the blues venues and saloons on Hastings Street, the heart of black entertainment on Detroit's east side. In a city noted for its piano players, guitar players were scarce. Performing in Detroit clubs, his popularity grew quickly, and seeking a louder instrument than his crude acoustic guitar, he bought his first electric guitar.
Though he stuttered slightly in his normal speech, he performed in a half-spoken style that became his trademark. Rhythmically, his music was free, a property common with early acoustic Delta blues musicians. His vocal phrasing was less closely tied to specific bars than most blues singers'. This casual, rambling style had been gradually diminishing with the onset of electric blues bands from Chicago but, even when not playing solo, Hooker retained it in his sound.
Hooker's recording career began in 1948 with the hit single, "Boogie Chillen" cut in a studio near Wayne State University.
Despite being illiterate, he was a prolific lyricist. In addition to adapting the occasionally traditional blues lyric (such as "if I was chief of police, I would run her right out of town"), he freely invented many of his songs from scratch. Recording studios in the 50s rarely paid black musicians more than a pittance, so Hooker would spend the night wandering from studio to studio, coming up with new songs or variations on his songs for each studio. Due to his recording contract, he would record these songs under obvious pseudonyms such as "John Lee Booker," "Johnny Hooker", or "John Cooker".
His early solo songs were recorded under Bernie Besman.
John Lee Hooker rarely played on a standard beat, changing tempo to fit the needs of the song. This made it nearly impossible to add backing tracks. As a result, Besman would record Hooker, in addition to playing guitar and singing, stomping along with the music on a wooden palette.
John Lee Hooker's guitar playing is closely aligned with piano Boogie Woogie. He would play the walking bass pattern with his thumb, stopping to emphasize the end of a line with a series of trills, done by rapid hammer-ons and pull-offs. The songs that most epitomize his early sound are "Boogie Chillen," about being 17 and wanting to go out to dance at the Boogie clubs, "Baby Please Don't Go," a more typical blues song, summed up by its title, and "Tupelo," a stunningly sad song about the flooding of Tupelo, Mississippi.
He maintained a solo career, popular with blues and folk music fans of the early 1960s and crossed over to white audiences, giving an early opportunity to the young Bob Dylan. As he got older, he added more and more people to his band, changing his live show from simply Hooker with his guitar to a large band, with Hooker singing.
In 1989 he joined with a number of musicians, including Keith Richards and Carlos Santana to record The Healer, which won a Grammy award β one of many awards.
He fell ill just before a tour of Europe in 2001 and died soon afterwards at the age of 83.
Hooker recorded over 100 albums and lived the last years of his life in San Francisco, California, where he licensed a nightclub to use the name Boom Boom Room, after one of his hits.
Among his many awards, John Lee Hooker has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 1991 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Two of his songs, "Boogie Chillen" and "Boom Boom" were named to the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
John Lee recorded several songs with Van Morrison, including "Never Get Out of These Blues Alive", "The Healing Game" and "I Cover the Waterfront". He also appeared on stage with Van Morrison several times, some of which was released on the live album "A Night in San Francisco".
John Lee also recorded in the sixties with british blues band The Groundhogs. These recordings are still available as a CD "John Lee Hooker with The Groundhogs". More importantly, Hooker recorded with the Blues-rock outfit Canned Heat, delivering the album 'Hooker N' Heat' in 1971. Hooker was influential and topical even in his lifetime, as evidenced in the MC5 cover of "Motor City's Burning" on their first album, recorded almost immediately after the riots which are the song's topic.
Go back to school little girl
John Lee Hooker Lyrics
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Hey, little girl, little girl, you're so good to me
You too young to go out; please, stay and do
Go back to school, oh, go back, go back, little girl
You're goin' back to school
You too young, too young, too young for me
Oh, I wait for you, I wait for you, keep on back to school
You too young, you're too young, you too young for me
I sang, keep on back to school,, little girl
Oh, keep on, keep on, keep on back to school
One day, one day, one day, I'll be a man one day
Little girl, don't look at me the way you do
Oh, don't look at me the way you do
I don't wanna break, break into your groove
Don't look at me, little girl, with your sexy eyes the way you do
You're only sixteen, sixteen; I'll be a man one day
I don't want you, I don't want you; break in tears of groove
Go ahead, go ahead back to school
Oh, go ahead, go ahead, young love, go back to school
You better watch yourself, baby; I'll be man one day
You know I hate to break it to you, Tulu
Oh, I hate, I hate to break it to you, Tulu
But I promise you, baby, I will wait for you someday
Go ahead, go ahead back to school
Oh, young love, young love, go ahead back to school
You don't watch yourself, baby; I'll be a man one day
The song "Go back to school little girl" by John Lee Hooker speaks about a young and innocent girl who catches the attention of a mature man. The man feels grateful to have met her, but at the same time, he knows that she's still too young for him. He asks her to go back to school, not only because she's still studying but also to protect her from his own desires. He becomes conscious that it's not appropriate for him to engage in an intimate relationship with someone who is still underage. He tells her that he will wait for her until she grows up since he feels that they have something special between them.
Moreover, the song also depicts how the man tries to resist her advances, not wanting to break into her groove. He's aware of the girl's sexy eyes and how they make him feel, but he still wants to respect her and let her grow up before getting into something more serious. He acknowledges that she's still young and it might not be the right time for them to be together yet.
The song could be interpreted as a cautionary tale, where the man is trying to protect the young girl from potentially harmful relationships. Through the lyrics, he advises her to continue her studies and live her life freely, without getting caught up in a relationship that she might not be ready for. He promises to wait for her until she can make mature decisions and have a clear understanding of what she wants in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, girl, you're so good to me
The singer acknowledges the girl for her good deeds and character.
Hey, little girl, little girl, you're so good to me
The singer refers to the girl's young age and restates his appreciation for her.
You too young to go out; please, stay and do
The singer advises the girl to stay in and do activities appropriate for her age instead of going out.
Go back to school, oh, go back, go back, little girl
The artist encourages the girl to go back to school.
You're goin' back to school
The artist emphasizes the importance of the girl going back to school.
You too young, too young, too young for me
The singer restates that the girl is too young for him in a repetitive manner.
Little girl, I wait for you till you get old
The singer claims he will wait for the girl until she reaches a mature age.
Oh, I wait for you, I wait for you, keep on back to school
The artist repeats his message to keep going back to school.
You too young, you're too young, you too young for me
The artist emphasizes once again that the girl is too young for him.
I sang, keep on back to school,, little girl
The artist repeats his message of going back to school through singing.
Oh, keep on, keep on, keep on back to school
The singer repeats his message for the girl to keep going back to school.
One day, one day, one day, I'll be a man one day
The artist acknowledges his immaturity and looks forward to becoming a man eventually in the future.
Little girl, don't look at me the way you do
The singer warns the girl not to look at him with romantic or suggestive eyes.
Oh, don't look at me the way you do
The singer repeats his warning not to look at him in a particular way.
I don't wanna break, break into your groove
The singer does not want to interfere with the girl's life or routine.
Don't look at me, little girl, with your sexy eyes the way you do
The artist particularly warns the girl not to look at him seductively because of their age difference.
You're only sixteen, sixteen; I'll be a man one day
The artist reminds the girl of their age difference and anticipates his maturation in the future.
I don't want you, I don't want you; break in tears of groove
The singer does not want to cause the girl any emotional pain or discomfort.
Go ahead, go ahead back to school
The singer once again encourages the girl to go back to school.
Oh, go ahead, go ahead, young love, go back to school
The artist addresses the girl as his 'young love' and urges her to go back to school.
You better watch yourself, baby; I'll be man one day
The artist warns the girl to keep watch over her actions, as he will grow into a maturing adult one day.
Oh, I hate, I hate to break it to you, Tulu
The artist dislikes communicating bad news and identifies the girl by name.
But I promise you, baby, I will wait for you someday
The singer assures the girl that even though they cannot be together now, he will wait for her to mature and become older.
young love, young love, go ahead back to school
The artist repeats his message to the girl to go back to school and identifies her as his 'young love.'
You don't watch yourself, baby; I'll be a man one day
The singer warns the girl once again to be careful with her actions, as he will grow into a more mature individual one day.
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LEE HOOKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@erikstekelenburg3020
The one and only John Lee Hooker! King of the rhythm π
@hanson2205
One of the best bluesman of all time .... JLH your awesome
@sonyawood4242
John Lee Hooker ... Father of DA BLUES
@usmgreen1
APEX Bar where it all started John Lee Hooker played his first gig in this Detroit Bar back in 1943.
@brianwells4507
T James, is that the club that was described in his biography, "Boogie Man"? Story in it talked about John running into the bar just as he was scheduled to go onstage. A female bartender spotted him and said, " hurry up, "boom boom" you late"! That was a nickname she had for John. But it turned out John Lee used the name for his hit song.
@usmgreen1
@Brian Wells Yes it is
@davidhahnbirds
Love John Lee Hooker
@giancarlovalentino
Blues On!!!
@aymanhamami5628
Greetings from Algeria π©πΏ
@laerciojoseferreira4440
JLH, forever !