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 (1871–1923), a sharecropper and a Baptist preacher, and Minnie Ramsey (1875–?).
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 — 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.
Hey
John Lee Hooker Lyrics
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Hey, babe, it's all right
Hey, hey, babe, it's all right
Treatin' me evil, but I keep on lovin' you
Sometimes, sometimes, baby, you treat me so mean
I wanna get a little bit of peace of mind
I go down in the den and get some rest
Wow, baby, I still love you, baby
There's no matter how you treat me--I'm still gonna hang around
Sometime have friends in my livin' room
I don't wanna see my friends see a big man cry
I go into my dark room and sit down on my bed and cry
Hey, hey, it's all right
Oh, make it funky
Good dog
I better go down, baby, baby
I better go now, baby
I don't want trouble
I am an easy-goin' fellow
I don't want trouble
Hum, hmm, mmm
I don't want trouble, hon'
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
I better go
Don't want trouble
Have mercy
The lyrics to John Lee Hooker's song "Hey" are about a relationship in which one partner treats the other poorly, but the singer still loves and remains committed to the relationship. He acknowledges that sometimes his partner treats him mean, but he still loves them and is willing to hang around no matter how he is treated. The singer also seeks solace in his den when he needs a little peace of mind and doesn't want his friends to see him cry. He ends the song by expressing his desire to avoid trouble and asking for mercy.
The song is a classic example of the blues genre, with its focus on the difficulties of human relationships and the emotional impact of those struggles. At its core, the song is about the enduring power of love, even in the face of mistreatment and heartache. Hooker's gravelly voice adds emotional depth to the lyrics, and the repetitive, driving musical rhythm creates a sense of urgency that reinforces the message of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, babe, it's all right
I want to reassure you that despite your treatment of me, everything is okay between us.
Hey, hey, babe, it's all right
I repeat my previous statement to emphasize that I am not angry or upset.
Treatin' me evil, but I keep on lovin' you
Despite the cruel and hurtful things you do, I still love you deeply.
Sometimes, sometimes, baby, you treat me so mean
You can be very unkind to me, causing me pain and sadness.
I wanna get a little bit of peace of mind
I desire a moment of calmness and relaxation from the turmoil and stress you bring to my life.
I go down in the den and get some rest
To achieve the aforementioned peace of mind, I retreat to my protected den to relax and recharge my energy.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, I still love you, baby
Despite all of the pain you bring to my life, I reaffirm that I still deeply love and care for you.
Wow, baby, I still love you, baby
I express my love for you in a passionate and emphatic tone.
There's no matter how you treat me--I'm still gonna hang around
You may continue to treat me poorly, but I will still be here for you, by your side.
Sometime have friends in my livin' room
I often welcome my friends into my home, but I don't want them to witness me being hurt by you.
I don't wanna see my friends see a big man cry
I am ashamed and embarrassed to cry in front of my friends, as I see it as a weakness.
I go into my dark room and sit down on my bed and cry
Instead, I go into a private area to release my emotions and cry in isolation.
Oh, make it funky
I want the music to be more lively and upbeat to lighten the mood and distract me from my problems.
Good dog
This seems to be a playful, affectionate term of endearment for someone, possibly a pet or friend.
I better go down, baby, baby
I need to leave now to avoid any conflict or trouble between us.
I better go now, baby
I emphasize that I need to leave immediately to avoid any negative outcomes.
I don't want trouble
I am trying to avoid any potential issues or conflicts.
I am an easy-goin' fellow
I want to communicate that I am a relaxed, easy-going person who doesn't want any unnecessary stress or confrontation.
Hum, hmm, mmm
This seems to be an interjection or vocalization, conveying some sort of emotion or expression without words.
I don't want trouble, hon'
I repeat my desire to avoid any disputes or problems.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
This repetitive phrase echoes my earlier affirmations that everything is okay and that I still love you, despite the problems we face.
I better go
I must leave now to avoid any further complications or conflict.
Don't want trouble
I want to avoid any possibility of problems or negativity.
Have mercy
This phrase serves as a plea or request for kindness and compassion in this difficult situation.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIAM LEE CONLEY BROONZY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind