Taylor was born as Cora Walton on a farm just outside Memphis, Tennessee. In 1954, Taylor left Memphis for Chicago with her husband, truck driver Robert "Pops" Taylor. In the late 1950s she began singing in Chicago blues clubs and was spotted by Willie Dixon in 1962, leading to wider performances and her first recording contract. In 1965, Taylor was signed by Chess Records, for which her single Wang Dang Doodle (written by Dixon, and a hit for Howlin' Wolf five years earlier) became a major hit, reaching number four on the R&B charts in 1966 and selling a million copies. Taylor recorded many versions of this Dixon-penned song over the past several decades and added more material, both original and covers, but never repeated that initial chart success.
National touring in the late 1960s and early 1970s improved her fan base, and she became accessible to a wider record-buying public when she signed with Alligator Records in 1975. Recording over a dozen albums for that label (many nominated for Grammy awards), she came to dominate the female blues singer ranks, winning 24 W. C. Handy Awards -- more than any other artist. After her recovery from a near-fatal car crash in 1989, the 1990s found Taylor in movies such as Blues Brothers 2000. She opened a blues club on Division St. in Chicago in 1994, but closed it in 1999. Taylor released a new album in 2007 called "Old School."
Koko Taylor influenced such musicians as Bonnie Raitt, Shemekia Copeland, Janis Joplin, Shannon Curfman, and Susan Tedeschi.
Koko Taylor died on the afternoon of June 3rd 2009 (at the age of 80), while recovering from surgery to repair gastrointestinal bleeding. Koko Taylor is still referred to by fellow blues musicians and her fans as the "Queen of the Blues".
Can't Let Go
Koko Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jump For Joy (AL 4784) by Koko Taylor
Can′t Let Go (Taylor)
I got something
That I just can't let go
I got something
That I just can't
That I just can't
Let go
Great big bundle of joy
Worth more than silver and gold
Every time you kiss me
I get fever from my head to my toes
All my friends say I′m crazy
But really, I don′t mind
Cause if they had just one chance with him
They'd come back for the second time
I got something
Can′t let go
I got something
Can't let go
No, no, no
Whole lots of loving going on
Whenever my baby′s around
Every time he kiss me
Turn my whole world upside down
It's so hard to describe him
More than the eyes can see
If I turned my back on him
Some girl would take him away from me
I got something
Can′t let go
I got something
Can't let go
No, no, no
Oh, no, no, no
Twenty-five pounds of sugar
Sweet right down to the bone
Trying to tell you, people
I can't leave this man alone
He makes my liver quiver
He makes my eyes turn red
I′m walking around in circles
Got me talking out of my head
I got something
Can′t let go
I got something
Can't let go
Oh, no, no
Oh, I can′t let it go
No, I just can't let it go
Oh, I can′t let it go
You know I love you too much, baby
Well, I just can't let you go
Oh, can′t you feel it
Oh, can you feel it
That I can't let it go
Oh, I love you too much, baby
Hey, hey, hey, hey
No, I can't let it go
No, I can′t let it go
Hey, hey, hey
Koko Taylor's "Can't Let Go" is a love song about a woman who is totally enamored with her man. She describes her love as a great big bundle of joy that is worth more than silver and gold. Every time he kisses her, she feels feverish from head to toe. Despite her friends thinking she's crazy for being so in love, she can't let go of him because of the intense love they share. She describes him as someone with qualities beyond the eyes, and if she turned her back on him, some other girl would take him away from her.
The lyrics of the song portray deep emotions of love, sensuality, and desire. From the very first lines, Koko Taylor sings with a passionate energy that expresses the strength of her love. Her voice is raw and bluesy, and the instruments that accompany her enhance the overall feel of the song. It's easy to imagine a smoky club with her belting out these lyrics while the audience is swaying to the music.
Line by Line Meaning
I got something
That I just can't let go
I have something in my life that I am extremely attached to and can't imagine losing
Great big bundle of joy
Worth more than silver and gold
The thing I have is more valuable and precious than anything materialistic
Every time you kiss me
I get fever from my head to my toes
Being near this thing I have gives me an overwhelming feeling of happiness and satisfaction
All my friends say I′m crazy
But really, I don′t mind
Cause if they had just one chance with him
They'd come back for the second time
Others may criticize and judge me for the strong attachment I have to this thing, but I truly believe that they would feel the exact same way if they experienced it for themselves
Whole lots of loving going on
Whenever my baby′s around
The presence of this thing fills me with an abundance of love and joy
Every time he kiss me
Turn my whole world upside down
This thing completely changes my world for the better every time I am near it
It's so hard to describe him
More than the eyes can see
If I turned my back on him
Some girl would take him away from me
The thing I have is indescribable and much deeper than just physical attractiveness. I am fiercely protective of it because I know that others would want it too
Twenty-five pounds of sugar
Sweet right down to the bone
Trying to tell you, people
I can't leave this man alone
This thing is irresistibly sweet and addictive to me and I cannot bear to be without it
He makes my liver quiver
He makes my eyes turn red
I′m walking around in circles
Got me talking out of my head
This thing affects me physically and emotionally, and I am constantly consumed by thoughts of it
Oh, I can′t let it go
No, I just can't let it go
Oh, I can′t let it go
You know I love you too much, baby
Well, I just can't let you go
Oh, can′t you feel it
Oh, can you feel it
That I can't let it go
Oh, I love you too much, baby
Hey, hey, hey, hey
No, I can't let it go
No, I can′t let it go
Hey, hey, hey
I am deeply in love and attached to this thing and simply cannot imagine letting it go
Writer(s): Chip Taylor, Al Gorgoni
Contributed by Owen T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.