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".
I'd Rather Go Blind
Koko Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I saw you and her talking.
Something deep down in my soul said cry girl,
When I saw you and that girl walking.
I would rather,
I would rather go blind, boy,
Than to see you walk away from me, child.
That I don't wanna watch you leave me, baby.
Most of all I just don't,
I just don't want to be free, no.
I was just, I was just,
I was just sitting here thinking
Of your kiss and your warm embrace,
When the reflection in the glass that I held to my lips, baby
Revealed the tears that was on my face.
And
Baby, Baby, I'd rather be blind, boy,
Than to see you walk away from me.
In Koko Taylor's song I'd Rather Go Blind, the lyrics detail the heartbreak of a woman who sees her significant other talking to another woman. As she observes them, something deep in her soul tells her to cry, as she senses that their relationship is over. The woman expresses her deep love for her partner, and confesses that she would rather go blind and never see him walk away from her. The thought of him leaving her is too much to bear, and she would rather remain in her pain than be freed from her love for him. The lyrics also depict the woman's memories of her partner through thoughts of his embrace, kisses and the reflection of her crying face seen through a glass.
The song is a powerful expression of love and heartbreak that has resonated with many people over the years. Koko Taylor's impassioned vocals and emotive delivery make the song compelling and emotionally charged. The lyrics have been covered by several artists, including Etta James and B.B. King.
Line by Line Meaning
Something told me it was over
I had a gut feeling our relationship was coming to an end
When I saw you and her talking
That feeling intensified when I saw you talking to another woman
Something deep down in my soul said cry girl
My intuition was telling me to cry
When I saw you and that girl walking
It was confirmed when I saw you walking with her
I would rather, I would rather go blind, boy,
I would rather lose my sight than see you leave me
Than to see you walk away from me, child.
The pain of seeing you leave me would be unbearable
So you see, I love you so much
I love you deeply
That I don't wanna watch you leave me, baby.
I can't bear to watch you leave me
Most of all I just don't, I just don't want to be free, no.
I don't want to be free from our relationship, no matter how hard it is
I was just, I was just, I was just sitting here thinking
I was lost in thought
Of your kiss and your warm embrace,
Thinking of how it felt to be with you
When the reflection in the glass that I held to my lips, baby
When I looked at myself in the mirror
Revealed the tears that was on my face.
I saw that I had been crying
And Baby, Baby, I'd rather be blind, boy,
I reiterate that I would rather be blind than see you leave me
Than to see you walk away from me.
I can't bear to watch you leave me
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BILLY FOSTER, ELLINGTON JORDAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@markl6122
I was working at a restaurant in downtown Denver in the early 80s when a friend asked if I wanted to go to a small bar to hear Koko Taylor. I had no idea who she was but said sure. Holy hell, what a night that was. There were probably 50 people in the bar. She sang this song and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. It's a memory that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
@salahady548
Mark L o
@stevemcneal5207
Amen, brother, and it still happens, too
@KarinEagleWambliHo
Mark L you are blessed
@sekaisaiko2008
ohhhh...I wish I was there too! I lived in Denver for a year in 1990, my local friends sometimes took me to an old jazz bar in the Old Town, North of Denver, I remember. At that time, I even didn't know what music is, too young hhh, Neither did I know her...big bummer though, I everyday now enjoy her and the rest of all blues. hhh
@chevybolin6636
+sekaisaiko2008 I would like to have been there, luv her
@kayedramallama
Every time I hear another version of this song I come back to Koko to check if she's still the best. She always is. And the tempo and instrumentation as well.
@sereneamani1713
I could swear I remember a version by a female singer before or about the same time as Etta's. Can't find it and nobody else in the world remembers it. Maybe I hallucinated it. I love this one VERY MUCH.
@laurabrown6055
Will always be the best
@nyettadienagha7562
Yes the instruments killed it!!!!!❤