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.
The lyrics to Koko Taylor's song "I'd Rather Go Blind" express the pain of heartbreak and the fear of losing the person you love. The singer in this song seems to have caught her lover with another woman, and the sight of it is too much for her to bear. She can feel it deep in her soul that it's over and can't help but cry. The hurt and betrayal are so intense that she would rather be blind than to watch her lover walk away from her.
Throughout the song, she emphasizes the depth of her love, stating that she "love[s] [him] so much that [she does not] wanna watch [him] leave" and "just don't, just don't want to be free." This shows that the pain of losing him is so great that the idea of being without him is unbearable. The final verse reveals that she was holding a glass to her lips, presumably filled with alcohol, and saw the tears on her face reflected back to her. This suggests that she has been using alcohol to ease the pain, but is now faced with the reality of what she is losing.
Overall, the lyrics to "I'd Rather Go Blind" convey the intense pain of heartbreak and the fear of losing the person you love. The singer's emotions are raw and honest, making the song relatable to anyone who has experienced similar feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Something told me it was over
My intuition made me realize that our relationship had come to an end
When I saw you and her talking
The sight of you talking with another woman confirmed my intuition
Something deep down in my soul said cry girl,
My heart and soul were shattered and I felt like crying
When I saw you and that girl walking.
I felt heartbroken when I saw you walking with another woman
I would rather,
I would prefer
I would rather go blind, boy,
I would rather lose my sight
Than to see you walk away from me, child.
Than to watch you leave me behind
So you see, I love you so much
My love for you is immense
That I don't wanna watch you leave me, baby.
I cannot bear to see you go
Most of all I just don't,
Most importantly I do not
I just don't want to be free, no.
I do not desire to be free from our relationship
I was just, I was just,
I was simply
I was just sitting here thinking
I was just sitting and contemplating
Of your kiss and your warm embrace,
Of the loving and intimate moments we shared
When the reflection in the glass that I held to my lips, baby
When I looked at my reflection in the glass I was holding against my lips
Revealed the tears that was on my face.
Revealed the tears that were streaming down my face
And
Moreover
Baby, Baby, I'd rather be blind, boy,
My love for you is so strong that I would prefer to lose my sight than watch you walk away from me
Than to see you walk away from me.
I cannot bear to watch you leave me behind
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
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!!!!!❤