Koko Taylor (September 28, 1928 - June 3, 2009) was an American blues music… Read Full Bio ↴Koko Taylor (September 28, 1928 - June 3, 2009) was an American blues musician, popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She was known primarily for her rough and powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings.

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".

Jump for Joy
Koko Taylor Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

From the Alligator Records release Jump For Joy (AL 4784)
By Koko Taylor

Jump For Joy (Taylor)

I said come on everybody
Let′s have a ball
It makes no difference if you're

Big or small
Pull off your shoes and
Leave ′em at the door
If you ain't too drunk
You can get 'em when you go

I said, come on, y′all
Gonna jump for joy tonight
We gonna take up the rugs and
Put out all the lights

You know Barefoot Sally told
Bald-headed Joe
I would have socked it to you but it′s
Time to go
One drink of liquor or a
Little shot of wine
A whole lot of loving
Feel real fine

I said, come on, y'all
Gonna jump for joy tonight
We gonna take up the rugs and
Put out all the lights

We gonna boogie in the kitchen and
Boogie down the hall
Boogie in the closet and
Beside the wall

Ain′t gonna stop
Until the clock strikes four
We'll be doing the rubbie dubbie
And cryin′ for more

I said, come on, y'all
Gonna jump for joy tonight
We gonna take up the rugs and
Put out all the lights

(Solo)

We gonna boogie in the kitchen
Boogie down the hall
Boogie in the closet
Upside the wall

Ain′t gonna stop
Until the clock strike four
We'll be doing the rubbie dubbie
And crying for more

I said, come on, y'all
Gonna jump for joy tonight
We gonna take up the rugs and
Put out all the lights

We gonna jump
We gonna jump
Come on, baby
Come on, baby
Oh, baby
Come on, baby
Come on, y′all
Come on, y′all
And let's jump
Before we go
Hey, hey

Hey, hey
Hey, hey

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Koko Taylor's song "Jump for Joy" is a call to dance and have a good time, regardless of size or appearance. The song starts with an invitation to come together and have fun, with an assurance that it doesn't matter what you look like or who you are, everyone is welcome. The shoes are removed, and the party and the dancing begin. The verses are full of descriptions of the joy and love that are present in the room, with everyone coming together to have a good time. The song's chorus is a repetition of the invitation to come and jump for joy, with the promise of more good times to come.

The lyrics are an excellent example of Koko Taylor's style, which is energetic and full of passion. The song encourages people to let themselves go, leave their inhibitions behind and dance until they can't dance anymore. Through the lyrics, the message is clear: turn off the lights, and let the music take over. Joy is in the air, and all you have to do is jump and have fun.

"Jump for Joy" was a popular hit in the 1960s and is an excellent representation of Chicago Blues. The song brings together elements of Blues, R&B, and Soul music, creating a sound that is pure Chicago. Koko Taylor's vocals are raw and unrestrained, and the guitar riffs are intense and funky. The song has an irresistible beat that makes it impossible to stay still. It is a classic party song that remains popular with music lovers of all ages.

Line by Line Meaning

I said come on everybody Let's have a ball
We are calling on everyone to come and have fun together

It makes no difference if you're Big or small
Everyone is welcome, regardless of their size

Pull off your shoes and Leave 'em at the door If you ain't too drunk You can get 'em when you go
Take off your shoes and leave them at the entrance. You can retrieve them when you're leaving as long as you're not too intoxicated

I said, come on, y'all Gonna jump for joy tonight We gonna take up the rugs and Put out all the lights
We are going to enthusiastically celebrate tonight and remove all obstacles to dance freely

You know Barefoot Sally told Bald-headed Joe I would have socked it to you but it's Time to go
Barefoot Sally informed Bald-headed Joe that she would have defeated him in a fight, but it's time for them to leave now

One drink of liquor or a Little shot of wine A whole lot of loving Feel real fine
One sip of alcohol and a lot of affection will cause a pleasant feeling

We gonna boogie in the kitchen and Boogie down the hall Boogie in the closet and Beside the wall
We are going to dance everywhere, including the kitchen, hallway, closet, and walls

Ain't gonna stop Until the clock strikes four We'll be doing the rubbie dubbie And cryin' for more
We won't put a stop to the jubilation until 4 a.m. We will dance and shout in excitement for more

We gonna jump We gonna jump Come on, baby Come on, baby Oh, baby Come on, baby Come on, y'all Come on, y'all And let's jump
We encourage everyone to jump and have fun together, displaying joy and enthusiasm

Before we go Hey, hey Hey, hey Hey, hey
Before we leave, let's make some noise!

Writer(s): Sid Kuller, Paul Francis Webster, Edward Kennedy Ellington

Contributed by Dylan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS