Baker was born in Chicago, Illinois. She is occasionally referred to as Delores Williams because of an early marriage to Eugene Williams; in the late 1940s she was identified in RCA Victor record company files as "D. L. McMurley." She was the niece of blues singer Merline Johnson and was also related to Memphis Minnie.
She began singing in Chicago clubs such as the Club DeLisa around 1946, often billed as Little Miss Sharecropper, and first recorded under that name in 1949. She changed her name briefly to Bea Baker when recording for Okeh Records in 1951, and then became LaVern Baker when singing with Todd Rhodes and his band in 1952.
In 1953 she signed for Atlantic Records as a solo artist, her first release being "Soul on Fire". Her first hit came in early 1955, with the Latin-tempo "Tweedlee Dee" reaching #4 on the R&B chart and #14 on the national US pop charts. Georgia Gibbs' note-for-note cover of Baker's "Tweedle Dee" reached #1; subsequently Baker made an unsuccessful attempt to sue her and petitioned Congress to consider such covers copyright violations.
Baker had a succession of hits on the R&B charts over the next couple of years with her backing group The Gliders, including "Bop-Ting-A-Ling" (#3 R&B), "Play It Fair" (#2 R&B), and "Still" (#4 R&B). At the end of 1956 she had another smash hit with "Jim Dandy" (#1 R&B, #17 pop). It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Further hits followed for Atlantic, including the follow-up "Jim Dandy Got Married" (#7 R&B), "I Cried a Tear" (#2 R&B, #6 pop in 1959), "I Waited Too Long" (#5 R&B, #3 pop, written by Neil Sedaka), "Saved" (#17 R&B, written by Leiber and Stoller), and "See See Rider" (#9 R&B in 1963).
In addition to singing, Baker also did some work with Ed Sullivan and Alan Freed on TV and in films, including Rock, Rock, Rock and Mr. Rock & Roll. In 1964, she recorded a Bessie Smith tribute album, before leaving Atlantic and joining Brunswick Records, where she recorded the album "Let Me Belong to You".
In 1966, Baker recorded a duet single with Jackie Wilson. The controversial song, "Think Twice", featured raunchy lyrics that were not considered appropriate for airplay at that time or even today. Three versions were recorded, one of which is the X-rated version with the raunchy lyrics.
In the late 1960s, Baker became seriously ill after a trip to Vietnam to entertain American soldiers. While recovering at the US Subic Bay Naval Base in the Philippines, her husband, Slappy White filed for a divorce. A friend recommended that she stay on as the entertainment director at the Marine Corps Staff NCO club there, and she remained there for 22 years.
In 1988 she returned to perform at Madison Square Garden for Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary. She then worked on the soundtracks to films such as Shag, (1989), Dick Tracy, (1990) and A Rage in Harlem (1991), which were all issued on CD.
In 1990, she made her Broadway debut replacing Ruth Brown as star of the hit musical Black and Blue. In 1991, Rhino Records released a new album Live in Hollywood recorded at the Hollywood Roosevelt Cinegrill, as well as a compilation of her greatest Atlantic hits entitled Soul on Fire. In 1992, she recorded a well-received studio album, Woke Up This Morning, for DRG Records. She continued performing after having both legs amputated from diabetes complications in 1994 and made her last recording, "Jump Into the Fire," for the 1995 Harry Nilsson tribute CD, For the Love of Harry on the Music Masters label.
She received the 1990 Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. In 1991, Baker became the second female solo artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, following Aretha Franklin in 1987. Her song "Jim Dandy" was named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and was ranked #343 on the Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
LaVern Baker died from cardiovascular disease on March 10, 1997, at the age of 67. Originally buried in an unmarked plot in Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens, Queens, New York, her grave received a headstone on May 4, 2008, after a fundraiser was held by local historians.
For Love of You
LaVern Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For love of you, it's almost breaking now
I've hurt him so, I don't know what to do
For love of you, for love of you, for love of you
I need your arms to hold me tenderly
I need your lips, I need you close to me
Since we're apart, I'm crying all night through
For love of you, for love of you, for love of you
Don't you know, can't you see
Without you I can't be?
For love of you, my heart is aching now
For love of you, it's almost breaking now
Come back, come back, why must I be so blue?
For love of you, for love of you, for love of you
Come back, come back, I'm still in blue
For love of you, for love of you, for love of you
In LaVern Baker's song For Love of You, the lyrics describe the feeling of heartbreak and the desperation to be reunited with the one she loves. The first two lines of the chorus convey the intensity of her emotion, stating that her heart is aching and almost breaking for the love of this person. She admits to having hurt him and doesn't know what to do to make amends. The following lines express her need for physical affection, longing for his arms to hold her tenderly and his lips to be close to hers. The loneliness she feels since their separation is keeping her up at night, as she cries for the love of him.
In the second verse, Baker pleads for her lover to realize that she can't live without him. The chorus repeats, cementing the idea that she is in agony without him and needs him to return to her. The final line of the song emphasizes her desire for him to come back, still lamenting her state of loneliness and sadness.
This song speaks to the deep, all-encompassing feeling of heartbreak and how it can consume one's entire being. The repetition of the chorus highlights the intensity of the emotion, and the desperation for the other person to return.
Line by Line Meaning
For love of you, my heart is aching now
My heart is in pain because I love you deeply
For love of you, it's almost breaking now
My heart is so close to breaking because of how much I love you
I've hurt him so, I don't know what to do
I have caused someone else pain, and I do not know how to fix it because of my love for you
I need your arms to hold me tenderly
I require your warm embrace to comfort me
I need your lips, I need you close to me
I crave your touch and affection
Since we're apart, I'm crying all night through
When we are apart, I cry myself to sleep every night because of how much I miss you
Don't you know, can't you see Without you I can't be?
I need you in my life to be whole, and I hope you understand this
Come back, come back, why must I be so blue?
I am depressed and sad because you are not with me, so please come back to alleviate this pain
Come back, come back, I'm still in blue
I am still dealing with depression and sadness caused by your absence, so I hope you hear my plea to return
Contributed by Asher C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
John Benn
WOW WOW WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From a mad keen 74yo Aussie fan.
Elizabeth Danielle Sima Viggiano
My absolute LAVERN baker ballad extraordinary BRAVA....resting with my other fav RUTHbrown aMEn thanks SIMA MY OLDER ONLY BIO LATE GORGEOUS SIS ....