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.
I Can
LaVern Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't never turn you loose, if I do I'm gonna lose my mind
Whoa, I can't turn you loose for nobody, I love you, yes I do, huh!
Hip-shakin' mama, I love you, love no one but you
Hear me, baby, I call you, call you
I can't turn you loose, if I do I'm gonna lose my mind
I can't turn you loose for nobody, I love you, yes I do, huh!
Hip-shakin' mama, I love you, love no one but you
Hear me, baby, I call you, call you
Ah, tell me mama, baby!
Hey, baby, baby, baby
Now, wooh, baby, huh!
Talkin' about my baby
Oh baby, huh, about my baby
Baby, baby I love you, I gotta do everything, ha!
Baby!
My!
My, my, my, baby!
Baby, baby, baby, baby yeah
Whoa!! Baby, baby, baby, huh!
Talkin' about you
Every, every day, baby, gotta keep on holdin'
Gotta keep on holdin' on you, baby
Holdin'
Oh baby, huh! Talkin' about you, ah!
Huh! Baby
Baby, baby, baby, baby
Huh! Baby I love you
Every, every day, baby
Huh! Love you
Baby, let me hear you say yeah!
Over here, yeah!
Yeah!!!! I feel good
Sam, I need a little help
Bring it down a little bit, Maury, bring it down a little bit
I need a little help
Fellas, get your hands from under your girl's dress for a minute
Young ladies, yeah we're about to get into this
Hold on a minute
Aah!!
Yeah!!
Every day, baby, every day, baby, aahh!!
Lord!!
Yeah, baby, every, every day, baby
Whoaa, whooo, ahh, aahhha
Every, every day, baby
Huh! Bring it on down, bring it down!
Mercy! Do you feel alright?
If you don't, fuck you, you oughta go home!
Mercy! Do you feel alright?
Get on in, daddy!
I feel good, woohh, mercy, I can dig it, aww!
Say you're lookin' good to me, say you're lookin' fine
Say you're lookin' good to me, hon you're lookin' fine
Hey you're lookin' good to me, hon you're lookin' fine
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah!!
Oh!! Oh!! Oh!! Oh!! Oh yeah!! Oh yeah!! Oh yeah!! oh yeah!!
Woh yeah!! Woh yeah!! Woh yeah!! Wo yeah!! â?? alright!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, baby
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I feel good because I love you
You know I love you
Huh! I love you
Every day
Huh!
Babe, aw!! wooh! Huh!
Say you're looking good! Mercy!
Let's get the horns in
Do you want to hear the horns blow?
Do you want to hear the horns blow?
Do you want to hear the horns blow?
Yeah!! Huh, talkin' about you
Say look-a here, here we go
One, two, three, four, ah!!
Hey!
Ooh!
Shit!
Whoa!
The lyrics to LaVern Baker's song, "I Can" depict the singer's deep love for someone she can't seem to let go of. The repetitive chorus, "I can't turn you loose, if I do I'm gonna lose my mind. I can't never turn you loose, if I do I'm gonna lose my mind," emphasizes her inability to let go, as if she's going crazy without this person. She proclaims her devotion to this "hip-shakin' mama," refusing to turn her loose for anyone else. The bridge of the song encourages the listener to feel good and join in with the band by saying, "Do you feel alright? Get on in, daddy! I feel good, woohh, mercy, I can dig it, aww!"
The lyrics of this song show the power of love and how it can drive someone to feel like they're going crazy if they lose it. The repetitive chorus reinforces the idea that love can sometimes be obsessive and impossible to let go of. The bridge is more upbeat and encourages the listener to feel good and join in with the music, possibly serving as a distraction from the deep emotions expressed in the verses.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't turn you loose, if I do I'm gonna lose my mind
If I let you go, I know I will lose my mind
I can't never turn you loose, if I do I'm gonna lose my mind
No matter what, I cannot let you go or else I'll go crazy
Whoa, I can't turn you loose for nobody, I love you, yes I do, huh!
I cannot let anyone take you away from me because I love you
Hip-shakin' mama, I love you, love no one but you
You, my hip-shakin' lady, are the only one I love and no one else
Hear me baby, I call you, call you
Baby, I want you to listen to me, I call out to you
Hey baby, baby, baby, now wooh, baby huh! Talkin' about my baby
Oh baby, I'm talking about you because you're all I think about
Oh baby, about my baby, baby, baby I love you, I gotta do everything, ha!
My baby, I love you so much that I'll do anything for you
Holdin', oh baby, huh! Talkin' about you, ah!
I'm holding on to you and talking about how much I love you
Every, every day, baby, gotta keep on holdin'. Gotta keep on holdin' on you, baby
Every day, I have to hold on to you and never let you go, baby
Huh! Baby, baby, baby, baby. Huh! Baby I love you
Baby, I love you so much and I can't stop saying it
Every, every day, baby. Huh! Love you
Every day, baby, I love you
Yeah!!!! I feel good
Yeah, I feel great
Do you feel alright? If you don't, fuck you, you oughta go home!
If you don't feel good, get the hell out!
Say you're lookin' good to me, say you're lookin' fine. Hey you're lookin' good to me, hon you're lookin' fine
You look good and fine to me, honey
Woh yeah!! Woh yeah!! Woh yeah!! Wo yeah!! â?? alright!
Alright, yes! Hell yeah!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, baby. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I feel good because I love you. You know I love you
I love you and it makes me feel so good
Say you're looking good! Mercy! Let's get the horns in
You're looking good and let's get some horns in here
Huh, talkin' about you
Yeah, I'm talking about you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Otis Redding
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Margaret Crew
I recently heard this song for the first time on Sirius XM and was thrilled to fine it here. Great song with great lyrics and beat.
J. L.
Thank you Laverne, for this beautiful music.
Bryan Brazell
Have also heard this song on sirius XM-Thank God they are around to keep the great music from the 50's alive.GREAT SONG
J.L.
So beautiful, only 27 when she sang this. So sad that she died at 67. Once again This song reminds me wonderful Childhood Days.
Daphne Lewin
A pleasant reminder of my teenage years!
Ahsatan 821002141
I, too, heard this on Sirius XM, but I was in a little diner the other day. I was surprised to find a diner that plays only music from the 1950s, but I'm not complaining either! The other song I heard that I liked enough to Google the lyrics of was Kisses Sweeter than Wine.
CHARVONAY
♾🌹♾ NEVER FORGET 🌟 THE LEGENDS 💕
Wendy Jones
Love music from way back
Garrett Morgan
Big big hit after thses music music stop and in the mofern era is peer croppp