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 Waited Too Long
LaVern Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never told you what I feel in my heart.
Somebody new has come along
I was a fool for waiting too long.
My life without you won't be the same,
I should have never played that waiting game.
I'm so alone now that you're gone,
I was a fool for waiting too long.
I wasn't smart, I wasn't wise,
And now I'm by myself with tears in my eyes.
I made my life a life of regret,
I should have never played hard to get.
And now I know, I was so wrong,
I was a fool for waiting too long.
I was a fool for waiting too long,
Too long.
In LaVern Baker's song "I Waited Too Long," the lyrics explore the regrets of a person who failed to express their feelings in time and now their chances of being with that person are gone forever. The lyrics are filled with remorse as the singer acknowledges that they were not smart or wise in their decision to wait. They admit that the waiting game they played was foolish and that they should have taken action sooner. The line, "Somebody new has come along," suggests that the person they were waiting for has moved on, leaving the singer to deal with the pain of lost love.
The line, "I made my life a life of regret," shows that the singer is aware that their actions have led them to a point of regret and sorrow, and there is a sense of despair associated with the realization that there is nothing that can be done to change the situation. The lyrics are poignant and heartfelt as the singer accepts the blame for the loss of the relationship and the pain that it has caused.
Line by Line Meaning
I waited too long, and now we're apart.
I procrastinated and now we are no longer together.
I never told you what I feel in my heart.
I failed to express my feelings to you.
Somebody new has come along
A new person has replaced me in your life.
I was a fool for waiting too long.
I made a foolish mistake by waiting too long.
My life without you won't be the same,
My life will never be the same without you.
I should have never played that waiting game.
I should not have delayed taking action.
I'm so alone now that you're gone,
I feel extremely lonely since you left.
I wasn't smart, I wasn't wise,
I lacked intelligence and wisdom.
And now I'm by myself with tears in my eyes.
I am alone and crying now.
I made my life a life of regret,
I have made my life full of remorse.
I should have never played hard to get.
I should not have pretended to be less interested.
And now I know, I was so wrong,
I realize that I was wrong.
I was a fool for waiting too long.
I made a foolish mistake by waiting too long.
Too long.
For too much time.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HOWARD GREENFIELD, NEIL SEDAKA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind