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.
Itty Bitty Girl
LaVern Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All I want, itty, bitty boy
All I want, itty, bitty boy
To fall in love with me
If I was an itty, bitty girl
Had a whole lots of money
I would marry a sailor man
He'd be good as any
He would sail and I would sail
We'd sail together
Wouldn't we have a whole lot of fun
Just sailing one another?
All I want, itty, bitty boy
All I want, itty, bitty boy
All I want, itty, bitty boy
To fall in love with me
And if I was an itty, bitty girl
Had a whole lots of money
I would marry a dancing man
Now, he'd be good as any
He would twist and I would twist
We'd twist together
And wouldn't we have a whole lot of fun
Just twisting with one another?
If I was an itty, bitty girl
Had a whole lots of money
I would marry a rubber man
He'd be good as any
He would kiss and I would kiss
We'd kiss together
Wouldn't we have a whole lot of fun
Just kissing one another?
All I want, itty, bitty boy, I tell you that's all
All I want, itty, bitty boy to hug me
All I want, itty, bitty boy, and to squeeze me
All I want, itty, bitty boy, oh
In LaVern Baker's song "Itty Bitty Girl," she expresses her desire for an "itty, bitty boy" to fall in love with her. She plays with the idea of being an "itty, bitty girl" with lots of money, and states that she would marry a sailor man, a dancing man, or a rubber man, depending on the situation. Each scenario has the common factor of having fun with her partner, whether it's sailing together, twisting together or kissing each other. Throughout the song, Baker emphasizes her need for love and affection, and the lyrics suggest that she's willing to settle for an "itty, bitty boy" as long as he can give her those things.
The song's lyrics speak to the idea of having fun and being carefree in a relationship. The hypothetical scenarios that Baker creates emphasize this idea and show that love can be playful and lighthearted. However, there's also a sense of longing and desperation in the lyrics. The repetition of "all I want" suggests that Baker is searching for something that's missing in her life. She's looking for love and acceptance, and hopes that an "itty, bitty boy" can provide that for her.
Overall, "Itty Bitty Girl" is a fun and playful song that explores the idea of love and companionship. Through her lyrics, LaVern Baker captures the excitement and longing that comes with falling in love, and highlights the importance of having fun and letting loose in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
All I want, itty, bitty boy
The singer desires a romantic partner who is small and unassuming
To fall in love with me
The singer wants this small partner to reciprocate her romantic feelings
If I was an itty, bitty girl
The singer imagines herself as a small and unassuming woman
Had a whole lots of money
The artist envisions herself as wealthy
I would marry a sailor man
The artist would choose a spouse who is adventurous and likes to travel
He'd be good as any
The singer believes any sailor man would be a good match for her
He would sail and I would sail
The singer and her sailor husband would enjoy sailing together
We'd sail together
The artist and her sailor husband would enjoy spending time with each other
Wouldn't we have a whole lot of fun
The artist believes that she and her sailor husband would have a lot of enjoyable experiences together
Just sailing one another?
The artist suggests that the fun they would have would be in spending time enjoying each other's company
I would marry a dancing man
The singer imagines a different spouse - one who likes to dance
He would twist and I would twist
The artist envisions dancing with her husband and enjoying each other's company
Just twisting with one another?
The singer believes that the fun they would have would be in spending time enjoying each other's company while dancing
I would marry a rubber man
The singer imagines a third type of spouse - one who is very flexible and can move in many different ways
He would kiss and I would kiss
The singer envisions a romantic partner who is physically affectionate
All I want, itty, bitty boy, I tell you that's all
The artist emphasizes that all she desires is a small and unassuming romantic partner
To hug me
The artist desires physical affection from her romantic partner
And to squeeze me
The singer desires to be held closely by her romantic partner
Oh
An exclamation of desire or longing
Contributed by Charlie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.