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.
Love Me Right
LaVern Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give me every pleasure to the max
Surrender all your kisses and don't hold back
(you gotta) love me right
I need your loving tonight
So just love me right
And satisfy my appetite
Touch me like you touch your little teddy bear
Give me satisfaction till I just don't care
(you gotta) love me right
I need your loving tonight
So just love me right
And saatisfy my appetite
Don't bite
Surrender
Surrender
Surrender
Surrender to me!
The lyrics of LaVern Baker's song Love Me Right express the singer's desire for a fulfilling romantic encounter. She pleads with her partner to provide her with all the pleasures she desires, without holding back or being frustrated. The songs lead singer highlights the magnitude of her passion by urging her partner to surrender all his kisses to her with the same intensity he would use to touch a little teddy bear.
The pre-chorus is particularly powerful, as the singer's plea reaches its peak. She states that she needs her partner's love tonight and that he should love her in the right way and satisfy her appetite without biting her. These lyrics boldly suggest that the singer is yearning for an unbridled, passionate romantic encounter in which she wants to be intensely loved and fully stimulated.
Line by Line Meaning
No more frustration let's relax
Let's not be frustrated anymore, let's just relax
Give me every pleasure to the max
Give me all the pleasure you can, to the maximum
Surrender all your kisses and don't hold back
Give me all your kisses and don't hold back
(you gotta) love me right
You have to love me the right way
I need your loving tonight
I need your love tonight
So just love me right
So just love me the right way
And satisfy my appetite
And fulfill my desires
Don't bite
Don't bite me
Touch me like you touch your little teddy bear
Touch me gently, like you handle your little teddy bear
Give me satisfaction till I just don't care
Satisfy me till I don't care about anything else
Surrender
Give in to me
Surrender
Give in to me
Surrender
Give in to me
Surrender to me!
Give in to me completely!
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MELVIN JR. RILEY, GORDON STROZIER, GERALD ANDRE VALENTINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@missmalalasvegas4318
You can haunt me
You can taunt me
But if you want me, baby
You gotta love me right
Love me right in the morning
You can tease me
You can squeeze me
If you want to please me
Love me, baby
Love me right in the morning
I'm yours in every way
I'll do anything you say
I'll be yours til the end of time
Long as you love me when the clock strikes nine
You can use me
You can abuse me
If you don't wanna lose me
Love me, baby
Love me right in the morning
I'm yours in every way
We're gonna make a lot of May hay
I'm yours til my dying day
Long as you love me in a cotton picking way
You can use me
You can abuse me
If you don't wanna lose me
Love me, baby
Love me right in the morning
Love me right in the morning
Love me right in the morning
@pauljoseph8691
Gritty popcorn with a twist. Rock is evolving. Ms Baker is rite on. Let's make some May hay as they say. Love it.
@JT-qq2sg
On every song LaVern sings I find myself wishing that there were a more lyrics and more music. Another 60-90 seconds The songs seem so short. I just heard this for the first time in a bar last night and cannot figure out, how I have not "YouTube" it before.
@soulman4692
All thumbs up...!!!
@johnthrussell1377
Like her voice
@alain59200
great track luis grazié mille
@SonBrimmer
Great side!
@zanath16
you can use me,you can abuse me...
if you don't wanna lose me, love me baby, love me right in the moooorning!
@dontknocktherock1263
If you insist! 😅
@jeanfrancis3526
Brilliant ...:-)
@soulbrother61
crackin' slab o R n B....choon...