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.
Soul On Fire
LaVern Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But for me you're the only one
Who makes me me shiver, makes me tingle
And who brings my loving down
I played the love game before I met him
It's a game I've always won
But now you set my soul on fire
And I really had my fun
With other boyfriends, the good-time men friends
I still had to walk this road all by myself
I was their play girl, a careless gay girl
But I put them all on the shelf
I found my true love with you forever
And my life has just begun
'Cause now you set my soul on fire
And I really had my fun
Good bye to play boys, those hey hey boys
Good bye to everyone but you my love
Well no more heart aches, no more heart breaks
I swear by all the stars above
Well, well on my soul, my love, my heart
Miss you darling from now on
'Cause now you set my soul on fire
And I really had my fun
In LaVern Baker's song "Soul on Fire," the singer talks about her newfound love and how it has transformed her life. She begins the song by acknowledging that she had played the love game before, "with Tom, Dick, and Harry." But none of those relationships made her feel the way her current boyfriend does. He's the only one who can make her shiver and tingle, and who brings her loving down. The singer then talks about how, in the past, she had always been able to win the love game. But with her current boyfriend, she's not interested in playing anymore. He has set her soul on fire, and she's happy just to be with him.
The second half of the song finds the singer saying goodbye to her past life. She had always been a "play girl," moving from one carefree relationship to another. But now that she's found her true love, she's ready to turn her back on that life. She says goodbye to all the play boys, heart aches, and heart breaks she's known. From now on, she'll be with her true love, the man who has set her soul on fire. Overall, this song is about the transformative power of love. It's about how finding the right person can change your life completely, and how the past can be left behind when you find true love.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I could play with Tom, Dick and Harry
I had options for men to have fun with.
But for me you're the only one
Out of all of them, you are the one I choose to be with.
Who makes me me shiver, makes me tingle
You give me a strong emotional and physical reaction.
And who brings my loving down
You are the only person that can satisfy me.
I played the love game before I met him
I had various romantic relationships before our romance.
It's a game I've always won
I was the one ended the relationship before it got too deep.
But now you set my soul on fire
You bring a passion to my life that I had not previously experienced.
And I really had my fun
In the past, I had fun ending relationships, but now I am having fun being with you.
With other boyfriends, the good-time men friends
The men that I have dated before were only interested in having a good time with me.
I still had to walk this road all by myself
While I was in those relationships, I felt like I had to face challenges in life by myself.
I was their play girl, a careless gay girl
In those relationships, I was only a toy for them to play with and they never took me seriously.
But I put them all on the shelf
I moved on from them and found true happiness with you.
I found my true love with you forever
You are the love of my life and I want to be with you forever.
And my life has just begun
I feel like my life started when I met you.
Good bye to play boys, those hey hey boys
I am saying goodbye to the boys who only wanted to play around and have fun.
Good bye to everyone but you my love
You are the only person that matters to me.
Well no more heart aches, no more heart breaks
I am done with the pain of past relationships.
I swear by all the stars above
I promise you that I will always be faithful.
Well, well on my soul, my love, my heart
You are the one that has captured my heart and soul.
Miss you darling from now on
I will miss you every time we are apart.
'Cause now you set my soul on fire
You bring a passion and intensity to my life that fills me up.
And I really had my fun
I am grateful for the fun and joy that you bring to my life.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GLENN DANZIG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ayla MisguidedGhost
LYRICS:
Well I could play with Tom, Dick and Harry
But for me you're the only one
Who makes me me shiver, makes me tingle
And who brings my loving down
I played the love game before I met him
It's a game I've always won
But now you set my soul on fire
And I really had my fun
With other boyfriends, the good-time men friends
I still had to walk this road all by myself
I was their play girl, a careless gay girl
But I put them all on the shelf
I found my true love with you forever
And my life has just begun
'Cause now you set my soul on fire
And I really had my fun
Good bye to play boys, those hey hey boys
Good bye to everyone but you my love
Well no more heart aches, no more heart breaks
I swear by all the stars above
Well, well on my soul, my love, my heart
Miss you darling from now on
'Cause now you set my soul on fire
And I really had my fun
johnny zell
Well I could play with Tom, Dick and Harry
But for me you're the only one
Who makes me me shiver, makes me tingle
And who brings my loving down
I played the love game before I met him
It's a game I've always won
But now you set my soul on fire
And I really had my fun
With other boyfriends, the good-time men friends
I still had to walk this road all by myself
I was their play girl, a careless gay girl
But I put them all on the shelf
I found my true love with you forever
And my life has just begun
'Cause now you set my soul on fire
And I really had my fun
Good bye to play boys, those hey hey boys
Good bye to everyone but you my love
Well no more heart aches, no more heart breaks
I swear by all the stars above
Well, well on my soul, my love, my heart
Miss you darling from now on
'Cause now you set my soul on fire
And I really had my fun
voicegirl555
She died 25 years today. What a singer she was. This song was played in the movie Angel Heart. Hearing Lavern's voice was the best thing about the film. Thank you for all the music you left behind.
Nick Drake
(To whom it may concern) This song, probably the best number in the whole movie (Angel Heart), was included in the former vinyl release of the soundtrack, but unfortunately removed in the later CD reissue (for copyright reasons AFAIK). A similar thing happened to the haunting "Girl of my dreams": the original version sung by Glen Gray (widely quoted in the movie) was replaced by the sax excerpt by Courtney Pine. Some others, like Dr John's "Zu Zu Mamou", were never featured in any of those releases, but just in the movie itself.
Hallands
Oh how I love to listen to LaVern Baker. Perfect timing and a wealth of nuances. Nothing mecanical or rutine here. She must have been very special.
LouisL1963
Heard this for the first time over 30 years ago, and it still sounds great. So much soul & passion in her voice equalled by very few since then.
Ayla MisguidedGhost
LYRICS:
Well I could play with Tom, Dick and Harry
But for me you're the only one
Who makes me me shiver, makes me tingle
And who brings my loving down
I played the love game before I met him
It's a game I've always won
But now you set my soul on fire
And I really had my fun
With other boyfriends, the good-time men friends
I still had to walk this road all by myself
I was their play girl, a careless gay girl
But I put them all on the shelf
I found my true love with you forever
And my life has just begun
'Cause now you set my soul on fire
And I really had my fun
Good bye to play boys, those hey hey boys
Good bye to everyone but you my love
Well no more heart aches, no more heart breaks
I swear by all the stars above
Well, well on my soul, my love, my heart
Miss you darling from now on
'Cause now you set my soul on fire
And I really had my fun
Jerra Maurice
Thank you
Ayla Edip
Hey bird. I love music that speaks from the heart. This woman spoke like she knew what she wanted but spent her life pining for it so that makes it so f**king special xxxxxx 🌹❤
monica bella
What a song, what a voice. Amazing!
C C
I have loved LaVern Baker's music since 195? Back in the day, in any case. She was Superb!
Heynard L Paz-Chow
"...Now you set, my soul on fire!!! And I really, had my fun!!!" Nothing beats that melodic, strong, delivery, and voice from Ms. LaVern Baker. It is the essence of this lovely song. Thank you Jodie Butler because "I really had my fun!"