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.
it's so fine
LaVern Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's a fantasy
I can tell by the way your treating me
You run around
And you have your fun
Do you proma to me when your down
But is so fine
But its so fine
To be with you
You stay out all,
All the night long
And you say that baby it is wrong
I should have left you
Long ago
But I can′t because I know
That it's so fine
Yeah so fine
But it's so fine
To be with you
You wanted to have
Control on me
But baby you know that this should′nt be
I wanted to leave you
But baby
I can′t because you know
And it's so fine
Yeah so fine
But it′s so fine
To be with you
In Lavern Baker's song "It's So Fine," the lyrics tell the story of a relationship in which one person is not fully committed or faithful. The singer knows that their partner is not truly interested in them, as evidenced by their behavior and actions. The line "You don’t a wanna me, It's a fantasy" reveals that the partner is not interested in a real relationship with the singer, but rather an idealized version of them.
The chorus continues to highlight the conflicting emotions the singer has about staying in the relationship. They know that it's not healthy, but the allure of being with this person is too great to resist. The line "But it's so fine to be with you" suggests that the singer is willing to overlook the negative aspects of the relationship for moments of happiness with their partner.
Despite the partner's flaws, the singer can't help but feel like being with them is worth it. This idea is reinforced through the repetition of "so fine." The words "so fine" carry multiple meanings throughout the song. They can be interpreted as an expression of happiness, but also as a way of downplaying the negative aspects of the relationship. Regardless of the meaning, the repeated use of "so fine" emphasizes the state of emotional conflict that the singer is in.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't a wanna me
You do not want me
It's a fantasy
It is just a dream
I can tell by the way your treating me
I can sense how you treat me
You run around
You go around
And you have your fun
And you enjoy yourself
Do you proma to me when your down
Do you promise to be there for me when you're down
But is so fine
But it is still okay
Yeah so fine
Yes, it is okay
But its so fine
But it is still okay
To be with you
To stay with you
You stay out all,
You stay out all night
All the night long
All through the night
And you say that baby it is wrong
You admit that it is wrong, baby
I should have left you
I could have left you
Long ago
A while back
But I can't because I know
But I cannot leave because I understand
You wanted to have
You desired to have
Control on me
Power over me
But baby you know that this shouldn't be
Darling, you know that this is not right
I wanted to leave you
I wished to leave you
But baby
But darling,
I can't because you know
I cannot leave because you understand
And it's so fine
And it is still okay
Yeah so fine
Yes, it is okay
But it's so fine
But it is still okay
To be with you
To stay with you
Writer(s): Al Green, Berry Gordy Jr., Tyran Carlo
Contributed by Sebastian C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Graham Shepherd
Just bought LaVern's triple cd Complete singles 1949 to 1962 A's and B's. 71 tracks! Instantly became one of my most treasured cd's..Lavern is one of my absolute favourite artists. The end of her life was incredibly sad, but she was an indominatable spirit to the end. RIP LaVern.
mlightninw
An early composition by Berry Gordy of Motown fame.
Eric Rockabilly
i have some Lavern Baker 78 single.
Elizabeth Danielle Sima Viggiano
LAVERN baker miss rock & roll ATLANTIC RECORDS the house she decorated and labelmate RUTHbrown miss RTHYMN built...my two favs