Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Dorsey was a childhood friend of Fats Domino before moving to Portland, Oregon when he was ten years old. He served in the United States Navy in World War II and then began a career in prizefighting. Boxing as a lightweight in Portland in the early 1950s, he fought under the name Kid Chocolate and was reasonably successful. He retired from boxing in 1955 and returned to New Orleans, where he opened an auto repair business as well as singing in clubs at night.
His first recording was "Lottie Mo", for the small Valiant label in 1958, and he also recorded for the Rex label. These efforts were unsuccessful, but around 1960 he was discovered by A&R man Marshall Sehorn, who secured him a contract with Fury Records, owned by Bobby Robinson. After meeting songwriter and record producer Allen Toussaint at a party, he recorded "Ya Ya", a song inspired by a group of children chanting nursery rhymes. It went to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Although the follow-up "Do-Re-Mi" also made the charts, later releases on Fury were not successful. Dorsey returned to running his repair business, but also released singles on the small Smash and Constellation labels in 1963 and 1964.
He was then approached again by Toussaint, and recorded Toussaint's song "Ride Your Pony" for the Amy label, a subsidiary of Bell Records. The song reached no.7 on the R&B chart in late 1965, and he followed it up with "Get Out Of My Life, Woman", "Working in the Coal Mine" – his biggest pop hit – and "Holy Cow", all of which made the pop charts in both the US and the UK. Dorsey toured internationally, and also recorded an album with Toussaint, The New Lee Dorsey in 1966. In 1970 Dorsey and Toussaint collaborated on the album Yes We Can; the title song was Dorsey's last entry in the US singles chart. It was later a hit for the Pointer Sisters under the title, "Yes We Can Can". With declining sales, Dorsey then returned to his auto repair business.
In 1976 Dorsey appeared on the album I Don't Want to Go Home by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, which led to more recordings on his own with ABC Records, including the album Night People. In 1980, he opened for English punk band The Clash on their US concert tour, and also toured in support of James Brown and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Dorsey contracted emphysema and died on December 2, 1986, in New Orleans, at the age of 61.
Dorsey's songs have been covered by artists as diverse as Petula Clark ("Ya Ya Twist," a 1962 French version of "Ya Ya") and Devo ("Working in the Coal Mine"). "Ya Ya" was also covered on John Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll album. His version of the Allen Toussaint song "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)" is referenced in the Beastie Boys' song lyrics for "Sure Shot" - "...everything I do is funky like Lee Dorsey." "Ya Ya" was spoken by Cheech Marin in Cheech and Chong's Next Movie, as he was waiting for his girlfriend.
Discography
Albums
Ya Ya (1962)
Ride Your Pony (1966)
The New Lee Dorsey (1966)
Working in the Coalmine (1967)
Yes We Can (1970)
Night People (1978)
Chart singles
"Ya Ya" U.S. Pop #7/R&B #1 (1961)
"Do-Re-Mi" U.S. #27/#22 (1962)
"Ride Your Pony" U.S. #28/#7 (1965)
"Get Out Of My Life, Woman" U.S. #44/#5/ UK #22 (1966)
"Confusion" UK #38 (1966)
"Working in the Coal Mine" U.S. #8/#5/UK #8 (1966)
"Holy Cow" U.S. #23/#10/UK #6 (1966)
"My Old Car" U.S. #97 (1967)
"Go-Go Girl" U.S. #62/#31 (1967)
"Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (From Now On)" U.S. #95/#33 (1969)
"Yes We Can - Part 1" --/#46 (1970)
"Night People" --/#93 (1978)
Everything I Do Gohn Be Funky
Lee Dorsey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything I do gohn be
Funky from now on, yeah
Everything I do gohn be
Funky from now on
I have to be myself and do my thing
A little soul can't do no harm, yeah
Everything I do gohn be
Everything I do gohn be
Funky from now on, yeah
Everything I do gohn be
Funky from now on, yeah
Some may say I've got no class
But I'm doing what I wanna do
So go with me if you can
Or just do what you can do
Oh, shucks
Why you whining
I'm on fire
Yeah, everything I do gohn be
Funky from now on, yeah
Everything I do gohn be
Funky from now on
Never before have I felt so good
Just being natural me
My little hang up and my little times
But deep inside, I'm free
Let your hair down, get down wings
Who's to say what's right or wrong
Everything I do gohn be
Funky from now on
Yeah, everything I do gohn be
Funky from now on, yeah
Everything I do gohn be
Funky from now on, yeah
Everything I do gohn be
Funky from now on
Everything I do gohn be
Funky from now on
Oh, shucks, do your thing
The song "Everything I Do Gohn Be Funky" by Lee Dorsey is a declaration of his personal philosophy of life. It is a declaration of independence from the conventions of society and an affirmation of his desire to live in his own unique way. The lyrics suggest that he has decided to embrace his inner self and to do what makes him happy, regardless of what anyone else may think. He believes that he doesn't need to have a sophisticated background or follow societal norms to be happy. He chooses to live a funky life, and that's all that matters to him.
The song begins with the line "Everything I do gohn be funky." The repetition of this phrase throughout the song emphasizes his commitment to living a funky life. The lyrics also suggest that he has faced some criticism for his choices, as he mentions that some may say he has no class. However, he is undeterred by the opinions of others and chooses to do what he wants to do.
The theme of the song is one of self-expression and individuality. It encourages the listener to embrace their true self and to live life on their own terms. The upbeat, funky rhythm of the song perfectly captures the message of joy and liberation that the lyrics convey.
Line by Line Meaning
Everything I do gohn be funky
My entire lifestyle and actions going forward will be funky, groovy, and full of soul music vibes.
Everything I do gohn be
Funky from now on, yeah
My life from now on will be full of funk and groove music that exudes my unique style and charm.
I have to be myself and do my thing
I must stay true to myself and express my individuality and creativity in every aspect of my life.
A little soul can't do no harm, yeah
Infusing some soul and groove into my life won't cause any harm, in fact, it can only bring joy and positivity.
Some may say I've got no class
Others may consider me undignified or without sophistication.
But I'm doing what I wanna do
However, I am going to do things my way and pursue my passions despite what others may think.
So go with me if you can
Or just do what you can do
If others want to join me on this journey, that's great. But if not, that's fine too. Everyone should follow their own path in life.
Oh, shucks
Why you whining
I'm on fire
Don't complain or bring me down, because I am feeling confident, inspired, and full of energy.
Never before have I felt so good
Just being natural me
I am feeling amazing and fulfilled just by being my authentic self, not trying to be someone I'm not.
My little hang up and my little times
But deep inside, I'm free
Although I may have some insecurities or struggles at times, I am truly free and liberated within my soul.
Let your hair down, get down wings
Who's to say what's right or wrong
Be yourself, let loose and express your individuality, it is up to you how you convey yourself and no one should dictate that.
Oh, shucks, do your thing
Go ahead and pursue your passions, without worrying about the opinions of others. Do what makes you happy and fulfilled in life.
Contributed by Adalyn Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
sky ryder
To whoever is up this late at night listening to this kind of funky music, much respect!
PR
3:08am
Joshua Osmond
looks at clock “oh shit it’s 3:30 am” ya’ll are too accurate to handle right now
Paul Chaz
4:39 am EDT! My new theme song!
Stuck In The Black Hole of Kpop
2:00am 😂how did you know 🤣
(after staying up to watch a couple episodes of House...🤭)
flying frog of death
Damn it's midnight, unwinding from a nice day, much love everyone; I love you all
Bill Mac
The spoken intro was by the white engineer Rodney Mills. It was spoken as the "slate" for the recording so you would know what the song was. Alan Tousaint kept it on the record. Rodney worked with Alan on some Meters also. Rodney is an influential producer/engineer. In addition to his work on some of the biggest rock records, he also engineered the music for "The Amen Break"
Iron Lungs
"He also engineered the music for "The Amen Break"
Wow, dude, this actually explains a lot, drums parts on Dorsey's music struck me so hard, there all great, the sound, the rythm patterns... There's more than a break in thee songs that screams "SAMPLE ME FOR A CLASSIC HIP HOP BREAKBEAT".
Chilli Wraslin
This must of been the vibe to get lit to in the 60s
rudy von zippa
and the 20's