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)
Ya Ya
Lee Dorsey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Waiting for my ya ya
Uh huh, uh huh
I'm sittin' here, la, la
Waiting for my ya ya
Uh huh, uh huh
It may sound funny
But I don't believe she's comin'Uh huh, uh huh
Baby hurry don't make me worry
Uh huh, uh huh
Yeah, baby hurry don't make me worry
Uh huh, uh huh
You know that I love you
Oh, how I love you
Uh huh, uh huh
I'm sittin' here, la, la
Waiting for my ya ya
Uh huh, uh huh
I'm sittin' here, la, la
Waiting for my ya ya
Uh huh, uh huh
It may sound funny
But I don't believe she's comin'
Uh huh, uh huh
Baby hurry don't make me worry
Uh huh, uh huh
Yeah, baby hurry don't make me worry
Uh huh, uh huh
You know how I love you
Oh, how I love youUh huh, uh huh
I'm sittin' here, la, la
Waiting for my ya ya
Uh huh, uh huh
I'm sittin' here, la, la
Waiting for my ya ya
Uh huh, uh huh
It may sound funny
But I don't believe she's comin'
Uh huh, uh huh
Baby hurry don't make me worry
Uh huh
Yeah, baby hurry don't make me worry
Uh huh, uh huh
The lyrics to Lee Dorsey's song Ya Ya conveys the message of a man sitting and waiting for his lover to arrive. The repetition of "sittin' here, la, la" and "waiting for my ya ya" emphasize the man's anticipation and eagerness to see his lover. Despite his love for her, he expresses doubt that she will actually show up. This doubt can be seen in the line "it may sound funny, but I don't believe she's comin'."
The chorus of the song is a plea for his lover to hurry and not make him worry. This is evidence that the man has been waiting for a long time and is growing increasingly anxious about his lover's arrival. The repetition of "uh huh, uh huh" adds to the playful and upbeat tone of the song.
Overall, Ya Ya is a fun and catchy song with a message that is relatable to anyone who has ever eagerly waited for someone else. The playful rhythm and bright instrumentation add to the lightheartedness of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, well, I'm sittin' here, la, la
The singer is currently sitting and waiting for someone
Waiting for my ya ya
He's eagerly waiting for his friend or lover, the 'ya ya'
Uh huh, uh huh
He's saying 'yes' in agreement with himself or the situation
It may sound funny
The situation might seem amusing to others
But I don't believe she's comin'
He's unsure if the 'ya ya' will actually show up or not
Baby hurry don't make me worry
He's asking the 'ya ya' to hurry up and come so he won't worry anymore
You know that I love you
He's expressing his love for the 'ya ya'
Oh, how I love you
He's emphasizing how deeply he loves the 'ya ya'
I'm sittin' here, la, la
He's still waiting impatiently
Baby hurry don't make me worry
He's repeating his earlier plea for the 'ya ya' to come
Yeah, baby hurry don't make me worry
He's again urging her to come quickly
It may sound funny
He's still aware that the situation might seem humorous to others
But I don't believe she's comin'
He's repeating his earlier doubts about whether or not she will come
Uh huh, uh huh
He's still agreeing with himself despite his worries
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Clarence L Lewis, Lee Dorsey, Morris Levy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@GREATTECH1
I was 9 years in New Orleans when this song came out. I loved it then, and I love it now. Professor Longhair, Lee Dorsey, Dr. John, Irma Thomas, Ernie K DOE, Fats Domino and Allen Toussaint dominated the airwaves back then. I smile when I go back in history of my birth town. Still love the CRESCENT CITY... LOVE FOREVER!!
@mckernan603
Your birth town is legendary, thank you!
@beloved-child
How do I save comments? Thanks wo much f9r introducing me into these other artists. I knew fat domino already and loved him
@sandbar3000
dang, we don't have music like this anymore! My mom didn't raise a fool. This is good stuff.
@LisaSpratt64
I remember my Daddy playing this song as a Child… Great memories Rest In Paradise Daddy thanks for the memories Love you 😘
@jamesbarclay8805
Just love the 60s absolutely brilliant always reminds of the wanderers classic film
@postatility9703
The genius of Lee Dorsey--and Allen Toussaint!
@janetmartin5463
MY PARENTS PLAYED THIS SONG SO MUCH I LEARNED IT AT THE AGE OF 5 SANG IT ALL THE TIME 😀😀
@josephkane2148
One of the Very Best singles of 1961 as it is By Lee Dorsey as it as was Called Ya Ya just a great single of 1961 sounds so good now than it did when it came out in 1961
@cynthiahawkins2389
Almost all these memorable tunes have that incredible sax 'riff and hook' in them, which listeners like me, always wait for..way cool!!!