Coolidge's early career was as a backing vocalist, for artists such as Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, and Leon Russell. Her performance of "Superstar" on the Cocker/Russell Mad Dogs and Englishmen album helped gain her attention. She became known as "The Delta Lady" and inspired Leon Russell to write a song of the same name for her. It was during this time that she met Kris Kristofferson; the two married in 1973. With him, she recorded several duet albums which sold well, and earned them a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1974 for From the Bottle to the Bottom, and in 1976 for Lover Please.
In 1997, Coolidge was one of the founding members of Walela, a Native American music trio, that also includes Coolidge's sister Priscilla and Priscilla's daughter Laura Satterfield. The trio released albums in 1997 and 2000. Walela means hummingbird in Cherokee.
Fever
Rita Coolidge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
You give me fever when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Ev'rybody's got the fever
That is something you all know
Fever isn't such a new thing
Fever started long ago
Sun lights up the daytime
Moon lights up the night
I light up when you call my name
And you know I'm gonna treat you right
You give me fever when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night
Romeo loved Juliet
Juliet she felt the same
When he put his arms around her
He said, Julie baby, you're my flame
Thou givest fever when we kisseth
Fever with thy flaming youth
Fever, I'm afire
Fever, yea I burn forsooth
Captain Smith and Pocahontas
Had a very mad affair
When her daddy tried to kill him
She said Daddy-o don't you dare
He gives me fever with his kisses
Fever when he holds me tight
Fever, I'm his Missus,
Oh daddy, won't you treat him right
Now you've listened to my story
Here's the point that I have made
Cats were born to give chicks fever
Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade
They give you fever when you kiss them
Fever if you live and learn
Fever till you sizzle
What a lovely way to burn
What a lovely way to burn
What a lovely way to burn
The song "Fever" by Rita Coolidge is an intense love song that speaks of the physical effects that love can have on a person. The singer starts the song by describing how she never knew just how much she loved and cared for her lover until she feels the fever that he brings into her life. The fever comes over her at all hours of the day and night, making it difficult for her to bear.
The chorus of the song acknowledges that everyone has experienced this kind of fever at some point in their lives because love is not a new phenomenon. From the story of Romeo and Juliet to the relationship between Captain Smith and Pocahontas, love has always had a way of setting people on fire. The song concludes with the idea that this fever can come from any kind of relationship, be it romantic or platonic, and that it can make a person burn with passion and desire.
Overall, the lyrics of "Fever" are about love as a powerful force that can make a person feel physically and emotionally overwhelmed. The lyrics draw on a range of cultural references from classical literature to modern romance, to describe the way love can affect people in different ways.
Line by Line Meaning
Never know how much I love you
I never realized the extent of my love for you.
Never know how much I care
I never realized how much I care and long for you.
When you put your arms around me
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
When you hold me tight, I feel a strong passion that becomes unbearable.
You give me fever when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night
You ignite a passion so strong in me that it persists through day and night.
Ev'rybody's got the fever
That is something you all know
Fever isn't such a new thing
Fever started long ago
Feeling a passion like this is not new and has been happening for ages.
Sun lights up the daytime
Moon lights up the night
I light up when you call my name
And you know I'm gonna treat you right
Just like the sun, moon, and stars light up the world, you light up my life and I promise to treat you right.
Thou givest fever when we kisseth
Fever with thy flaming youth
Fever, I'm afire
Fever, yea I burn forsooth
When we kiss, you set my passion ablaze and I am overcome with desire.
Captain Smith and Pocahontas
Had a very mad affair
When her daddy tried to kill him
She said Daddy-o don't you dare
Like Captain Smith and Pocahontas, we have an intense, passionate love that won't be tamed, even if it puts us in danger.
He gives me fever with his kisses
Fever when he holds me tight
Fever, I'm his Missus,
Oh daddy, won't you treat him right
His love and passion for me is so strong that it makes me feel a feverish intensity, and I beg for your acceptance and blessing.
Now you've listened to my story
Here's the point that I have made
Cats were born to give chicks fever
Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade
My story is about the intensity of passion that love creates, and it is a feeling that every being can experience.
They give you fever when you kiss them
Fever if you live and learn
Fever till you sizzle
What a lovely way to burn
What a lovely way to burn
What a lovely way to burn
Being with the one you love is the most passionate feeling, one that causes feverish excitement and creates a beautiful way to burn with love and desire.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NICHOLAS EDWARD JAMES HALLAM, ROBERT BIRCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind