Born Ruth Alston Weston on 30th January 1928 in Portsmouth, Virginia, she attended I. C. Norcom High School, a historically black high school. Brown's father was a dockhand who directed the local church choir, but the young Ruth showed more of an interest in singing at USO shows and nightclubs. She was inspired by Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington. In 1945, Brown ran away from her home in Portsmouth along with a trumpeter, Jimmy Brown, whom she soon married, to sing in bars and clubs. She then spent a month with Lucky Millinder's orchestra, but was fired after she brought drinks to the band for free, and was left stranded in Washington, D.C.
Blanche Calloway, Cab Calloway's sister, also a bandleader, arranged a gig for Brown at a Washington nightclub called Crystal Caverns and soon became her manager. Willis Conover, a Voice of America disc jockey, caught her act and recommended her to Atlantic Records bosses, Ahmet Ertegün and Herb Abramson. Brown was unable to audition as planned though, because of a serious car accident that resulted in a nine-month hospital stay. In 1948, however, Ertegün and Abramson drove to Washington from New York City to hear her sing in the club. Although her repertoire was mostly popular ballads, Ertegün convinced her to switch to rhythm and blues. His productions for her, however, retained her pop style, with clean, fresh arrangements and the singing spot on the beat with little of the usual blues singer's embroidery.
In her first audition, in 1949, she sang "So Long", which became a hit. This was followed by "Teardrops from My Eyes" in 1950; written by Rudy Toombs, it was the first upbeat major hit for Ruth Brown, establishing her as an important figure in R&B. Recorded for Atlantic Records in New York City in September 1950, and released in October, it was on Billboard's List of number-one R&B hits (United States) for eleven weeks. The huge hit earned her the nickname "Miss Rhythm", and within a few months Ruth Brown became the acknowledged queen of R&B.
She followed up this hit with "I'll Wait for You" (1951), "I Know" (1951), "5-10-15 Hours" (1953), "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" (1953), "Oh What a Dream" (1954), "Mambo Baby" (1954), and "Don't Deceive Me" (1960). She also became known as "Little Miss Rhythm" and "the girl with the teardrop in her voice". In all, she was on the R&B charts for 149 weeks from 1949 to 1955, with sixteen top-ten blues records including five number ones, and became Atlantic's most popular artist, earning Atlantic records the proper name of "The House that Ruth Built".
During the 1960s, Brown faded from public view to become a housewife and mother, and only returned to music in 1975 at the urging of Redd Foxx, followed by a series of comic acting gigs, including roles in the sitcom Hello, Larry and the John Waters film Hairspray as local DJ Motormouth Maybelle, as well as Broadway appearances in Amen Corner and Black and Blue, which earned her a Tony Award for her performance and a Grammy award for her album Blues on Broadway, featuring hits from the show.
Brown's fight for musicians' rights and royalties in 1987 led to the founding of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. She was inducted as a Pioneer Award recipient in its first year, 1989. In 1993, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as "The Queen Mother of the Blues".
She has become an iconic symbol to many black women for later generations, where she is also a favourite artist and inspiration for later blues artists such as Bonnie Raitt. Brown recorded and sang along with fellow rhythm and blues performer Charles Brown, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and toured with Raitt on Raitt's tour in the late 1990s, "Road Tested". Her 1995 autobiography, Miss Rhythm, won the Gleason Award for music journalism.
Brown died in a Las Vegas-area hospital on 17th November 2006, from complications following a heart attack and stroke she suffered after surgery in October 2006. A memorial concert for her was held on 22nd January 2007 at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York.
Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered
Ruth Brown Lyrics
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But a fool can have her charms
I'm in love and don't I show it
Like a babe in arms
Love's the same old situation
Lately I've not slept a wink
Since this crazy situation
I'm wild again, beguiled again
A whimpering, simpering child again
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered, am I
Couldn't sleep, wouldn't sleep
Love came and told me, shouldn't sleep
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered, am I
I lost my heart, but what of it
She is cold I agree
She might laugh, but I love it
Although the laugh's on me
I'll sing to her, bring spring to her
And long, for the day when I'll cling to her
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered, am I
The lyrics of Ruth Brown's song Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered, tell the story of a man who falls in love with a woman who is not good for him. He knows she's a fool but is still captivated and under her spell. He is in love and can't hide it, he's like a vulnerable infant in her arms. The lyrics of the song express the feelings of infatuation, confusion, desperation, and devotion in the midst of a love affair that is heading for disaster.
The lyricist uses vivid language and metaphors to describe the man's state of mind. He is "wild again, beguiled again, a whimpering, simpering child again," which suggests that this woman has a powerful hold over him. He is also "bewitched, bothered and bewildered," which indicates that he is hopelessly infatuated and confused by his feelings for her. He is even willing to put up with her coldness and her mocking laugh just to be close to her. However, despite all of this, he still loves her deeply and is willing to do anything to be with her.
Line by Line Meaning
She's a fool and don't I know it
I am aware that she is foolish
But a fool can have her charms
Despite her foolishness, she possesses attractive qualities
I'm in love and don't I show it
I display my love for her openly
Like a babe in arms
My love for her is innocent and pure
Love's the same old situation
Falling in love has become a common occurrence for me
Lately I've not slept a wink
I have been unable to sleep lately
Since this crazy situation
This situation, which is making me feel bewildered and confused
Has me on the blink
It is causing me to malfunction
I'm wild again, beguiled again
I am once again filled with passion and under the spell of love
A whimpering, simpering child again
I feel helpless and vulnerable like a child
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered, am I
I am under a spell of love, feeling perplexed and confused
Couldn't sleep, wouldn't sleep
I was unable and unwilling to sleep
Love came and told me, shouldn't sleep
Love reminded me that I should not sleep because of my strong desires
I lost my heart, but what of it
I have fallen in love with her, but the consequences are irrelevant to me
She is cold I agree
I acknowledge that she is emotionally distant
She might laugh, but I love it
I find her laugh endearing and charming
Although the laugh's on me
Despite my feelings, I am aware that I may be the subject of her laughter
I'll sing to her, bring spring to her
I will dedicate myself to making her feel happy and cared for
And long, for the day when I'll cling to her
I cannot wait for the opportunity to hold her closely and love her deeply
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered, am I
I am under a spell of love, feeling perplexed and confused
Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC , Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LEIF EDLING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind