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.
I'll Never Fall in Love Again
Ruth Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A guy with a pin to burst your bubble
That's what you get for all your trouble
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
What do you get when you kiss a guy?
You get enough germs to catch pneumonia
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
Don't tell me what it's all about
'Cause I've been there and I'm glad I'm out
Out of those chains, those chains that bind you
That is why I'm here to remind you
What do you get when you fall in love?
You only get lies and pain and sorrow
So for at least until tomorrow
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
Don't tell me what it's all about
'Cause I've been there and I'm glad I'm out
Out of the chains, the chains that bind you
That is why I'm here to remind you
What do you get when you give your heart
You get it all broken up and battered
That's what you get, a heart that's shattered
I'll never fall in love again
I'll never fall in love again
The lyrics of Ruth Brown's song "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" convey a sense of disillusionment with love and relationships. The singer is jaded due to past experiences, warning others of the potential heartbreak and negative consequences of falling in love. The repetitive refrain "I'll never fall in love again" emphasizes the singer's conviction and determination to avoid being hurt further.
The first verse describes the disappointment that follows falling in love, comparing it to a bubble that is burst by a "guy with a pin." This imagery suggests that the initial excitement and hope of love is fragile and easily destroyed. The second verse warns of the danger of physical intimacy, using hyperbolic language to suggest that kissing can lead to illness and emotional abandonment. The singer seems to have experienced rejection and neglect as a result of being vulnerable with another person.
The final verse reflects on the aftermath of a broken heart, emphasizing the pain and damage that can result from giving oneself fully to another person. The repeated line "I'll never fall in love again" becomes a mantra or a shield against future heartache. The singer recognizes that love can be a trap, chaining people to one another and causing them to lose themselves in the process.
Overall, Ruth Brown's song "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" presents a cynical view of love and relationships, warning listeners of the potential risks and consequences of being vulnerable with another person.
Line by Line Meaning
What do you get when you fall in love?
The consequences of falling in love are often painful and disillusioning.
A guy with a pin to burst your bubble
You put your heart on the line and risk getting hurt by someone who does not feel the same way.
That's what you get for all your trouble
The effort and commitment required to love someone do not always result in a happy ending.
I'll never fall in love again
The disappointment and heartbreak of past relationships have made the singer vow to never fall in love again.
What do you get when you kiss a guy?
Physical intimacy often leads to emotional attachment and the risk of rejection.
You get enough germs to catch pneumonia
Kissing someone can expose you to physical and emotional risks.
After you do, he'll never phone ya
The physical act of kissing does not guarantee a future relationship or commitment.
I'll never fall in love again
The singer has decided that the pain and uncertainty of relationships are not worth the potential rewards.
Don't tell me what it's all about
The singer has already experienced the ups and downs of love and does not need anyone to explain it to her.
'Cause I've been there and I'm glad I'm out
The singer has moved on from past relationships and is happy to be free from the emotional turmoil that comes with them.
Out of those chains, those chains that bind you
The singer feels that relationships can be restrictive and limiting.
That is why I'm here to remind you
The singer wants to caution others against the potential hazards of love and relationships.
You only get lies and pain and sorrow
Love often involves deception, emotional pain, and sadness.
So for at least until tomorrow
The singer is not willing to take the risk of falling in love again, at least not for the foreseeable future.
What do you get when you give your heart
Opening oneself up emotionally is not always rewarded with love and commitment.
You get it all broken up and battered
Giving one's heart can lead to heartbreak and emotional devastation.
That's what you get, a heart that's shattered
The consequences of falling in love can be emotionally devastating and result in a broken heart.
I'll never fall in love again
The pain and heartbreak of past relationships have left the singer with a permanent aversion to falling in love again.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: HAL DAVID, BURT BACHARACH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind