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.
Looking Back
Ruth Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can see where I caused you strife
And I know, yes, I know
I'd never make that same mistake again
Looking back over my deeds
I can see signs a wise man heeds
And if I just had a chance
Once my cup was overflowing
But I gave nothing in return
Now I can't begin to tell you
What a lesson I have learned
Looking back over the slate
I can see love turned to hate
And I know, yes, I know
That I'd never make that same mistake again
Looking back over the slate
I can see love turned to hate
And if I just had a chance
I know, I'd never make that same mistake again
I'd never make that same mistake again
I'd never make that same mistake again
Oh, I'd never make that same mistake again
Ruth Brown's song "Looking Back" is a reflective song about the mistakes and regrets of a person in their past romantic relationship. The song opens by saying that when the singer looks back over their life, they can see where they caused their partner strife, and they acknowledge that they would never make that same mistake again. The singer then reflects on their deeds and how they can see the signs of wisdom that they wish they had heeded. They express a desire for another chance and promise not to repeat the same mistakes.
The song takes a turn when the singer says that their cup was overflowing, but they gave nothing in return. This line suggests that the singer took advantage of their partner and their relationship. However, the singer now admits that they have learned a valuable lesson and reflect on how the love they once had has turned into hate due to their behavior. The song concludes with the singer repeating their promise that they would never repeat the same mistake again.
Overall, Ruth Brown's "Looking Back" is a cautionary tale about the importance of reflecting on one's past mistakes to avoid making the same ones again. The repeated line, "I'd never make that same mistake again," emphasizes the singer's desire to learn from their past mistakes and become a better partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Looking back over my life
Reflecting on my past experiences
I can see where I caused you strife
I can see how my actions caused you trouble
And I know, yes, I know
I am fully aware
I'd never make that same mistake again
I wouldn't make that mistake again
Looking back over my deeds
Reflecting on my past actions
I can see signs a wise man heeds
I can see signs that a wise person would take heed of
And if I just had a chance
If I were given the opportunity
I know, I'd never make that same mistake again
I wouldn't repeat the same mistake
Once my cup was overflowing
There was a time when I had more than enough
But I gave nothing in return
But I didn't reciprocate or give back
Now I can't begin to tell you
Now I can't even express how much I have learned
What a lesson I have learned
I have learned a valuable lesson
Looking back over the slate
Reflecting on my past relationships/mistakes
I can see love turned to hate
I can see how love turned into hatred
And I know, yes, I know
I am fully aware
That I'd never make that same mistake again
I wouldn't make the same mistake
Looking back over the slate
Reflecting on my past relationships/mistakes
I can see love turned to hate
I can see how love turned into hatred
And if I just had a chance
If I were given the opportunity
I know, I'd never make that same mistake again
I wouldn't repeat the same mistake
I'd never make that same mistake again
I wouldn't repeat the same mistake
I'd never make that same mistake again
I wouldn't repeat the same mistake
Oh, I'd never make that same mistake again
I definitely wouldn't repeat the same mistake
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DELANEY BRAMLETT, TONY JOE WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind