Born in Los Angeles, California on 15th March 1947, Cooder first attracted attention in the 1960s, playing with Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band, after having worked with Taj Mahal in The Rising Sons.
He was a session guitarist on various recording sessions with the Rolling Stones in 1968 and 1969; Cooder's contributions most notably appear on the Stones' Beggars Banquet where he shares a prominent credit with pianist, Nicky Hopkins on the back cover. He continued to appear on the succeeding albums, Let It Bleed, and Sticky Fingers, on which he contributed the haunting slide guitar solo to "Sister Morphine". Cooder is reputed to have taught Keith Richards to play in open-G tuning, now a Richards hallmark, as well as to have written the open-G signature riff of "Honky Tonk Women". He was briefly considered to fill the departed Brian Jones' place in the Rolling Stones, but reportedly Cooder and Keith Richards did not get along very well. For some time after the sessions, Cooder accused Keith Richards of "ripping him off" musically, but now refuses to talk about his experiences with the Stones. Cooder played slide guitar for the 1970 film Performance, which contained Mick Jagger's first solo single, "Memo from Turner" on which Cooder played guitar.
Throughout the 1970s Cooder released a series of Warner Brothers albums that showcased his guitar work, to some degree. In this respect, Cooder's guitar work on these records is not unlike the guitar playing of Robbie Robertson on the Band's albums: Both virtuosos emphasized song over solo. Cooder's 1970s albums spotlight, more than anything, a wide-ranging taste in music. Cooder has been seen as almost a musicologist, exploring bygone musical genres with personalized and sensitive, updated reworkings of revered originals. Cooder's 1970s albums (with the exception of Jazz) cannot be neatly pigeonholed by genre, But - to generalise broadly - it might be fair to call Cooder's first album blues; Into the Purple Valley, Boomer's Story, and Paradise and Lunch, folk + blues; Chicken Skin Music and Showtime, a unique melange of Tex-Mex and Hawaiian; Jazz, 1920s jazz; Bop till You Drop 1950s R&B and blues; and Borderline an eclectic mix of Tex-Mex with blues, R&B, and country and Get Rhythm, with more rock-based excursions.
Cooder has worked as a studio musician and has also scored many film soundtracks, of which perhaps the best known is that for the 1984 Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas. Ry Cooder based this soundtrack, and the haunting title song "Paris, Texas" on Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)", which he described as "The most soulful, transcendent piece in all music from the US." His other film work includes Walter Hill's The Long Riders (1980) and Southern Comfort (1981).
In recent years, Cooder has played a role in the increased appreciation of traditional Cuban music, due to his collaboration as producer in the Buena Vista Social Club (1997) recording, which was a worldwide hit. Wim Wenders directed a documentary film of the musicians involved, Buena Vista Social Club (1999) which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000. Cooder worked with Tuvan throat singers for the score to the 1993 film Geronimo: An American Legend.
Cooder's solo work has been an eclectic mix, taking in dust bowl folk, blues, Tex-Mex, soul, gospel, rock, and almost everything else. He has collaborated with many important musicians, including the Rolling Stones, Little Feat, the Chieftains, John Lee Hooker, Gabby Pahinui, and Ali Farka Toure. He formed the Little Village supergroup with Nick Lowe, John Hiatt, and Jim Keltner.
Cooder's 1979 album Bop till You Drop was the first popular music album to be recorded digitally. It yielded his biggest hit, a disco/R&B cover of Elvis Presley's 1960s recording "Little Sister".
Somebody's Callin' My Name
Ry Cooder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You better Hush, hush, hush, hush
somebody's calling my name
hush somebody's calling my name
Hush, hush, hush, hush
somebody's calling my name
what shall I do
what shall I do
Than you can call for you mother
but your mother can't do you no good,
call on your mother,
your mother can't do you no good
call for your mother,
your mother can't do you no good,
crying oh my Lord, oh my Lord
what shall I do
what shall I do
The song "Somebody's Callin' My Name" by Ry Cooder is a spiritual hymn that expresses the longing for divine intervention and guidance. The lyrics depict the urgent and unsettling feeling of being called by a higher power or a spiritual force, and the uncertainty and fear that come with the call. The repetition of the phrase "hush, hush, hush" creates a sense of secrecy and mystery, as if the call is meant to be heard only by the listener.
The first verse of the song sets the tone by stating that someone is calling the singer's name, creating a sense of urgency and setting the scene for the rest of the song. The second verse introduces the singer's dilemma - they don't know what to do in response to the call. The use of the phrase "oh my Lord" suggests that the call is coming from a divine source, and the singer is seeking guidance from a higher power.
The third verse references the traditional African American spiritual practice of calling on one's mother, which was often a reference to the Virgin Mary or another female saint. However, the verse also suggests that calling on one's mother is futile in this situation, further emphasizing the singer's feeling of helplessness.
Overall, the lyrics of "Somebody's Callin' My Name" convey a sense of spiritual yearning and uncertainty, and suggest that the singer is seeking guidance and comfort from a higher power.
Line by Line Meaning
You better Hush, hush, hush, hush
Be quiet and listen carefully
somebody's calling my name
I can hear someone calling me
hush somebody's calling my name
Be quiet, someone is calling my name
Hush, hush, hush, hush
Keep quiet and listen
somebody's calling my name
I can hear someone calling me
crying oh my Lord, oh my Lord
The person calling for me is crying out to God
what shall I do
They don't know what to do
Than you can call for you mother
You could try calling for your mother
but your mother can't do you no good,
But she won't be able to help you
call on your mother,
You should call for your mother
your mother can't do you no good
But she won't be able to help you
call for your mother,
You should try calling for your mother
your mother can't do you no good,
But she won't be able to help you
crying oh my Lord, oh my Lord
The person calling for me is crying out to God
what shall I do
They are still unsure what to do
Contributed by Amelia A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.