Slim Harpo (11 January 1924 – 31 January 1970) was a blues musician.
Read Full Bio ↴Slim Harpo (11 January 1924 – 31 January 1970) was a blues musician.

Born James Moore in Lobdel, Louisiana, the eldest in an orphaned family, Moore worked as a longshoreman and building worker during the late 1930s and early 1940s. One of the foremost proponents of post-war rural blues, he began performing in Baton Rouge bars under the name Harmonica Slim. He later accompanied Lightning Slim, his brother-in-law, both live and in the studio, before commencing his own recording career in 1957.

Named Slim Harpo by producer Jay Miller, the artist's solo debut coupled "I'm A King Bee" with "I Got Love If You Want It". Influenced by Jimmy Reed, he began recording for Excello and enjoyed a string of popular R&B singles which combined a drawling vocal with incisive harmonica passages. Among them were "Rainin' In My Heart" (1961), "I Love The Life I Live", "Buzzin'" (instrumental) and "Little Queen Bee" (1964). On these hits he was accompanied by understated electric backing from the regular stable of Excello musicians — including Lazy Lester, whom Harpo influenced.

The singer was known as one of the masters of the blues harmonica; the name "Slim Harpo" was a humorous takeoff on "slim harp," the popular nickname for the harmonica in blues circles.

Harpo was the point man of the 1950s Louisiana Swamp/Blues movement. Harpo, along with Lightning Slim, Lazy Lester, Lonesome Sundown, and a dozen other downhome artists recorded for A&R man J.D. Miller in Crowley, Louisiana. The records were then issued on the Excello label, based in Nashville.

Harpo's relaxed, almost lazy, performances set the tone for his subsequent work. His warm, languid voice enhanced the sexual metaphor of "I'm A King Bee", which was later recorded by the Rolling Stones. The same group also covered the pulsating "Shake Your Hips", which Harpo first issued in 1966, while the Pretty Things, the Yardbirds and Them featured versions of his songs in their early repertoires. Later, the riff from Harpo's hit "Shake Your Hips" was used in the ZZ Top hit "La Grange," and the Rolling Stones covered the song on their 1972 album, Exile On Main Street. Harpo enjoyed a notable US Top 20 pop hit in 1966 with "Baby Scratch My Back" (also a number 1 R&B hit), which revitalized his career.

Never a full-time musician, Harpo had his own trucking business during the 1960s, although he was a popular figure in the late 1960s blues revival, with appearances at several renowned venues including the Electric Circus and the Fillmore East. He died unexpectedly of a heart attack on 31 January 1970 at the age of 46, and was buried in Mulatto Bend Cemetery in Port Allen, Louisiana.

Wonderin' And Worryin'
Slim Harpo Lyrics

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Wonderin' and worryin'
Will, my baby change her mind?
Wonderin' and worryin'
Will, my baby change her mind?
I can't make you love me, baby
Don't know why I keep on tryin'

I love you, baby

Darlin', you jest don't understand
I love you, baby
Darlin', you jest don't understand
I'm in hope someday, darlin'
How both can't be your lovin' ma

One thing, baby
I want you to understand
One thing, baby
I want you to understand

When you mistreated me, baby
You misused yo' best man

Overall Meaning

In Slim Harpo's song Wonderin' and Worryin', the singer expresses his deep concern about his baby's love for him. He is worried about the possibility of her changing her mind about him. He questions if she will abandon him and leave him to wonder and worry. He expresses his love for her and admits that he does not have control over her love for him. He laments the fact that he has tried his best to make her love him but failed. In the end, he wants her to know that despite her mistreatment of him, he remains her best man.

Line by Line Meaning

Wonderin' and worryin'
Feeling anxious and unsure

Will, my baby change her mind?
Questioning if my partner will change their feelings towards me

I can't make you love me, baby
Realizing that I cannot control someone else's emotions or feelings towards me

Don't know why I keep on tryin'
Feeling hopeless about my efforts to win my partner's affection

I love you, baby
Expressing my love for my partner

Darlin', you jest don't understand
Feeling like my partner doesn't fully comprehend or appreciate my love for them

I'm in hope someday, darlin'
Hoping that one day my partner will reciprocate my love

How both can't be your lovin' ma
Confused and questioning how my partner can't love, or at least care for, both of us

One thing, baby
A statement of importance or clarity in what I am about to express

I want you to understand
Emphasizing the importance of my partner comprehending what I am about to say

When you mistreated me, baby
Reflecting on a past incident where my partner mistreated me