In the 1950s, Johnson sang and played with blues artists Magic Sam, Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and Howlin' Wolf, before recording with Jimmy Reed for Vee-Jay in 1959. He made his solo debut that same year with Federal, a subsidiary of King Records of Cincinnati, backed by Freddie King on guitar.
He then began recording for Twinight Records of Chicago in the mid 1960s. Beginning with his first hit, Come On Sock It to Me in 1967, Johnson dominated the label as both a hitmaker and producer. His song Different Strokes, also from 1967, featured recently on the Ultimate Breaks and Beats breakbeat compilation.
Like other black songwriters of the period, several of his records at this time explored themes of African-American identity and social problems in songs including Is It Because I'm Black, which reached Number 11 in the R&B charts in 1969.
In 1971, Willie Mitchell brought Johnson to Hi Records, for whom he recorded three albums and a number of singles. Produced in Memphis with the Hi house band, these yielded music of power and enduring value, including the hits We Did It, Back for a Taste of Your Love and Take Me to the River, his biggest success, reaching Number 7 on the R&B charts in 1975. However, at Hi Johnson was always to some extent in Al Green's shadow commercially, if not artistically.
After the Hi years ended, Johnson produced two LPs for his own Shama label, the latter of which (Ms. Fine Brown Frame, 1982) was picked up for distribution by Boardwalk Records and produced Johnson's last hit record, the title cut.
Around the mid-eighies, Johnson started a fast-food fish restaurant business, and became semi-retired from performing, only making occasional appearances at blues club gigs.
In 1992, Johnson found out that his classic song "Different Strokes" have been sampled by number of rappers including Wu-Tang Clan, Hammer, and the Ghetto Boys. Stimulated by this fact, he decided to make a come back in the music business. In 1994, he released the album Back in the Game on Delmark Records. The album featured the the Hi rhythm section and his youngest daughter Syleena Johnson.
Blues guitarist and singer Jimmy Johnson, and bassist Mack Thompson, are his brothers.
Dresses Too Short
Syl Johnson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You wear your dresses too short, huh
Baby, baby, baby
You wear your dresses too short, yeah
Just because I whistle at you
You said that I'm doing you wrong
Why do you blame me, baby?
You lookin' good though, oh
You lookin' so good now, yeah
And if you sock it to me, rock it to me one more time
I can't stand it, I'm going out of my mind
I said, baby
You wear your dresses too short, huh
Baby, baby, baby, baby
You wear your dresses too short now, yeah
Look, you, here, huh
I love your sexy ways
That tight up dance you do
When you do your funky falconas
I come chasin' after you, yeah now
You lookin' good mama, yeah
You lookin' so good, alright, yeah
And if you sock it to me, rock it to me one more time
I can't stand it, I'm going out of my mind
I said, baby
I love your sexy ways
That tight up dance you do
But when you do your funky falconas
I come chasin' after you, yeah
You lookin' good mama, yeah now
You lookin' so good, yeah now
And if you sock it to me, rock it to me one more time
I can't stand it, I'm going out of my mind
I said, baby
You wear your dresses too short
You oughta put 'em down mama, woo-hoo-hoo
Put your dresses down, mama
In Syl Johnson's song "Dresses Too Short," the singer is telling a woman that she wears her dresses too short. He is also saying that just because he whistles at her does not mean he is doing anything wrong. He acknowledges that she looks good, but he cannot control his thoughts and desires when she dresses so provocatively. He loves how she moves and dances, but he cannot help but go crazy when she shows too much of her body. In the end, he urges her to put her dresses down as he cannot stand the effect they have on him.
The song is essentially a commentary on sexual repression and the double standards that exist in society. The singer is essentially telling the woman that she is responsible for the sexual thoughts and desires that he has, even though she did nothing wrong in wearing what she wants. The song also reflects the societal attitudes of the time, where women were expected to dress modestly and not show too much skin in public.
Line by Line Meaning
I said, baby
The singer is speaking directly to his partner.
You wear your dresses too short, huh
The singer thinks his partner’s dresses are too short.
Baby, baby, baby
The singer is trying to sweeten his message.
You wear your dresses too short, yeah
The artist is repeating what he has already said before.
Just because I whistle at you
The artist whistled at his partner.
You said that I'm doing you wrong
The partner blames the singer for whistling at her.
Why do you blame me, baby?
The singer is questioning why he is being blamed.
I didn't tell you to put it on
The artist didn't ask his partner to wear a short dress.
You lookin' good though, oh
The artist finds his partner’s look attractive.
You lookin' so good now, yeah
The artist again compliments his partner.
And if you sock it to me, rock it to me one more time
The singer can't handle his partner's look and actions anymore.
I can't stand it, I'm going out of my mind
The artist is getting overwhelmed by his partner's behavior.
I love your sexy ways
The singer enjoys his partner's sensuality.
That tight up dance you do
The singer likes his partner’s unique style of dancing.
When you do your funky falconas
The singer is intrigued by his partner’s particular moves.
I come chasin' after you, yeah now
The artist is immediately attracted to his partner when she dances.
You lookin' good mama, yeah
Again, the artist finds his partner attractive.
You lookin' so good, alright, yeah
The singer emphasizes how attractive he finds his partner.
You oughta put 'em down mama, woo-hoo-hoo
Finally, the singer suggests his partner cover up a little more.
Writer(s): S. Johnson, C. Smith
Contributed by Carson V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.