Willie Dixon (born July 1, 1915, Vicksburg, Miss., U.S.-died Jan. 29, 1992,… Read Full Bio ↴Willie Dixon (born July 1, 1915, Vicksburg, Miss., U.S.-died Jan. 29, 1992, Burbank, Calif.) was a U.S. musician who influenced the emergence of electric blues and rock music. In 1936 Dixon moved from his native Mississippi to Chicago, won an Illinois Golden Gloves boxing championship, and began selling his songs. He played double bass in several bands before joining Chess Records. His lively compositions, which he sold for as little as $30, included “Little Red Rooster,” “You Shook Me,” and “Back Door Man”; many were later recorded by Muddy Waters, Elvis Presley, and the Rolling Stones. Dixon toured widely throughout the U.S. and Europe.

extensive subsequent covers, include:

"29 Ways" – Marc Cohn, Willie Dixon, The Blues Band
"300 Pounds Of Joy" – Howlin' Wolf, Tom Jones & Jools Holland
"After Five Long Years" – Willie Dixon
"As Long as I Have You" – Led Zeppelin
"Back Door Man"[9] – Howlin' Wolf, The Doors, Grateful Dead, Shadows of Knight, Bob Weir
"Big Boss Man" – Jimmy Reed, Elvis Presley, The Animals, The Grateful Dead
"Bring It on Home" – Sonny Boy Williamson II, Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, Dread Zeppelin, Johnny Thunders
"Built for Comfort" – Howlin' Wolf, Canned Heat, UFO
"Crazy For My Baby" – Little Walter, Charlie Musselwhite, Willie Dixon
"Crazy Love" – Buddy Guy
"Crazy Mixed Up World" – Little Walter
"Close to You" – Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Doors
"Dead Presidents" – Little Walter, The J. Geils Band
"Diddy Wah Diddy" – Bo Diddley, Captain Beefheart, The Blues Band
"Do Me Right" – Lowell Fulson
"Do the Do" – Howlin' Wolf
"Don't Go No Farther" – Muddy Waters
"Don't Tell Me Nothin´" – Willie Dixon – used in the movie The Color of Money
"Down in the Bottom" – Howlin' Wolf, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
"Earthquake and Hurricane" – Willie Dixon
"Eternity" – Grateful Dead
"Everybody Needs Something" – Little Walter
"Everything But You" – Jimmy Witherspoon
"Everything's Got a Time" – Willie Dixon
"Evil" – Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Canned Heat, Captain Beefheart, Monster Magnet, Derek and the Dominos, Gary Moore, Cactus, The Faces, Steve Miller, Koko Taylor
"Flamin' Mamie" – Willie Dixon
"Help Me" – Sonny Boy Williamson II
"Gone Daddy Gone" - the Violent Femmes' Gordon Gano incorporated elements of "I Just Want To Make Love To You" into his track; the former was later covered by Gnarls Barkley
"Grave Digger Blues" – Willie Dixon
"Groanin' the Blues" – Willie Dixon, Eric Clapton
"Hidden Charms" – Howlin' Wolf, Link Wray
"Hoochie Coochie Man"[6] – Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Shadows of Knight, Eric Burdon, The Nashville Teens, Dion, The Allman Brothers Band, Alexis Korner, Steppenwolf, Chuck Berry, Motörhead, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Healey, Manfred Mann
"Howlin' For My Baby" – Howlin' Wolf, George Thorogood
"I Ain't Superstitious" – Howlin' Wolf, The Yardbirds, Grateful Dead, Megadeth, The Jeff Beck Group, Chris Spedding
"I Can't Quit You Baby" – Little Milton, Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Led Zeppelin, Gary Moore, Dread Zeppelin, Nine Below Zero
"I Can't Understand" – Los Lobos (co-written with Cesar Rojas)
"I Don't Make Sense (You Can't Make Peace)" – Willie Dixon
"If the Sea Was Whiskey" – Chris Thile
"I Got What It Takes" – Koko Taylor
"I Just Want To Make Love To You"[6] – Muddy Waters, The Animals, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, Shadows of Knight, Mungo Jerry, Grateful Dead, Foghat, The Rolling Stones, Etta James, Van Morrison, Paul Rodgers, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, April Wine, Robben Ford, Meat Puppets, Cold Blood
"I Love the Life I Live, I Live the Life I Love" – Muddy Waters, Willie Nelson
"I'm Ready"[6] – Muddy Waters, Humble Pie, Buddy Guy, Aerosmith, Long John Baldry, Eric Burdon, George Thorogood, Albert King
"Insane Asylum" – Koko Taylor, Kathy McDonald and Sly Stone, Diamanda Galás, Asylum Street Spankers, The Detroit Cobras, Oxbow feat. Marianne Faithful
"I Don't Play" – Robben Ford
"I Got My Brand on You" – Muddy Waters
"It Don't Make Sense (You Can't Make Peace)" – Styx
"I Want To Be Loved" – Muddy Waters, The Rolling Stones
"Let Me Love You Baby" – Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Muddy Waters, B. B. King
"Little Baby" – Howlin' Wolf, The Rolling Stones
"Little Red Rooster"[6] – Howlin' Wolf, Sam Cooke, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Luther Allison, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Big Mama Thornton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"Love, Life & Money" – Johnny Winter
"Mellow Down Easy" – Little Walter & His Jukes, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Black Crowes, Carey Bell, ZZ Top, Jimmy Reed, Holly Golightly
"Million Dollar Baby" – Dizzy Gillespie
"My Babe"[6] – Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Spencer Davis Group, John P. Hammond, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Othar Turner & The Rising Star Fire and Drum Band
"My Baby's Sweeter" – Little Walter, Fleetwood Mac
"My Captain" – Muddy Waters
"My John the Conqueror Root" – Muddy Waters
"Nervous" – Willie Dixon
"Oh Baby" – Little Walter
"One More Chance With You" – Little Walter
"Pain In My Heart" – Willie Dixon, The Rolling Stones, Otis Redding, Grateful Dead
"Pie in the Sky" – Willie Dixon
"Pretty Thing" – Bo Diddley, Pretty Things, Canned Heat
"Seventh Son" – Willie Mabon, Mose Allison, Bill Haley, Johnny Rivers, Sting, Climax Blues Band, Long John Baldry
"Same Thing" – The Band
"Sin And City" – Buddy Guy
"Shake For Me" – Stevie Ray Vaughan
"Sit and Cry (The Blues)" – Buddy Guy (co-written with Buddy Guy)
"Spoonful"[6] – Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Shadows of Knight, Dion, Paul Butterfield, Cream, Canned Heat, Grateful Dead, Ten Years After, The Who, Etta James Salty Dog
"Study War No More" – Willie Dixon
"The Same Thing" – Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, George Thorogood, The Allman Brothers Band, Sue Foley, Marc Ford, Grateful Dead
"The Seventh Son" – Willie Dixon
"Study No More" – Willie Dixon
"Third Degree" – Eddie Boyd, Willie Dixon, Eric Clapton, Leslie West
"Tollin' Bells" – Lowell Fulson, Savoy Brown Blues Band, Robert Cray
"Too Late" – Little Milton, Little Walter
"Too Many Cooks" – Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Mick Jagger
"Violent Love" – Otis Rush, The Big Three, Oingo Boingo, Dr. Feelgood
"Walkin' The Blues" – Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, John Kay
"Wang Dang Doodle"[6] – Koko Taylor, Howlin' Wolf, Grateful Dead, Savoy Brown, Box Tops, PJ Harvey, Rufus Thomas, The Pointer Sisters, The Blues Band, Widespread Panic
"Weak Brain, Narrow Mind" – Willie Dixon, Widespread Panic
"When My Left Eye Jumps" – Buddy Guy
"When The Lights Go Out" – Jimmy Witherspoon, Kim Wilson
"Who" – Little Walter
"Wigglin' Worm" – Willie Dixon
"You Can't Judge A Book By Looking At Its Cover" – Bo Diddley, Shadows of Knight, Cactus, The Yardbirds, Beat Farmers, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Tim Hardin, The Merseybeats, Elliott Murphy, Long John Baldry, The Monkees, Eric Clapton, Roy Buchanan.
"You Don't Love Me" – Booker T. & the M.G.s, Al Kooper and Stephen Stills
"You Know My Love" – Otis Rush, Gary Moore
"You'll Be Mine" – Howlin' Wolf, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dr. Feelgood
"You Need Love" – Muddy Waters, Mick Clark Band
"Whole Lotta Love" – Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" was appropriated, without credit, from Dixon's "You Need Love". Although the main guitar riff was composed by Jimmy Page himself, Robert Plant based the lyrics on Dixon's song. Dixon and his music publisher received credit and royalties, after a 1985 lawsuit was settled out of court.
"You Need Loving" recorded by The Small Faces in 1965, is another uncredited loose version of the song
"You Shook Me"[9] – Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Jeff Beck Group, Led Zeppelin, Dread Zeppelin
"Young Fashioned Ways" – Muddy Waters
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

You may also see Willie Dixon & The Allstars and Chicago Blues Allstars on Last.fm.

You Shook Me
Willie Dixon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You know you shook me, you shook me all night long
Whoa you shook me, pretty mama, you shook me all night long
Oh you just kept on shakin' me baby, oh you done messed up my happy home

You know you move me baby, just like a hurricane (Boy and that's a strong wind)
Oh, you move me, pretty mama (You know you move me)
Just like a hurricane (Didn't have a chance)
Oh-oh , you know you move me, pretty mama

Just like a earthquake move the land (Oh, she shook me all over)

Sometimes I wonder (Ooh)
What's gonna happen to my poor wife and child
Lord, sometimes I wonder (Ooh)
What's gonna happen to my poor wife and child
Now baby, you done made me love you
Lord, I just can't be satisfied

You know you shook me, you shook me all night long

Whoa you shook me, pretty mama, you shook me all night long
Oh you just kept on shakin' me baby, oh you done messed up my happy home

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Willie Dixon's song "You Shook Me" are about the intense, life-altering effect that a woman has had on the singer. The opening line of the song, "You know you shook me, you shook me all night long," establishes this theme, with the repeated refrain of "you shook me" emphasizing the emotional and physical impact that the woman has had on the singer. The second verse compares the woman's effect on the singer to that of a hurricane or earthquake, emphasizing the force and power of her influence. The singer also expresses worry about the effect that this woman will have on his family, who he is afraid will be harmed by his continued involvement with her.

The lyrics of "You Shook Me" are characterized by their vivid imagery and evocative language, which work to create a sense of drama and intensity. The repeated use of the phrase "you shook me" helps to create an almost hypnotic effect, driving home the idea of the woman's overwhelming power. The imagery of the hurricane and earthquake likewise creates a vivid and powerful mental image that helps to convey the strength of the singer's emotions. Despite the intensity of these emotions, however, the final line of the song suggests that the singer will never be truly satisfied by his relationship with the woman.

Line by Line Meaning

You know you shook me, you shook me all night long
You made me feel so alive with excitement and energy all night long

Whoa you shook me, pretty mama, you shook me all night long
Wow, you really moved me, my beautiful lady, you kept me energized all night long

Oh you just kept on shakin' me baby, oh you done messed up my happy home
You continued to excite me and now my once happy home is disturbed

You know you move me baby, just like a hurricane (Boy and that's a strong wind)
You really affect me strongly, like a destructive hurricane in its path

Oh, you move me, pretty mama (You know you move me)
You excite me with your actions, my beautiful lady

Just like a hurricane (Didn't have a chance)
I had no control over my emotions when you came into my life

Oh-oh , you know you move me, pretty mama
You are well aware of the effect you have on me, my beautiful lady

Just like a earthquake move the land (Oh, she shook me all over)
You rocked my world and caused me to feel a seismic shift in my emotions

Sometimes I wonder (Ooh)
At times, I ponder and contemplate

What's gonna happen to my poor wife and child
What will be the fate of my unfortunate wife and child

Lord, sometimes I wonder (Ooh)
Dear Lord, sometimes I ponder and contemplate

Now baby, you done made me love you
My love for you has been undeniably provoked and made to flourish

Lord, I just can't be satisfied
I am unable to find contentment or fulfillment

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Willie Dixon, J. B. Lenoir

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

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01Back Door Man6:08

02I Can't Quit You, Baby6:40

03The Seventh Son4:16

04Spoonful1:24

05I Ain't Superstitious4:02

06You Shook Me

Willie Dixon

07I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man4:31

08The Little Red Rooster

09The Same Thing4:40

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

ESTREMONIAS

2y↑3

Excellent voice and excellent song

You know you shook me, you shook me all night long
Whoa you shook me, pretty mama, you shook me all night long
Oh you just kept on shakin' me baby, oh you done messed up my happy home

You know you move me baby, just like a hurricane (Boy and that's a strong wind)
Oh, you move me, pretty mama (You know you move me)
Just like a hurricane (Didn't have a chance)
Oh-oh , you know you move me, pretty mama
Just like a earthquake move the land (Oh, she shook me all over)

Sometimes I wonder (Ooh)
What's gonna happen to my poor wife and child
Lord, sometimes I wonder (Ooh)
What's gonna happen to my poor wife and child
Now baby, you done made me love you

Lord, I just can't be satisfied
You know you shook me, you shook me all night long
Whoa you shook me, pretty mama, you shook me all night long
Oh you just kept on shakin' me baby, oh you done messed up my happy home

All comments from YouTube:

luv basses

2y↑16

The drummer here…places his snare drum hit at such the very tail end of the measure…with a relaxed yet urgent feel so perfectly mixed…that it’ll make your head explode. It’s almost into the next measure! Well, any bass player worth salt should be able to immediately recognize this. While Willie the master blues guy/bassist is wonderful, it’s the guys behind him who I tend to drift off and daydream with. I can’t help it. This recording is just a fragment of what young Brits were listening to and went crazy for. Hearing this clip here…I now know where Bonzo copped his feel for that first Zeppelin record.

Gary Delcourt

2y↑1

I’m the same. Everything just blends into a beautiful hypnotic sound….

STACEYANDDEE

2y↑2

Ray Charles was great at Syncopation. Much of the blues had this.

luv basses

@STACEYANDDEE agree fully.

Patty Neff

That Blues Harp is just so mesmerizing😙Right in the hollow of his hands🫶 🎼makes it tell a story✨ So very fine.

Matthew Clark

Most excellent ear and that rings true about john henry bonham but lord he took it so much further . Willie fixon the whole eorld should know of and celebrate him

Shelley Griffiths

3y↑9

His voice was truly amazing

Laerte Nunes

1y↑1

Muito bom lendária marca

Harry Anderson

4y↑25

Saw him in Chicago 1974! what a show!

Richard Grove

Tell more, come on. I want to hear about it. Willie Dixon live!? Damn, I envy you, not lying.

Peter Johnson

4y↑7

I would have done anything to see this man live

Jans Doe

4y↑7

Mr. Dixon is wonderful.

ESTREMONIAS

2y↑3

Dennis Vengland

3y↑19

Robert Plant had all this 50s bootleg blues build inside of him by the time he met Paige, Plant just had to spill all this pure blues he's been holding onto, and then he took off on his own.

There was no other way

sweet ness

25w

its called stealin !! and no money or credit for the true writer and born blues !!

andromeda rising

3y↑4

Brilliant brilliant song

Vocals7

2y↑6

A lot of artists covered his songs, including Jeff Beck, Cream, The Doors, Foghat and The Stones. Zeppelin just put their own spin on it like all artists do. Their mistake was trying to cheat him out of royalties.

bW9taeH4

Not necessarily. A lot of old blues musicians got as little as a few hundred dollars to record some songs for a record company where the contract also included an assignment of copyright. It's not clear whether if Led Zeppelin had given due credit (which they certainly should have done) to the actual songwriters whether the songwriters would have gotten any more money. In some cases, probably. In other cases, not at all.

murp h

Dont know about the royalties __ from a approach to this piece _ try ETTA JAMES !!!!@@

tiny b

This was actually the only song on Zeppelin's first album that was properly credited to it's author. The fact that The Jeff Beck Group had released this 8 months earlier, and credited it to Dixon, compelled Zeppelin to do the same, much to the disappointment of Page and Peter Grant.

PW

1y↑1

The Case Records cheated him out of his royalties.

alf23wlf

@Vocals7 How so? From the beginning they credited Dixon on both the LP label and the cover.

1 More Replies...

Craig McCauley

4y↑1

Cool blues!

Gary Delcourt

2y↑1

That Harmonica!….

D 1

4y↑22

Led Zeppelin was a cover band for blues they couldn't hold a fire NEXT this greatness

miamilan

3y↑20

Led Zeppelin a cover band haha sure you weren't born in the 70s

August West

3y↑28

That’s an uniformed statement. You can still call willie a champion and still bow to Zepplins interpretation which is amazing. Dissing Zeppelin is not required to love the original

britishbanger

3y↑4

robert plant was a big fan of the blues growing up in england he just did a tribute to this song

An Uncolonized Mind

True so!

Xavier Wilks

@britishbanger they STOLE!!

14 More Replies...

Lenny Maidana

3y↑17

Wow I heard it before on Led Zeppelin first album

sweet ness

3y↑3

crooked led zepplin !!!

valvenator

2y↑6

@sweet ness Willie was given credit and monetary compensation for his songs right from the start. If Zeppelin did anything it was make him a richer more famous man.

PSYCHO-THERAPY

@valvenator First heard the Zeppelin version on KMET. Hence, checking out Willie Dixon four decades later.

valvenator

2y↑2

@PSYCHO-THERAPY Give Chester Burnet better known as Howlin' Wolf (I hope I spelled those right) a listen if you haven't yet. Another great blues legend that many bands covered. He covered a number of Dixon's song and even had him in his band, but also wrote a few good tunes of his own. I read somewhere that his wife shot him 'cause she found a pair of ladies undies on his tour bus. Turned out Willie was the culprit that was responsible. Don't know how true that was but makes for a good story.

Chris Drummond

4y↑4

No Willie Dixon no Led Zeppelin. Unfortunately with the right lawyer anyone can do almost anything they want with intellectual royalties.

Julian Pike

4y↑4

Are you gonna blame led zeppelin for using their blues influence for their great music? Lol

MICKLUVR

4y↑10

@Julian Pike Only if they don't credit these songs instead of claiming that it was an original.

miamilan

3y↑3

you weren't born in the 70s

Chris Drummond

3y↑1

@miamilan Yes I was.

Christian __

3y↑3

@MICKLUVR Zep did credit this to Willie as well as I Can't Quit You Baby. Check out the album.

12 More Replies...

Frank Nemeth

4y↑6

Real Blues

Wan ker

4y↑2

Cool !

Ernt

2y↑1

zeppelin covered this song ...originally sung /written by willie dicon

Kelly Van de Sype

4y↑3

Just watched him and George Thorogood Awesome

Ejs Garage Journal

4y↑25

Led Zeppelin took this and shoved it into overdrive.

Carsten

3y↑5

yes i just wish Willie Dixon would get the credit he deserves

666 999

3y↑3

British they have stole this music from usa !!! Hi from greece..

Jorge Aguilar

3y↑2

@Carsten they do credit him, just look at the description of the song on youtube.

Blackeer

Led Zeppelin did it better

RaveyDavey

2y↑2

@666 999 doing cover versions isn’t stealing

6 More Replies...

craig mccann

3y↑2

I prefer this. Like Otis Rush 👍

Wayne Moore

Alot of rock bands copied Mr Willie Dixon if you look on led zepplins lp it says written by WD

sweet ness

25w

yeah after the court case and really just WD ??????? now come on !!!!!!!!!!!! crooks !

Matthew Clark

I wish everyone that ever listened to all the rock bands that made it on this and other woillie dixon songs like zeppelin and jeff beck etc could or woulda heard the master doing his tunes first

detroit1701

Did Led Zeppelin steal this, perfect it or both?

Richard Butler

Reinterpreted it, I would say.

ktw70

Stole it.

BloozeDaddy

No... Dixon was credited on the first album. Actually Jeff Beck put a version on his album a year before ZEP covered it. The ZEP version is much cooler. ZEP did steal some songs without crediting (Dazed And Confused) but this isn't one. Dixon did later sue them for lifting other songs/lyrics and settled out of court.

UhuruSasa85

37w

@Richard Butler They've stole about two dozen songs from various artists, in some cases word for word, with zero credit or royalties given to the original artists.

sweet ness

25w

stole and copied not perfected !!!

Daremo Sensanome

2y↑2

Instead of be dussing silly things about the wonderful music, try to know who add the verses in LZ version that said "I have a bird that whistles, I have a bid that sing.
Put anything in the proper place this a a great blue ... LZ and Jeff Beck add fantasy in the guitars,
And made this simple song be known over the world
Don't weaste tine discussing music and comparing artists...
JUST ENJOY IT!!! that's wiser!!

Eileen Castillo🐞

Thank you, for saying that! 😊✌💙
As if the first thing that young musicians learn to play is NOT going to be the music of their favorite artists who inspired them in the first place.

Jesuisartiste

2y↑2

Yes Page’s guitar work is all his own in LZ version it’s superb. Also, JPJ organ is completely different and quite fantastic. Plant changes much of the lyrics too so It’s a covered song but when people say Zeppelin stole it I scratch my head.

sweet ness

3y↑3

its horrible how led zepplin took many of willies songs and became famous from the covers and said they were thiers !! crooks hell ! i used to like zepplin till i realized the crookedness they developed and went to court hell pathetic to put the great willie to court !!! led i sold all your records and rather have willies !!!

Brett Mahoney

2y↑4

You're completely wrong, they never claimed they were originals. Every rock band of the late 60s covered willie Dixon songs on their first album. Off the top of my head: the doors, cream, rolling stones, ten years after, jeff beck.