At last, my love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song
Ooh yeah, yeah
At last, the skies above are blue
My heart was wrapped up in clover
The night I looked at you
I found a dream, that I could speak to
A dream that I can call my own
I found a thrill to rest my cheek to
A thrill that I have never known
Ohh yeah yeah
You smile
You smile
Oh and then the spell was cast
And here we are in heaven
For you are mine
At last
About Etta James
An American rhythm-and-blues entertainer who later became a successful ballad singer, Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938 in Los Angeles, California.
James was raised by foster parents until her mother (who was 14 when James was born) took her 12-year-old daughter to San Francisco. When James was 14, he formed a girl doo-wop group called the Creolettes, which was renamed the Peaches after bandleader Johnny Otis discovered them. In 1954, the group’s song “Roll with Me Henry” (cowritten by James and set to Hank Ballard and the Midnighters’ suggestive “Work with Me, Annie”) became a hit immediately, but because of its perceived sexual connotation, it was retitled “The Wallflower”; for Georgia Gibbs’ 1955 rendition, which went to number one on the charts, the lyrics and title were changed to “Dance with Me, Henry.” She became Chess Records’ first major female star in 1960 after signing with Chess Records with songs like “All I Could Do Was Cry,” “Trust in Me,” “At Last,” and “Something’s Got a Hold on Me.” In 1967, she hit the charts again with the searing soul song “Tell Mama.” In 1976, James left Chess Records and began recording for other labels. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she opened for the Rolling Stones.
James’s up-and-down career was largely caused by a heroin addiction that began in the 1960s, and as she kicked the habit in the 1970s, she turned to cocaine. In 1988, she recorded Seven Year Itch, followed by Stickin’ to My Guns (1990), 12 Songs of Christmas (1998), Let’s Roll (2003), and The Dreamer (2011). She became one of the first women to sing in the soul style as her voice grew rougher and deeper as she grew older. Throughout the early 21st century, she performed.
In addition to four Grammy Awards, including one in 2003 for lifetime achievement, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1993), the Blues Hall of Fame (2001), and the Grammy Hall of Fame (1999 and 2008). In 1995, she co-wrote a memoir with David Ritz called Rage to Survive.
