Etta James RIP: All I Could Do Was Cry

Etta James

Singer Etta James has passed away from leukemia at age 73. You’ll be hearing a lot of her greatest hit, “At Last,” so here let us take a moment to close our eyes and listen to the more appropriately named, “All I Could Do Was Cry.” RIP.

That is real emotion you hear in James’s vocals. Supposedly, “All I Could Do Was Cry” was inspired by her former boyfriend Harvy Fuqua dating Gwen Gordy. The song was written by Gwen Gordy and her former boyfriend, Billy Davis (and Berry Gordy). Fuqua and Gwen Gordy eventually got married, so there is genuine tension in the song from one of the broken-hearted writers and the broken-hearted singer. That is complicated, but the result is brilliant.

What is your favorite Etta James song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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  • Etta James: “Almost Persuaded” (Song of the Day)
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  • Ned Miller: The Shy Man Behind “From a Jack to a King”
  • Merle Haggard: “Kern River”
  • Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog
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    Author: chimesfreedom

    Editor-in-chief, New York.

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