What'd I Say (song)
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| “What'd I Say” | |||||
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| Single by Ray Charles from the album What'd I Say |
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| B-side | What'd I Say, Pt. 2 | ||||
| Released | July 13, 1959 | ||||
| Format | 7" single | ||||
| Recorded | February 18, 1959 | ||||
| Genre | Soul | ||||
| Length | 6:30 | ||||
| Label | Atlantic | ||||
| Writer(s) | Ray Charles | ||||
| Producer | Jerry Wexler | ||||
| Ray Charles singles chronology | |||||
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"What'd I Say" or "What I Say" is a two-part recording that was released in 1959 by R&B/soul singer-songwriter Ray Charles. It was ranked at #10 of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone.
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[edit] Background
According to Charles, while performing at a Milwaukee nightclub, he had performed the last song of his set, "Night Time Is the Right Time", when he was informed that there was another twelve minutes left in the show. Charles decided to fill the time by performing an impromptu version of the song that would eventually be recorded as What'd I Say. Charles told his backing band and female background singers, the Raelettes, to "just follow me". The song began on a Latin influenced drum beat and keyboard riff before Charles improvised his own lyrics to it.
As the band became more comfortable with the piece, Charles and the Raelettes started an impromptu call and response vocalization. Charles later said that the call and response section was "all about the sounds of making love".
Although the song is usually listed as "What'd I Say", Charles always insisted that the name of the song is "What I Say" as heard on the track.
[edit] Recording
Executives at Charles' record label, Atlantic Records, expressed concerns that the song was "too risqué" and "too long". Radio station WAOK in Atlanta had recorded the tune as part of the live album Ray Charles in Person and placed their hot exclusive in heavy rotation. It became a hit.
Atlantic was convinced. To remedy the problem of length, in-house studio engineer Tom Dowd split the song into two parts. With Atlantic's backing, the new studio recording of "What'd I Say" was released as a single in the spring of 1959 and soon rose to the top of the charts. The song would peak at #1 on Billboard's R&B singles chart and #6 on the popular charts.
[edit] Covers
Artists that covered What'd I Say include:
- Bobby Darin
- Jimmy Smith
- Clifton Chenier
- John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton on Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton
- Johnny Cash and June Carter
- Etta James
- Jerry Lee Lewis
- Graham Bond
- Lyle Lovett
- Freddie King
- Elvis Presley (for the movie Viva Las Vegas)
- Tony Sheridan and The Beatles
- Bill Haley & His Comets
- Rare Earth
- Cliff Richard
- Rigo Tovar
- Roy Orbison and Medeski, Martin & Wood
- Jimi Hendrix
- Hound Dog Taylor
John Belushi also performed the song in character as Beethoven (but in the style of Ray Charles) in a season 1 episode of Saturday Night Live.
[edit] Aftermath
"What'd I Say" was ranked tenth on Rolling Stone's List of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2000, it ranked #43 on VH1's 100 Greatest Song in Rock and Roll and #96 on VH1's 100 Greatest Dance Songs in Rock and Roll with it being the oldest song in the latter ranking. The song has been featured as one of 500 songs that shaped rock & roll according to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and for its historical, artistic and cultural significance was added by the Library of Congress to the US National Recording Registry in 2002.
