“At Last” by Etta James: MusicNotes-EdMullen

Etta James : Born in Los Angeles CA. (b.Jan 1938- d.2012, at age 73)
“At Last” by Etta James :
-Peak Top 40 Billboard Chart Position: # 47 in 1961
-Peak Billboard R+B Position: # 2 in 1961

-Etta James. 4-time Grammy winner.
-Inducted into 3 Halls Of Fame; Blues (Foundation), Grammy & Rock ‘n’ Roll.
-“CADILLAC RECORDS” (2008), the Etta James bio-pic, starring Beyonce Knowles.
-The hit song by Flo Rida, “Good Feeling” uses the beginning of Etta James’ “Something’s Got A Hold On Me” (1962). “Sometimes, I get a good feeling… that i never never never….
Her gospel “call and response” introduction is a R&B classic.
Flo Rida’s real name is Tramar Dillard from Florida (see his stage name spells…)

AT LAST …
-Glenn Miller “1938-1942, The Popular Recordings” 3-CD set
(1989). Recommended.
-Ray Anthony (1952)
-Nat King Cole (1956)
-Around 1990, “At Last” becomes one of the most requested wedding songs of all-time. Disc Jockey Mr. Ed Mullen.
-Phoebe Snow. See CD: “New York Rock and Soul Revue” (1991).
Comprised of Donald Fagan (of Steely Dan) w/ Boz Scaggs /
Michael McDonald. It is a rocking live CD. Recommended.
-Eva Cassidy (2000) Time After Time. Recommended.
-Cyndi Lauper, Kenny G, Lou Rawls, etc. Stevie Nicks ’98 AT+T CD

-On January 20th, 2009 Beyonce Knowles sings “At Last” at
President Obama’s Inaugural Ball.
-“At Last” recently heard on Jaguar commercials (c.2002)
-In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Etta James # 62 on their
list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time

-Movies where “At Last” appears (recently).
“Rain Man” (1988),
“How to Make An American Quilt” (1995),
“Father Of The Bride II” (1995),
“Pleasantville” (1998),
“American Pie” (1999)
“It Had To Be You” (2000),
“Reindeer Games” (2000),
“See Spot Run” (2001),
“The Tuxedo” (2002),
“Phat Girlz” (2006),
“Little Manhattan” (2006),
“My Best Friend’s Girl” (2008).
Many TV shows, too.

Written by : Harry Warren and Mack Gordon
Harry Warren wrote hundreds of popular songs and show tunes, including three for which he received Oscars: “Lullaby of Broadway,” “On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe,” and “You’ll Never Know,” which was also his biggest seller in sheet music. Other well-known tunes penned by Warren include “I Only Have Eyes for You” (1934), “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby” (1938), “Chattanooga Choo Choo” (1941), “That’s Amore,” His last chart hit came in 1957, “An Affair to Remember”.

Lyrics:

At Last, My Love Has Come Along
My Lonely Days Are Over, And Life Is Like A Song
Oh 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 Press My Cheek To, A Thrill That I Have Never Known
Oh Yeah . You Smiled, You Smiled, And Then The Spell Was Cast
And Here We Are In Heaven, For You Are Mine, At Last

Music Notes by DJ Mr Ed Mullen (2009)

www.cnn.com (Etta james obituary Jan20, 2012) http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/20/showbiz/etta-james-obit/index.html?npt=NP1

3 replies
  1. DJ Mr Ed
    DJ Mr Ed says:

    Why would Etta James be miffed at Beyonce singing at the Presidential Inauguration? New bio-pic movie about her life starring that same gorgeous classy “Destiny’s Child” star. Seems like Etta would be happy with these recent events. Do you think that Beyonce is “currently” the class of the music world?

  2. Willa
    Willa says:

    I don’t think Etta James should be mad. It was her song that Beyonce was singing, which gave her song more publicity. I think that Beyonce is one of the most popular, respected artists in the music industry right now, but I don’t know whether she is at the very top.

  3. Melissa
    Melissa says:

    Also, Etta James should not be mad because Beyonce brought her song back. This generation may not be familiar with the song “At Last” so this is good publicity for it. I don’t see why that is so bad.

Comments are closed.