In honor of the late, great Etta James, who passed away this morning at the age of 73, here’s her very first hit single and a big favorite of mine, “The Wallflower,” a.k.a. “Roll with Me, Henry,” a.k.a. “Dance with Me, Henry,” from the year 1955:
Not much of a video, I know — although I personally enjoy watching obsolete media technology do its thing — but I couldn’t find any actual clips of James performing the song, and this at least gives you the authentic sound of a nearly 60-year-old recording. The sharp-eared movie aficionado may know this song from Back to the Future — it’s playing in the cafe after Marty decks Biff and runs out with the meatheads in hot pursuit, launching the “skateboard chase” scene. — and it was on the soundtrack album from that flick that I first heard it. So why do I love this song? Well, the Back to the Future connection doesn’t hurt — it’s one of my favorite films, and I listened to that soundtrack a lot back in the day — but mostly it’s just a catchy tune that makes me happy when I hear it, simple as that. Curiously enough, the co-writer and producer of this tune, Johnny Otis, who is often credited with discovering Etta, passed away himself just a few days ago. (He’s probably best known for his own recording of “Willie and the Hand Jive“).
Etta James is most often associated with the song “At Last,” which has become a standard at weddings and was so memorably significant at President Obama’s inaugural ball, and for that record’s sound, she is often thought of as a jazz singer. But she was far more than that. In her time, she performed pop standards, traditional blues, ’60s soul, and even a cover of Guns ‘n’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” on her final album. It is her work from the ’50s and ’60s that I enjoy most, though. Like so much from that era, it’s just plain good music. As I said, it makes me happy for no reason… and need we ask anything more of our music?
Oh, in case you’re wondering why tonight’s selection has three different titles, it’s because the song’s original name, “Roll with Me, Henry,” was considered a little racy by the standards of 1955, so it was changed to “The Wallflower.” (Interestingly, the lyrics remained intact, probably because they very obviously refer to dancing and not the innuendo that many would assume, but the title was the important thing for preventing radio executives from tossing the demo before they listened to it). In a later cover version by Georgia Gibbs, both the chorus and the title were switched for the less controversial “Dance with Me, Henry.” Those were very different times, to put it mildly.
