What'd I Say

Ray Charles

About What'd I Say

"What'd I Say" (or "What I Say") is an American rhythm and blues song by Ray Charles, released in 1959. As a single divided into two parts, it was one of the first soul songs. The composition was improvised one evening late in 1958 when Charles, his orchestra, and backup singers had played their entire set list at a show and still had time left; the response from many audiences was so enthusiastic that Charles announced to his producer that he was going to record it. After his run of R&B hits, this song finally broke Charles into mainstream pop music and itself sparked a new subgenre of R&B titled soul, finally putting together all the elements that Charles had been creating since he recorded "I Got a Woman" in 1954. The gospel and rhumba influences combined with the sexual innuendo in the song made it not only widely popular but very controversial to both white and black audiences. It earned Ray Charles his first gold record and has been one of the most influential songs in R&B and rock and roll history. For the rest of his career, Charles closed every concert with the song. It was added to the National Recording Registry in 2002 and ranked at number 10 in Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". 


Year:
1984
327 
#4

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Hey mama, don't you treat me wrong
Come and love your daddy all night long
All right now, hey, hey, all right

See the girl with the diamond ring
She knows how to shake that thing
All right now, hey, hey, hey, hey

Tell your mama, tell your pa
I'm going to sing you back to Arkansas
Oh yes ma'am
You don't do right, don't do right

When you see me in misery, come on baby see about me
Now yeah, all right, all right
Aw play it boy

When you see me in misery, come on baby see about me
Now yeah, hey, hey, all right

See the girl with the red dress on
She can do the birdland all night long

Yeah yeah, what'd I say
All right
Well, tell me what'd I say, tell me what'd I say right now
Tell me what'd I say, tell me what'd I say right now
Tell me what'd I say, tell me what'd I say

And I wanna know
Baby I wanna know right now
And-a I wanna know
And I wanna know right now yeah
And-a I wanna know
Said I wanna know yeah

Hey, don't quit now! (c'mon honey)
Uh-uh Naw, What? What's that? I say, what's that?
One time? alright

Hey (hey) ho (ho) hey (hey) ho (ho) hey (hey) ho (ho)
Oh one more time (just one more time)
Say it one more time right now (just one more time)
Say it one more time now (just one more time)
Say it one more time yeah (just one more time)
Say it one more time (just one more time)
Say it one more time yeah (just one more time)

Hey (hey) ho (ho) hey (hey) ho (ho) hey (hey) ho (ho)
Ah! Make me feel so good (make me feel so good)
Make me feel so good now yeah (make me feel so good)
Woah! Baby (make me feel so good)
Make me feel so good yeah (make me feel so good)
Make me feel so good (make me feel so good)
Make me feel so good yeah (make me feel so good)
Huh (huh) ho (ho) huh (huh) ho (ho) huh (huh) ho (ho)
Awh it's all right (baby it's all right)
Said that it's all right right now (baby it's all right)
Said that it's all right (baby it's all right)
Said that it's all right yeah (baby it's all right)
Said that it's all right (baby it's all right)
Said that it's all right (baby it's all right)

Woah! Shake that thing now (baby shake that thing)
Baby shake that thing now now (baby shake that thing)
Baby shake that thing (baby shake that thing)
Baby shake that thing right now (baby shake that thing)
Baby shake that thing (baby shake that thing)
Baby shake that thing (baby shake that thing)
Woah! I feel all right now yeah (make me feel all right)
Said I feel all right now (make me feel all right)
Woooah! (make me feel all right)
Tell you I feel all right (make me feel all right)
Said I feel all right (make me feel all right)
Baby I feel all right (make me feel all right)

 Watch: New Singing Lesson Videos Can Make Anyone A Great Singer


Ray Charles

Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American musician known as Ray Charles (to avoid confusion with champion boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.) He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records. He also helped racially integrate country and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records, most notably with his Modern Sounds albums. While with ABC, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to be given artistic control by a mainstream record company.Frank Sinatra called Charles “the only true genius in show business.” more »

2 fans

Written by: Ray Charles

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


15 facts about this song

Release Details
"What'd I Say" was released on June 10, 1959 by Atlantic Records.
Album Information
The song is a part of the album with the same title, "What'd I Say".
Genre Classification
It is classified under genres such as Rhythm & Blues, Soul, and Blues.
Song Length
The original song is about 6 minutes and 30 seconds long, which was unusually lengthy compared to the usual 2-3 minutes songs of that time.
Improvised Creation
Ray Charles reportedly composed the song spontaneously during one of his concerts when he had some time left to fill in.
Achievement
"What'd I Say" is considered one of Charles’ greatest hits, achieving number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart.
Historical Significance
This song is considered Ray Charles's breakthrough hit, elevating him to international stardom.
Noteworthy Instrumentation
"What'd I Say" is known for its electric piano improvisation and energetic call-and-response vocal style.
Controversy
The song faced controversy due to its sexually suggestive lyrics, and some radio stations banned the song initially.
Hall of Fame
"What'd I Say" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002 for its influence as a rock and roll single.
Cultural Impact
The song was added to the National Recording Registry in 2002, acknowledging its cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance.
Uniqueness
It combined gospel, jazz, blues, and Latin music, resulting in a unique sound that played a key role in the development of soul and funk music in the 60s.
Cover Versions
"What'd I Say" has been covered numerous times by various artists across different music genres, including Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, and The Beatles.
Tribute
Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 10 in their list of 'The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time' in 2004.
Live Performances
Today, it continues to be a standard in Ray Charles' live performances and is often his closing number.

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