Baby What You Want Me to Do

Baby What You Want Me to Do
Jimmy Reed
publication	1959
Genre (s)	blues
Author (s)	Jimmy Reed
Award (s)	Blues Hall of Fame Category: n "Classics of Blues Recordings"
Cover versions
1964	Etta James
1968	Elvis Presley

Baby What You Want Me to Do (sometimes " You Got Me Running " or " You Got Me Runnin ' ") is a blues song that is played or has been recorded by countless blues singers. It's probably the most covered blues song of all time. The song was written by Jimmy Reed in 1959 and recorded for Vee-Jay Records. On the back of the single is the song "Caress Me, Baby".

General

The lyrics, melody and chords are so simple that anyone who tries to play and sing the blues will get stuck on this number. The song is a 12 bar medium tempo blues. An interesting aspect of the song is that Jimmy Reed never used the phrase "baby what you want me to do" in the original recording, but rather something that sounds like "baby why ya wanna leggo". Many cover versions, however, use this expression, for example that of Elvis Presley. The song is written by Jimmy Reed, as stated on the album cover, but a source states that, as with many other Jimmy Reed songs, his wife is said to have written the song.

In the Billboard Rhythm and Blues Charts, the song reached the top spot at 10th and in the Billboard Hot 100, the pop charts, 37th place.

In 2004 the song was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, the reason being that the song had reached the hearts of listeners for years.

occupation

• Jimmy Reed, Eddie Taylor , Lefty Bates (guitar)
• Marcus Johnson (bass)
• Earl Phillips (drums)
• "Mama" Reed (background vocals)

Cover versions (selection)

The Everly Brothers 1960 Etta James 1964 The Righteous Brothers 1964 Johnny Rivers 1964 Brian Hyland 1964 Billy Fury 1964 The Chambers Brothers 1965 Little Richard 1966 The Shadows of Knight (titled Peepin 'and Hidin') Arthur Conley 1967 Erma Franklin 1967 Elvis Presley 1968 Ike and Tina Turner 1969 Brainbox 1969 Little Sonny 1970 Wishbone Ash 1973 Luther Johnson 1973 The Persuasions Medley: A) Baby, What You Want Me to Do B) Bright Lights, Big City 1973 Chuck Berry 1975 John Cale 1975 Otis Rush 1977 (titled You Got Me Runnin ') John Mayall 1981 Guido Toffoletti 1981 Lucky Peterson 1984

Grateful Dead in the mid 1980s Moe Tucker 1987 Big Fat Mama 1990 The Holmes Brothers 1990 Rising Sons featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder 1992 Tom Jones and Joe Cocker on The Right Time music show in 1992 Elkie Brooks 1994 Christian Willisohn , Rick Hollander & Rocky Knauer 1996 Neil Young & Crazy Horse 1996 Doug Quattlebaum 1997 The Jubirt Sisters 2000 Norbert Detaeye 2001 Doyle Bramhall February 25, 2003 Elliott Murphy with Olivier Durand 2005 Dion 2005 Omar Kent Dykes and Jimmie Vaughan 2007 Bon Jovi Van Morrison Mick Hucknall 2012 Stray cats

Web links

• Lyrics

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} All Music Guide Song review by Cub Coda
2. ↑ ^{a b} Secondhandsongs - 39 cover versions
3. ↑ Catalog number 333
4. ↑ Lyrics-Elvis-Presley ( Memento of the original from October 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
5. ↑ Herzhaft, Gerard (1992): Encyclopedia of the Blues, University of Arkansas Press, p. 437. ISBN 1557282528 .
6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1988): Top R&B Singles 1942-1988, Record Research, Inc. p. 346. ISBN 0898200687
7. ^ Blues Hall of Fame
8. ↑ http://www.dead.net/song