“What’d I Say” is one of Ray Charles’s most iconic and influential songs. It was written and recorded by Charles in 1959 and released as a single that same year. The song became a major hit and is considered a landmark in the development of soul music.
About The Song
“What’d I Say” is notable for its dynamic blend of rhythm and blues, gospel, and jazz. The song features Charles’s distinctive call-and-response style, where he engages in vocal exchanges with his backup singers and the audience. The infectious energy of the performance, along with the call-and-response structure, contributed to the song’s popularity and its lasting impact on the music landscape.
The recording includes an electrifying piano solo by Ray Charles, and the song’s lyrics suggest a playful and flirtatious conversation. “What’d I Say” not only became a commercial success but also had a significant cultural impact, influencing the direction of popular music and paving the way for the emergence of soul and R&B in the 1960s.
Ray Charles’s groundbreaking approach to blending genres and his innovative use of vocal and instrumental elements in “What’d I Say” have secured its place as one of the classics of American music. The song remains a symbol of Charles’s musical genius and his ability to connect with audiences across different genres and generations.
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Lyric
🎵 Let’s sing along with the lyrics! 🎤
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, now
Hey hey
Hey hey
Tell your mama, tell your pa
I’m gonna send you back to Arkansas, oh yes m’am
You don’t do right
Don’t do right
Oh, 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 I wanna know
Baby, I wanna know right now, yeah
And I wanna know
Baby I wanna know, yeah