Ray Charles Songs - I Got A Woman Lyrics

Ray Charles - I Got A Woman

unknown
Ray Charles - I Got A Woman Lyrics and Youtube Music Videos

Album: The Collection
Released: 1954

I Got A Woman Lyrics

I Got A Woman

This is a re-worked, secular version of a Gospel song called "My Jesus Is All the World to Me." It was the first hit song to use secular lyrics in a Gospel style. Some people consider this fusion of R&B, Gospel and Jazz was the first ever Soul record.

Ray Charles wrote this with his bandleader Renald Richard after hearing a spiritual on the radio while his band was on the road.

The mix of Gospel in Blues on this track was shocking in some circles, but also made the song accessible to a wider audience. The decision to mix styles happened organically. "I was just being myself," Charles said. "Of course it created a lot of static from a lot of people. But then, on the other hand, it was a hit. It was a hit in the black community and the white community."

In this song, Charles sings about a very supportive woman who helps him out in many ways. In 2005, Kanye West based sampled this for his #1 hit "Gold Digger." West's song, however, is about a girl who is after a guy for his money. There's a bit of a disconnect, as West used Charles' line "She gives me money, when I'm in need."

In 1962, the Philadelphia Jazz organist Jimmy McGriff recorded an instrumental version of this song that charted at #20 in the US. Known for his unique organ sound and Gospel influence, McGriff was a popular performer on the R&B club circuit until his retirement in 2007. He died at age 72 on May 25, 2008 of complications from multiple sclerosis. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)