Etta James has dissed Beyonce for the latter's version of her song 'At Last' during the inaugural ball a few weeks ago. According to reports, the 71 year old singer went on stage in Seattle last week and told the crowd that she is going to beat the crap out of Beyonce Knowles for "singing my song" during the Obama Presidential Inaugural Ball in Washington two weeks ago. She was even quoted as saying, "Your President, the one with the big ears ... he had that woman singing my song. She gone get her ass whipped." The feisty singer then added, The great Beyoncé ... I can't stand Beyoncé." And this was
The funny thing is, Etta James was singing a different tune a few months ago, showering Beyonce Knowles with praises for the latter's portrayal of her in the movie "Cadillac Records". Not only that. According to TMZ, "not only did the 71-year-old not write the song, she wasn't even the first -- or second -- to record it!" The song "At Last" was first recorded by Glenn Miller in 1941 followed by a version of the great Nat King Cole in 1957. Reportedly, Glenn Miller's version even ranks higher that the Etta James version in the Billboard Pop Singles chart.
So what's this "my song" Etta James is yapping about? Well, if you ask me, it all boils down to envy. Beyonce Knowles got a lot of mileage with "At Last", especially when she sang it for the First Couple during the inaugural ball, and poor old Etta James is jealous. She should have been asked to sing it, she thinks.
No comment has come out of the Beyonce camp yet.
"At Last" by Beyonce Knowles (as Etta James)
Etta James' version of "At Last"
Beyonce, "At Last" (Etta James cover)
For a backgrounder on the song "At Last", here is a portion of the entry on Wikipedia:
"At Last" is a 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical film Orchestra Wives, starring George Montgomery and Ann Rutherford. It was first performed in the film and on record by Glenn Miller and his orchestra, vocal by Ray Eberle and Pat Friday. The song was a major hit for Miller, reaching number 14 on the Billboard pop charts in 1942, and it soon became a standard. Nat King Cole recorded it in 1957 on his number one album Love Is the Thing. In 1960, it was covered by blues singer Etta James in a performance that improvised on Warren's melody. James was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 for her rendition of the song.
The song became James's signature song and was the third in a string of successful songs from her Chess Records debut album At Last!. Upon the song's release in April 1961, it became her second number 2 R&B hit and crossed over to pop radio, reaching number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite its rather low pop chart standing, the song is well-known and is still played regularly on oldies radio stations.
In the decades since its release it has been covered by a number of artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Jason Mraz, Phoebe Snow, Miles Davis, Martina McBride, Céline Dion, Lou Rawls, Eva Cassidy, Christina Aguilera, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Norah Jones, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Scott, The Manhattan Rhythm Kings, Cyndi Lauper, Aubrey O'Day, Beyonce Knowles, and Nikki Yanofsky. The Etta James version is perhaps the most famous, and is known to be performed at weddings and wedding receptions because of its romantic lyrics and sweeping orchestration. It was used in the trailer for Wall-E movie.
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