It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and there are countless albums and songs out there about love that get a few extra spins around this time of year, but to me, there is no song more romantic than Etta James’ “At Last.” However, despite being one of James’ most well-known songs and the title track of its record, it’s the only song in At Last! that sees James fulfilled in her love life. So while the Valentine’s Day atmosphere often besieges audiences with music extolling the cloud-nine feeling of being in love (which undoubtedly has its place), James’ At Last! offers a different perspective, exposing love for all its euphoric, messy glory. Let’s dive in.
At Last! begins with “Anything To Say You’re Mine,” where James implores her lover to reach out to her like he said he would, calling on him to confirm their love: “My heart cries for just one little line / Anything to say you’re mine,” she sings. It may be an established fact that James was a powerhouse, but her deep and cavernous voice in “Anything,” makes this first track a shock to the system anyway. It’s followed by “My Dearest Darling,” in which James promises a life of love to her partner, asking him to love her in return. She growls her frustrations, pumping the song full of angst.
In “Trust In Me,” James’ voice swells in time with the instrumentals for a chill-inducing experience, as she begs to know, “Why don’t you, you trust in me in all you do / And have the faith I, I have in you?” This track is undoubtedly one of the album’s best, and it’s relatable in the sense that at the song’s core, James is just a girl asking to be loved. This makes for a seamless transition into “A Sunday Kind Of Love,” where she confesses that it may be easy to get a man, but it’s much harder to keep him. We follow along with James as she dreams of someone by her side, lamenting, “Can’t seem to find somebody, someone to care / And I’m on a lonely road that leads to somewhere.”
“Tough Mary” is a turn to the upbeat, where Etta sings in a call-and-response style as Mary, a girl who has boys knocking down her door with flowers. But it’s not flowers she wants — it’s diamonds, because after all, shouldn’t we all know by now that they’re a girl’s best friend? James becomes playful and breathy in “I Just Want To Make Love To You,” a jazzy number that pulls the listener right in. Although it is the B-Side to “At Last,” it stands on its own, and you just can’t help but shimmy along to it.
Any time I hear the sweeping instrumental introduction to “At Last,” I can’t help but smile. This song truly is like finally being able to take a deep breath after a long day. Our girl has finally found her love! “At last / My love has come along / My lonely days are over / And life is like a song,” she croons. This song may have originally been performed by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, but it’s no competition — James dominates it.
Unfortunately for Miss James, this happiness doesn’t last for very long, since in “All I Could Do Was Cry,” her man marries someone else. This does, however, make for a very good song, as she mourns in her deep, gritty voice, “For them, life has just begun / But mine is at an end.” Similarly, in “Stormy Weather,” James prays the post-breakup depression will pass: “All I do is pray The Lord will let me / Walk in the sun once more.” “Girl Of My Dreams” provides us with a little doo-wop action as James convinces the boy of her dreams to return to her with her guttural, addictive voice.
Motown trailblazer Harvey Fuqua hops on At Last! for the remainder of the songs, starting off with “My Heart Cries,” in which James and Fuqua’s voices meld together as they sing about finding the right person. “Spoonful” is twangy and fun, with James and Fuqua insisting, “Men lie for that spoonful / Yeah, women die for that spoonful” but “Just a little spoon of your precious love / Will satisfy my soul.” In “It’s A Crying Shame,” James takes a bit of a different approach than she has leading up to this point, as she cathartically tells off a man out for terrorizing women all around town after telling her it was no one but her for him; she bellows, “Yeah, you said you didn’t wanna be smackin’ on nobody else / If you wasn’t kissin’ me / But you, you, you, you / You kiss everybody you see.” At Last! caps off with “If I Can’t Have You,” where James somehow manages to make her voice even deeper as she tells her partner that he’s the only one for her; “I can’t talk to nobody / Unless I’m talking to you,” she admits.
Etta James’ At Last! is a gift; it is love unfiltered. And really, is there any better kind?
Test Spins is a fortnightly throwback column reviewing and recommending classic and underrated albums from the past. It runs every other Friday.
Sydney Levinton is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at slevinton@cornellsun.com.
