A Prison Sentence Inspired One of Etta James’ Biggest Hits

In 1967, Etta James had a hit single with “I’d Rather Go Blind”. The song was written by James, along with Ellington Jordan and Billy Foster.

“I’d Rather Go Blind” says, “Something told me it was over / When I saw you and her talking / Something deep down in my soul said, ‘Cry, girl’ / When I saw you and that girl walkin’ out / Whoo, I would rather, I would rather go blind, boy / Than to see you walk away from me, child, no.”

Perhaps surprisingly, Jordan had the idea for the song while he was in prison.

“I got tired of losing and being down. I was in prison and didn’t know when I was going to get out,” Jordan tells AllHipHop.com. Jordan went into a piano room and began to write, creating the beginning of “I’d Rather Go Blind”.

James immediately latched onto the idea of “I’d Rather Go Blind”.

“I was blind,” James later says in her autobiography, Rage To Survive: The Etta James Story. “I was blind in my love life, and I was blind in my personal ways. Like the song says, ‘I just don’t want to be free.’”

Elsewhere in Rage To Survive, James says “I’d Rather Go Blind” meant more to her as the years went on.

“Funny, but that’s a tune that’s deepened along with my life, its meaning growing more mysterious,” James said. “Me and the song have grown old together.”

Other Hits Etta James Had Before “I’d Rather Go Blind”

Interestingly, “I’d Rather Go Blind” is James’s last single released as a solo artist. But James certainly was no stranger to hit songs. In 1955, James had her first No. 1 with “The Wallflower (Dance With Me, Henry)”, which is also her debut single. Her many other hits include “If I Can’t Have You”, “All I Could Do Was Cry”, “Something’s Got A Hold On Me”, and of course “At Last”, her biggest hit.

In 1968, Jordan released his own version of “I’d Rather Go Blind”, altering the song slightly to “I’d Rather Be A Blind Man” instead.

“I’d Rather Go Blind” is also among James’s most covered songs. Since she released the song, numerous other artists put their own spin on it, including Rod Stewart, B.B. King, Paul Weller, and Grace Potter, among others. In 2008, Beyoncé sang “I’d Rather Go Blind” as part of the film Cadillac Records. Beyoncé portrayed James in the film. Beyoncé also sang “At Last” and “Once In A Lifetime” in the movie.

Photo by FAME Studios/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images