You Don't Love Me (Willie Cobbs song)
Encyclopedia
"You Don't Love Me" is a blues song recorded by Willie Cobbs
in 1960. It is based on an earlier song and has become a "blues classic" that has been interpreted and recorded by a variety of performers.
recorded "She's Fine She's Mine" for the B-side to his second single, "Diddley Daddy
" (Checker 819). Accompanying Diddley (vocal and guitar) are Billy Boy Arnold
(harmonica), Jerome Green (maracas), and an unidentified percussionist. The song features a repeated figure on Diddley's tremolo
-laden guitar. The first verses are sung without lyrics:
"While this is a traditional blues in form, the unusual, almost exotic, arrangement with its hypnotic beat combined with Bo Diddley's anguished vocal takes this far out of the range of the ordinary". The lyrics "she's fine she's mine" do not appear in the song. Diddley recorded a "You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care)" with different music and lyrics two months prior on March 2, 1955, which was released on his Go Bo Diddley
album.
, Sammy Lawhorn
played the guitar, Boyd provided the piano, and unidentified performers supplied saxophone (doubling the guitar line), bass, and drums.
Cobbs' original Mojo Records release became a local Memphis hit. The song was released by Vee-Jay Records
, but because of copyright issues, they stopped promoting the single and it failed to reach the Billboard charts
. Cobbs has revisited "You Don't Love Me" several times, including in 1998 for his Pay or Do 11 Months & 29 Days album.
with Buddy Guy
recorded the song as "You Don't Love Me Baby" for their influential 1965 album Hoodoo Man Blues
. Their version altered the guitar figure somewhat and added some new lyrics:
Junior Wells later recorded the song for his Coming at You album; Buddy Guy also recorded it for his Hold That Plane album.
recorded "You Don't Love Me" in 1967 (Coxsone CS 1008). She used most of Cobbs' melody and lyrics, but her version featured a rocksteady
backing arrangement.
In 1994, she remade it as the dancehall
-influenced "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)
", which was an international hit.
Willie Cobbs
Willie Cobbs is an American blues singer and harmonica player. He is best known for his song, "You Don't Love Me"....
in 1960. It is based on an earlier song and has become a "blues classic" that has been interpreted and recorded by a variety of performers.
Earlier song
In 1955, Bo DiddleyBo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
recorded "She's Fine She's Mine" for the B-side to his second single, "Diddley Daddy
Diddley Daddy
"Diddley Daddy" is a song by rock and roll musician Bo Diddley. The song was issued as a single on Checker Records in June 1955. It was Bo Diddley's second single, and followed on the heels of the success of "Bo Diddley." The song spent four weeks on the Billboard R&B chart in the summer of 1955,...
" (Checker 819). Accompanying Diddley (vocal and guitar) are Billy Boy Arnold
Billy Boy Arnold
Billy Boy Arnold is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter.-Biography:...
(harmonica), Jerome Green (maracas), and an unidentified percussionist. The song features a repeated figure on Diddley's tremolo
Tremolo
Tremolo, or tremolando, is a musical term that describes various trembling effects, falling roughly into two types. The first is a rapid reiteration...
-laden guitar. The first verses are sung without lyrics:
- Ah ah ah, ah ah ah ah ah ah (2x)
- Well you don't love me baby, you don't love me I know
"While this is a traditional blues in form, the unusual, almost exotic, arrangement with its hypnotic beat combined with Bo Diddley's anguished vocal takes this far out of the range of the ordinary". The lyrics "she's fine she's mine" do not appear in the song. Diddley recorded a "You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care)" with different music and lyrics two months prior on March 2, 1955, which was released on his Go Bo Diddley
Go Bo Diddley
Go Bo Diddley is the second LP record by rock and roll pioneer Bo Diddley released in July 1959. The album was Bo's first studio album and his first LP for Checker Records...
album.
Willie Cobbs song
In 1960, Willie Cobbs recorded "You Don't Love Me" using Bo Diddley's repeating guitar figure. According to Eddie BoydEddie Boyd
Edward Riley Boyd known as Eddie Boyd was an American blues piano player, born on Stovall's Plantation near Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States.-Life and career:...
, Sammy Lawhorn
Sammy Lawhorn
Sammy David Lawhorn was an American Chicago blues guitarist. He is best known for his membership of Muddy Waters band, although his guitar work accompanied many other blues musicians including Otis Spann, Willie Cobbs, Eddie Boyd, Roy Brown, Big Mama Thornton, John Lee Hooker, James Cotton, and...
played the guitar, Boyd provided the piano, and unidentified performers supplied saxophone (doubling the guitar line), bass, and drums.
- Ah ah ah, you don't love me yes I know (2x)
- 'Cause you left me baby, and I have no place to go
Cobbs' original Mojo Records release became a local Memphis hit. The song was released by Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:...
, but because of copyright issues, they stopped promoting the single and it failed to reach the Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
. Cobbs has revisited "You Don't Love Me" several times, including in 1998 for his Pay or Do 11 Months & 29 Days album.
Junior Wells version
In 1965, Junior WellsJunior Wells
Junior Wells , born Amos Wells Blakemore Jr., was an American Chicago blues vocalist, harmonica player, and recording artist...
with Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
recorded the song as "You Don't Love Me Baby" for their influential 1965 album Hoodoo Man Blues
Hoodoo Man Blues
Hoodoo Man Blues is the 1965 debut album of blues vocalist and harmonica player Junior Wells, performing with the Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band, an early collaboration with Grammy Award-winning artist Buddy Guy...
. Their version altered the guitar figure somewhat and added some new lyrics:
- You don't love me baby, you don't love me yes I know (2x)
- If you leave me baby, don't you know you're gonna hurt me so
Junior Wells later recorded the song for his Coming at You album; Buddy Guy also recorded it for his Hold That Plane album.
Dawn Penn versions
Jamaican singer Dawn PennDawn Penn
Dawn Penn is a Jamaican reggae singer.-Career:Dawn Penn's earliest recordings were for Prince Buster around 1966. In 1967 she recorded and released the rocksteady single, "You Don't Love Me" produced by Coxsone Dodd at Studio One...
recorded "You Don't Love Me" in 1967 (Coxsone CS 1008). She used most of Cobbs' melody and lyrics, but her version featured a rocksteady
Rocksteady
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor to ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was performed by Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, The Maytals and The Paragons. The term rocksteady comes from a dance style that was mentioned in the Alton...
backing arrangement.
- No no no, you don't love me and I know now (2X)
- 'Cause you left me baby, and I got no place to go now
In 1994, she remade it as the dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
-influenced "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)
You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)
"You Don't Love Me " is song by Jamaican singer Dawn Penn. It is a remake of her 1967 song "You Don't Love Me". The song was her only Billboard hit, peaking at #58 on the Hot 100 and #10 on the Hot Dance charts in 1994. In the UK, the song peaked at #3 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1994...
", which was an international hit.
Other versions
It has been noted that "the riff of 'You Don't Love Me' has inspired quantities of bluesmen". The song has been interpreted and recorded by a variety of performers, some following the Diddley/Cobbs versions and others following the Wells/Guy versions (except where noted):- 1959 - Clarence EdwardsClarence Edwards (blues musician)Clarence Edwards was an American blues musician from Louisiana, best known for his recordings of "Lonesome Bedroom Blues" and "I Want Somebody"...
recorded it as an acoustic blues released on a Folk-Lyric compilation. - 1962 - The Megatons recorded an instrumental version as "Shimmy Shimmy Walk Parts 1 & 2" (Dodge 808).
- 1966–67 - Quicksilver Messenger ServiceQuicksilver Messenger ServiceQuicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band, formed in 1965 in San Francisco.-Introduction:Quicksilver Messenger Service gained wide popularity in the Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe and several of their albums ranked...
recorded several live versions with early member Jim MurrayJim Murray (musician)Jim Murray was a guitarist and harmonica player for the psychedelic blues rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. He left the band in late 1967 shortly before they recorded their first album....
, later released in 2008. - 1966 - Grateful DeadGrateful DeadThe Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
Live at Ivar Theater Feb 25 (bootleg). - 1967 - John Mayall & the BluesbreakersJohn Mayall & the BluesbreakersJohn Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are a pioneering English blues band, led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall, OBE. Mayall used the band name between 1963 and 1967, but then dropped it for some fifteen years. However, in 1982 a 'Return of the Bluesbreakers' was announced and...
featuring an early vocal performance by Peter GreenPeter Green (musician)Peter Green is a British blues-rock guitarist and the founder of the band Fleetwood Mac...
from A Hard RoadA Hard RoadA Hard Road is a 1967 electric blues album recorded by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers featuring Peter Green on lead guitar, John McVie on bass, Aynsley Dunbar on drums and John Almond. Tracks 5, 7 and 13 feature the horn section of Alan Skidmore and Ray Warleigh...
. - 1968 - KaleidoscopeKaleidoscope (US band)Kaleidoscope was an American psychedelic folk and ethnic band who recorded 4 albums and several singles for Epic Records between 1966 and 1970.-Formation:...
from their album A Beacon from Mars. - 1968 - Booker T. and the MG's recorded the song for their album Doin' Our ThingDoin' Our ThingDoin' Our Thing is the sixth studio album by R&B band Booker T & The MGs, released in February 1968. The album charted at number 176 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart.-Track listings:#"I Can Dig It" – 2:42...
. - 1968 - Al KooperAl KooperAl Kooper is an American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears , providing studio support for Bob Dylan when he went electric in 1965, and also bringing together guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills to...
and Stephen StillsStephen StillsStephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
recorded it for Super SessionSuper Session-Personnel:* Al Kooper — vocals, piano, organ, ondioline, electric guitar, twelve-string guitar* Mike Bloomfield — guitars on side one, reissue tracks 10, 12, 13* Stephen Stills — guitars on side two, reissue track 11...
, with an early use of flangingFlangingFlanging is an audio effect produced by mixing two identical signals together, with one signal delayed by a small and gradually changing period, usually smaller than 20 milliseconds. This produces a swept comb filter effect: peaks and notches are produced in the resultant frequency spectrum,...
. - 1968 - Magic SamMagic SamSamuel "Magic Sam" Gene Maghett was an American Chicago blues musician. Maghett was born in Grenada, Mississippi, United States, and learned to play the blues from listening to records by Muddy Waters and Little Walter...
recorded it for his second Delmark album Black MagicBlack Magic (Magic Sam album)Black Magic is a blues album by Magic Sam released in 1968 by Delmark Records.- Track listing :# "I Just Want A Little Bit"# "What Have I Done Wrong"# "Easy, Baby"# "You Belong To Me"# "It's All Your Fault"# "I Have The Same Old Blues"...
. - 1969 - Albert KingAlbert KingAlbert King was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing.-Career:...
recorded an instrumental version for Years Gone ByYears Gone ByYears Gone By is a Blues album by Albert King.-Track listing:#"Wrapped Up In Love Again" – 2:18#"You Don't Love Me" – 3:28#"Cockroach" – 3:18#"Killing Floor" – 3:05...
, sometimes listed as "Shimmy Shimmy Walk". - 1969 - Ike & Tina TurnerIke & Tina TurnerIke & Tina Turner were an American rock & roll and soul duo, made of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner in the 1960s and 1970s. Spanning sixteen years together as a recording group, the duo's repertoire included rock & roll, soul, blues and funk...
from The Hunter. - 1971 - The Allman Brothers BandThe Allman Brothers BandThe Allman Brothers Band is an American rock/blues band once based in Macon, Georgia. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman , who were supported by Dickey Betts , Berry Oakley , Butch Trucks , and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe"...
recorded a live version for At Fillmore EastAt Fillmore EastAt Fillmore East is a double live album by The Allman Brothers Band. The band's breakthrough success, At Fillmore East was released in July 1971. It ranks Number 49 among Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and remains among the top-selling albums in the band’s catalogue...
. - 1979 - Black UhuruBlack UhuruBlack Uhuru are a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru . The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Duckie Simpson always maintaining group control and ownership...
recorded the song as "No, No, No" based on the Dawn Penn version (Taxi single). The single was produced by Sly DunbarSly DunbarLowell "Sly" Fillmore Dunbar is a drummer.-Biography:Dunbar, whose nickname was reportedly given for his passion for Sly & the Family Stone, launched his musical career while still in his adolescence, playing with a local group, The Yardbrooms, at the age of fifteen...
before he and Robbie Shakespeare joined the band later that same year. - 1986 - Otis RushOtis RushOtis Rush is a blues musician, singer and guitarist. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burning sound and long bent notes...
with Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and Luther AllisonLuther AllisonLuther Allison was an American blues guitarist. He was born in Widener, Arkansas and moved with his family, at age twelve, to Chicago in 1951. He taught himself guitar and began listening to blues extensively. Three years later he began hanging outside blues nightclubs with the hopes of being...
from Live at Montreux 1986. - 2005 - RihannaRihannaRobyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
with Vybz KartelVybz KartelAdidja Palmer , better known as Vybz Kartel, is a Jamaican dancehall artist, songwriter and businessman. He has many nicknames, including Addi Teacher and Gaza Emperor.-Biography:...
as "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)", based on the Penn version, from Music of the SunMusic of the SunMusic of the Sun is the debut album of Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released August 26, 2005 on Def Jam Recordings. Rihanna worked with several producers for the album, mainly Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers who produced and penned most of the tracks on the album. It features guest contributions by...
. - 2008 - The Mannish BoysThe Mannish BoysThe Mannish Boys are an American blues band based in Los Angeles, California. They play classic blues in West Coast, Texas and Chicago styles....
from Lowdown Feelin. - 2010 - Beyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
performed it as "You Don't Love Me, No No No" (based on the Penn version), released on the I Am... World TourI Am... World TourI Am... World Tour is a live DVD/CD concert film by American R&B recording artist Beyoncé Knowles who also produced, directed and edited the concert film for her own Parkwood Pictures. The DVD was filmed in presence of more than a million of fans during her worldwide I Am... Tour, running from...
live CD/DVD.