--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Etta James takes credit for writing some…" description: "\"Etta James takes credit for writing some of the lyrics on 'I'd Rather Go Blind,' which I think are some of the most phenomenal lyrics I've ever heard. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/beth-hart-7281_blind_etta-james-takes-credit-for-writing-some_2463161.jpg" --- # Etta James takes credit for writing some of the lyrics on… ![“Etta James takes credit for writing some of the lyrics on 'I'd Rather Go Blind,' which I think are some of the most phenomenal lyrics I've ever heard. There's arguments now about who wrote it, but she always takes credit for it in her live performances.” quote by Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/beth-hart-7281_blind_etta-james-takes-credit-for-writing-some_2463161.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/beth-hart-7281_blind_etta-james-takes-credit-for-writing-some_2463161.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/beth-hart-7281_blind_etta-james-takes-credit-for-writing-some_2463161.jpg) > “Etta James takes credit for writing some of the lyrics on 'I'd Rather Go Blind,' which I think are some of the most phenomenal lyrics I've ever heard. There's arguments now about who wrote it, but she always takes credit for it in her live performances.” [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She claims authorship of a classic song’s lyrics, despite disputed origins, highlighting artistic pride. **In simple terms:** She says she wrote the song’s lyrics, though others disagree. Key Takeaway Acknowledge contributions while respecting collaborative art. Themes music authorship pride collaboration legacy Mood thoughtful musical Type cultural creative When to use this quote - Live concerts - songwriting workshops - music history discussions Key Concepts songwriting intellectual property performance art Questions to Reflect On - What defines true authorship in collaborative works? - How does credit affect artistic identity? A Different Perspective Attribution disputes can strain relationships and legacy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) [Credit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit/) [Lyrics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyrics/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > ['I'd Rather Go Blind' was a song I did on an album with Joe Bonamassa called 'Don't Explain,' and I've always been such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/i-d-rather-go-blind-was-a-song-i-did-on-an-album-with-joe-bonamassa/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [If I love Etta James, it's not just the voice, and it's not just the song, but it's the energy that connects me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/if-i-love-etta-james-it-s-not-just-the-voice-and-it-s-not-just-the/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [I really don't like writing lyrics. It's totally a mandatory thing. It's like homework.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-cavalera/i-really-don-t-like-writing-lyrics-it-s-totally-a-mandatory-thing-it/) [Max Cavalera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-cavalera/) > [From like 15 to 19, all I listened to was Elliott Smith. I started to appreciate the more human aspect of music and was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-g/from-like-15-to-19-all-i-listened-to-was-elliott-smith-i-started-to/) [Alex G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-g/) > [A lot of people talk to me about writing lyrics and it is obvious they are really paying attention to the fact that ours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-ross/a-lot-of-people-talk-to-me-about-writing-lyrics-and-it-is-obvious/) [Ryan Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-ross/) > [I have a really hard time writing my own lyrics for this record, because one, I had to write so many and also I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/i-have-a-really-hard-time-writing-my-own-lyrics-for-this-record/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [I don't got nobody writing my lyrics and that's why I freestyle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riff-raff/i-don-t-got-nobody-writing-my-lyrics-and-that-s-why-i-freestyle/) [Riff Raff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riff-raff/) > [I'm good at melody - I'll write the top-line melody and ideal words I want to go with it. But I'm not that good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avicii/i-m-good-at-melody-i-ll-write-the-top-line-melody-and-ideal-words-i/) [Avicii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avicii/) > [I just love doing radio. I've learned to be more vulnerable through radio than even I've been through books and writing lyrics. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/i-just-love-doing-radio-i-ve-learned-to-be-more-vulnerable-through/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [So what comes naturally to me is writing lyrics and writing songs and telling stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-nesbitt/so-what-comes-naturally-to-me-is-writing-lyrics-and-writing-songs-and/) [Nina Nesbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-nesbitt/) > [I've always been known for writing lyrics or being in a band but not necessarily for 'Oh, I love that guy's voice!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-koma/i-ve-always-been-known-for-writing-lyrics-or-being-in-a-band-but-not/) [Matthew Koma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-koma/) > [I wrote 'Paracetamol' between the ages of 15 and 16. With many of my songs, I have this strange habit of spending months fumbling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-mckenna/i-wrote-paracetamol-between-the-ages-of-15-and-16-with-many-of-my/) [Declan McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-mckenna/) > [I remember writing lyrics for 'Take Me to Church' for a long time before I even had a song in mind for. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/i-remember-writing-lyrics-for-take-me-to-church-for-a-long-time/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) > [Writing lyrics is part spontaneous, intuitive and part really thought through and carefully analyzed as you write it. It's a mixture of two approaches,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anderson/writing-lyrics-is-part-spontaneous-intuitive-and-part-really-thought/) [Ian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anderson/) > [Why did we become blind, I don't know, perhaps one day we'll find out, Do you want me to tell you what I think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/why-did-we-become-blind-i-don-t-know-perhaps-one-day-we-ll-find-out/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) ## More by Beth Hart > [I always think that you should never, ever force a producer to do something with a song that they don't think they can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/i-always-think-that-you-should-never-ever-force-a-producer-to-do/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [So many people that I've wanted to work with have died. I was so crazy in love with Amy Winehouse. When she died, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/so-many-people-that-i-ve-wanted-to-work-with-have-died-i-was-so-crazy/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [If I'm in a good place, then I'm really open-minded to what's being presented, but if I'm in a bad place, I'm much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/if-i-m-in-a-good-place-then-i-m-really-open-minded-to-what-s-being/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [If I don't relate to a song, I won't sing it. The thing is that if I wrote it, I'm always going to relate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/if-i-don-t-relate-to-a-song-i-won-t-sing-it-the-thing-is-that-if-i/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [There is something about live albums that I enjoy so much more than studio albums from all of my favorite artists. When I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/there-is-something-about-live-albums-that-i-enjoy-so-much-more-than/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [I tend to have a lot of songs ready for each record I do anyway. I always have. I was thinking, the more you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/i-tend-to-have-a-lot-of-songs-ready-for-each-record-i-do-anyway-i/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [I really love Dinah Washington and anything live from her - she had some of the greatest jazz musicians in the whole world, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/i-really-love-dinah-washington-and-anything-live-from-her-she-had/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [If I'm happy and joyous, which I have been a lot in my life, thankfully, I'm usually not at the piano writing about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/if-i-m-happy-and-joyous-which-i-have-been-a-lot-in-my-life-thankfully/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [When I was a little girl, my family was extremely close, loving and really happy, and then overnight, things just became a nightmare, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/when-i-was-a-little-girl-my-family-was-extremely-close-loving-and/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [I guess it's about getting older. I know that I'm going to lose people that I love - I'm going to die myself -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/i-guess-it-s-about-getting-older-i-know-that-i-m-going-to-lose-people/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [I think that anytime that you can open your eyes and see all that you have and all that you've been blessed with, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/i-think-that-anytime-that-you-can-open-your-eyes-and-see-all-that-you/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [I don't really see myself as a success. I just don't look at it that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/i-don-t-really-see-myself-as-a-success-i-just-don-t-look-at-it-that/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [I don't think that Americans are ungrateful, not at all. But I do think that we are a young country, and we have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/i-don-t-think-that-americans-are-ungrateful-not-at-all-but-i-do-think/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [At first, I was using my sister Susan's lyrics, as I could not write myself, only the music. And then one day, she and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/at-first-i-was-using-my-sister-susan-s-lyrics-as-i-could-not-write/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) > [I'm such an emotional performer, and my head is always like a rollercoaster, so if I'm in a good place and feeling grateful, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/i-m-such-an-emotional-performer-and-my-head-is-always-like-a/) [Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) [Explore all 93 Beth Hart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/) ## More Blind quotes > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [Love is so blind, it feels right when it's wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/love-is-so-blind-it-feels-right-when-it-s-wrong/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [... Arthur Gride, whose bleared eyes gloated only over the outward beauties, and were blind to the spirit which reigned within, evinced - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/arthur-gride-whose-bleared-eyes-gloated-only-over-the-outward/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“A man who saw has turned blind, A hearer deaf, A leader now leads astray!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-lichtheim/a-man-who-saw-has-turned-blind-a-hearer-deaf-a-leader-now-leads-astray/) [Miriam Lichtheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-lichtheim/) > [“What I shall feel to-morrow I cannot tell. Maybe I shall go blind again, for women are never two days alike in their minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-parker/what-i-shall-feel-to-morrow-i-cannot-tell-maybe-i-shall-go-blind/) [Gilbert Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-parker/) > [Now the stage today is to know that Self Realization gives you experiences and then your faith is established. Not blind but open enlightened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/now-the-stage-today-is-to-know-that-self-realization-gives-you/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“The heart’s blind. It’s the head that causes all the trouble. Sometimes both are stupid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-bromberg/the-heart-s-blind-it-s-the-head-that-causes-all-the-trouble-sometimes/) [K. Bromberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-bromberg/) > [“In the story of the blind men and the elephant, what’s usually ignored is the fact that each man’s description was correct. What Faye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-hill/in-the-story-of-the-blind-men-and-the-elephant-what-s-usually-ignored/) [Nathan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-hill/) > [My favorite performance would definitely be "Toxic," which was my blind audition song. It was the start of it all and it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/my-favorite-performance-would-definitely-be-toxic-which-was-my-blind/) [Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/) > [Our attitude towards evil must be freed from hatred, and has itself need to be enlightened in character...Satan rejoices when he succeeds in inspiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-berdyaev/our-attitude-towards-evil-must-be-freed-from-hatred-and-has-itself/) [Nikolai Berdyaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-berdyaev/) > [If you are the master be sometimes blind, if you are the servant be sometimes deaf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/if-you-are-the-master-be-sometimes-blind-if-you-are-the-servant-be/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [I'm glad I'm blind and can't see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-wonder/i-m-glad-i-m-blind-and-can-t-see-it/) [Stevie Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-wonder/) > [Shut your eyes and you will know what I mean by thought entombed in darkness. Light comes through the senses, and not only through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/shut-your-eyes-and-you-will-know-what-i-mean-by-thought-entombed-in/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [Blind with love, my daughter has cried nightly for horses, those long-necked marchers and churners that she has mastered, any and all, reigning them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/blind-with-love-my-daughter-has-cried-nightly-for-horses-those-long/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) [Browse all 3,877 Blind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Etta James takes credit for writing some of the lyrics on 'I'd Rather Go Blind,' which I think are some of the most phenomenal lyrics I've ever heard. There's arguments now about who wrote it, but she always takes credit for it in her live performances.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Beth Hart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/etta-james-takes-credit-for-writing-some-of-the-lyrics-on-i-d-rather/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blind" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/etta-james-takes-credit-for-writing-some-of-the-lyrics-on-i-d-rather/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/beth-hart-7281_blind_etta-james-takes-credit-for-writing-some_2463161.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/beth-hart-7281_blind_etta-james-takes-credit-for-writing-some_2463161.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ab/beth-hart-7281_blind_etta-james-takes-credit-for-writing-some_2463161.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Etta James takes credit for writing some of the lyrics on 'I'd Rather Go Blind,' which I think are some of…” — Beth Hart", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Beth Hart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Etta James takes credit for writing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/etta-james-takes-credit-for-writing-some-of-the-lyrics-on-i-d-rather/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/etta-james-takes-credit-for-writing-some-of-the-lyrics-on-i-d-rather/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```