Talk to Me Baby
Encyclopedia
"Talk to Me Baby", also known as "I Can't Hold Out", is a blues song written by Willie Dixon
and recorded by Elmore James
in 1960. Called a classic and a "popular James standard", it has been interpreted and recorded by a variety of artists.
. According to Dixon, he was inspired to write the song after a telephone conversation with his wife Marie.
When Dixon returned to Chicago, Elmore James had a recording session for Chess Records
and invited Dixon to participate. Together, they "made that 'Talk to Me Baby (I Can't Hold Out Too Long)'", although Dixon does not perform on the song. For the recording session, James, who sang and played slide guitar, was accompanied by his long-time backing band the Broomdusters: J. T. Brown
(saxophone), Johnny Jones
(piano), Odie Payne
(drums), and Homesick James
(guitar).
"I Can't Hold Out" has been described as a "jumping 'Dust My Broom
' styled number ... that featured Dixon's trademark stop-time arrangement after each verse". After recording the song in April 1960, Chess prepared for a rush release of the single in May 1960, to capitalize on the success of James' previous single for Fire Records
, "The Sky Is Crying
", which was then entering the Billboard R&B chart. Elmore James was listed as the song writer on the single and in an early BMI registration.
In February 1963 during his last recording session, Elmore James re-recorded the song during a "thrown together session" with New York session musicians for the Fire/Fury/Enjoy record labels. When this version of the song was later released on various budget compilation albums (it was not released as a single), it was titled "Talk to Me Baby". When the original song was included on the 1969 Chess compilation album Whose Muddy Shoes, it was re-titled "Talk to Me Baby" and credited to Willie Dixon. Subsequent appearances of the song are often titled "Talk to Me Baby".
from their album Vintage
(1966, released 1970); the original Fleetwood Mac
from The Vaudeville Years
(1968, released 1998), Live at the BBC
with Eddie Boyd
on piano (1968 released 1995), and Fleetwood Mac in Chicago with original Broomduster J. T. Brown on sax (1969); Son Seals
from Live and Burning (1978); Eric Clapton
from 461 Ocean Boulevard
(1974); Colin James
from Bad Habits (1995); and Buddy Guy
from Live! The Real Deal (1996).
Willie Dixon
William James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
and recorded by Elmore James
Elmore James
Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader. He was known as "the King of the Slide Guitar" and had a unique guitar style, noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice.-Biography:James was born Elmore Brooks in the old Richland community in...
in 1960. Called a classic and a "popular James standard", it has been interpreted and recorded by a variety of artists.
Original song
Blues arranger/songwriter Willie Dixon wrote "Talk to Me Baby (I Can't Hold Out)" in late 1958 or 1959 in Los Angeles while he was on tour with Memphis SlimMemphis Slim
Memphis Slim was an American blues pianist, singer, and composer. He led a series of bands that, reflecting the popular appeal of jump blues, included saxophones, bass, drums, and piano. A song he first cut in 1947, "Every Day I Have the Blues", has become a blues standard, recorded by many other...
. According to Dixon, he was inspired to write the song after a telephone conversation with his wife Marie.
- I just talked to my baby, on the telephone
- She said "Stop what you're doin', and come on home"
- I can't hold out, I can't hold out too long
- I get a real good feelin', talkin' to you on the phone
When Dixon returned to Chicago, Elmore James had a recording session for Chess Records
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
and invited Dixon to participate. Together, they "made that 'Talk to Me Baby (I Can't Hold Out Too Long)'", although Dixon does not perform on the song. For the recording session, James, who sang and played slide guitar, was accompanied by his long-time backing band the Broomdusters: J. T. Brown
J. T. Brown
J. T. Brown was an American tenor saxophonist of the Chicago blues era. He was variously billed as Saxman Brown, J.T. Brown and Bep Brown.-Biography:...
(saxophone), Johnny Jones
Little Johnny Jones (pianist)
Little Johnny Jones was an American Chicago blues pianist and singer, best known for his work with Tampa Red, Muddy Waters and Elmore James.-Life and career:Jones was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1924...
(piano), Odie Payne
Odie Payne
Odie Payne was an American Chicago blues drummer. Over his long career Payne worked with a range of musicians including Sonny Boy Williamson II, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Little Johnny Jones, Tampa Red, Otis Rush, Yank Rachell, Sleepy John Estes, Little Brother Montgomery, Memphis...
(drums), and Homesick James
Homesick James
Homesick James was an American blues musician. He most notably played slide guitar, and recorded covers of "Stones In My Passway" and "Homesick"...
(guitar).
"I Can't Hold Out" has been described as a "jumping 'Dust My Broom
Dust My Broom
"Dust My Broom" is a blues standard originally recorded as "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom"by Robert Johnson, the Mississippi Delta blues singer and guitarist, on November 23, 1936 in San Antonio, Texas. The song was originally released on 78 rpm format as Vocalion 03475, ARC 7-04-81 and Conqueror 8871...
' styled number ... that featured Dixon's trademark stop-time arrangement after each verse". After recording the song in April 1960, Chess prepared for a rush release of the single in May 1960, to capitalize on the success of James' previous single for Fire Records
Fire Records
Fire Records was an independent record label set up in 1959 by Bobby Robinson . Among others, it released records by Lightnin' Hopkins, Elmore James and Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup.-Selected discography:...
, "The Sky Is Crying
The Sky Is Crying (song)
"The Sky Is Crying" is a song that has become a blues standard. The song was written and recorded by Elmore James in 1959. Called "one of his most durable compositions", "The Sky Is Crying" became a R&B record chart hit and has been interpreted and recorded by numerous artists.-Original song:"The...
", which was then entering the Billboard R&B chart. Elmore James was listed as the song writer on the single and in an early BMI registration.
In February 1963 during his last recording session, Elmore James re-recorded the song during a "thrown together session" with New York session musicians for the Fire/Fury/Enjoy record labels. When this version of the song was later released on various budget compilation albums (it was not released as a single), it was titled "Talk to Me Baby". When the original song was included on the 1969 Chess compilation album Whose Muddy Shoes, it was re-titled "Talk to Me Baby" and credited to Willie Dixon. Subsequent appearances of the song are often titled "Talk to Me Baby".
Other versions
Several blues and other artists have recorded the song as "Talk to Me Baby" or "I Can't Hold Out", including Canned HeatCanned Heat
Canned Heat is a blues-rock/boogie rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The group has been noted for its own interpretations of blues material as well as for efforts to promote the interest in this type of music and its original artists...
from their album Vintage
Vintage (Canned Heat album)
Vintage was the first album recorded by Canned Heat in 1966, although it did not see actual release until 1970 under Janus Records. Produced by rhythm & blues legend, Johnny Otis, the album featured Muddy Waters/Elmore James' song "Rollin' and Tumblin'" recorded with and without Alan Wilson's...
(1966, released 1970); the original Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
from The Vaudeville Years
The Vaudeville Years
The Vaudeville Years of Fleetwood Mac 1968 to 1970 is an album by British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1998. It was a compilation of outtakes and unreleased tracks from the band's early line up, none of which had previously seen the light of day officially...
(1968, released 1998), Live at the BBC
Live at the BBC (Fleetwood Mac album)
Live at the BBC is a 2CD album by British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac, recorded at various BBC radio sessions between 1967 and 1971. It contains many tracks by Fleetwood Mac which are otherwise unavailable.-Disc one:...
with Eddie Boyd
Eddie 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:...
on piano (1968 released 1995), and Fleetwood Mac in Chicago with original Broomduster J. T. Brown on sax (1969); Son Seals
Son Seals
Frank "Son" Seals was an American electric blues guitarist and singer.-Career:He was born in Osceola, Arkansas where his father, Jim "Son" Seals, owned a small juke joint. He began performing professionally by the age of 13, first as a drummer with Robert Nighthawk, and later as a guitarist...
from Live and Burning (1978); Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric 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...
from 461 Ocean Boulevard
461 Ocean Boulevard
461 Ocean Boulevard is the second studio album by blues-rock musician Eric Clapton, released in July 1974 on the RSO label after the success of "I Shot the Sheriff"....
(1974); Colin James
Colin James
Colin James is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, who plays in the blues, rock, and neo-swing genres. He grew up as a Quaker.-Early years:...
from Bad Habits (1995); and 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...
from Live! The Real Deal (1996).