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At Last by Etta James

Etta James At Last

Soul Music

The traditional pop song “At Last” is a pop and jazz standard that became a signature song for Etta James. Her emotional performance and the sweeping orchestral arrangement by Riley Hampton have the song well known and an oldies radio station favorite. It is also a popular choice for wedding sand wedding receptions. Etta James recorded the song in 1960, and in 1961, her version went to #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Sides chart, #30 on Cash Box, and #47 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is also on her 1960 album At Last!

The version by Etta James has been used in TV commercials, selling everything from cars to vacuum cleaners to insurance. It has also been featured in the films Rain Man, Pleasantville, and American Pie.

“At Last” has a long, distinguished history. Make Gordon and Harry Warren wrote it in 1941 for the musical film Orchestra Wives. The movie starred George Montgomery and Ann Rutherford. Glenn Miller and his orchestra performed it on the film (and recoded it), with Ray Eberle and Pat Friday on the vocals. Glenn Miller and HIs Orchestra released it in 1942 as a single, and that rose to #9 on the Billboard Pop Charts. The U.S. War Department also released this 1942 Glenn Miller recording as a Victory Disc (V-Disc) during WWII on October, 1943. It was sent to American soldiers and military personnel overseas. Other covers among many have been by Ray Anthony, Gene Watson, Celine Dion, and Beyoncé Knowles.

Here are the lyrics to “At Last” by Etta James:

“At last my love has come along
My lonely days are over and life is like a song, oh yeah
At last the skies above are blue
My heart was wrapped up in clover the night I looked at you
I found a dream that I can speak to
A dream that I could call my own
I found a thrill to press my cheek to
A thrill I have never known, oh yeah
You smiled, you smiled oh and then the spell was cast
And here we are in Heaven
For you are mine at last”

To purchase an album of music from Etta James, please click on the photo below:


For More Golden Oldies Music       

The Daily Doo Wop Rec Room has daily featured doo wop, rock and roll, R&B, or rockabilly songs that were hits during the first era of rock and roll (that is, from about 1952 until the British invasion in 1964). After a song is featured, it then goes into the juke box. You are welcome to listen to any of the 40+ selections there. Every weekend, there is a Golden Oldies Juke Box Saturday Night, and the juke box is full of song requests from the 1950s and 1960s.

Please click here for the Daily Doo Wop YouTube channel, to which you can subscribe. Thank you for stopping by The Daily Doo Wop. Hope you enjoyed “At Last” by Etta James.

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