What'd I Say

What'd I Say or "What I Say" is a two-part recording that was released in 1959 by rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles. After Charles' run of R&B hits, this song finally broke Charles into mainstream pop and the song itself sparked a new sub-genre of rhythm and blues titled soul, finally putting together all the elements that Charles had been creating since he recorded "I Got a Woman". It was ranked at #10 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. According to Charles, while performing at a Milwaukee nightclub, he had performed the last song of his set, "Night Time Is the Right Time", when he was informed that there was another twelve minutes left in the show. Charles decided to fill the time by performing an impromptu version of the song that would eventually be recorded as What'd I Say. Charles told his backing band and female background singers, the Raelettes, to "just follow me". The song began on a Latin influenced drum beat and a Wurlitzer electric piano riff before Charles improvised his own lyrics to it. As the band became more comfortable with the piece, Charles and the Raelettes started an impromptu call and response vocalization. Charles later said that the call and response section was "all about the sounds of making love". Although the song is usually listed as "What'd I Say", Charles always insisted that the name of the song is "What I Say" as heard on the track.

[Verse 1] Hey mama, don't you treat me wrong Come and love your daddy all night long All right now, hey hey, all right See the girl with the diamond ring She knows how to shake that thing All right now now now, hey hey, hey hey Tell your mama, tell your pa I'm gonna send you back to Arkansas Oh yes, ma'am, you don't do right, don't do right [Bridge] When you see me in misery Come on, baby, see about me Now yeah, all right, all right, ah, play it, boy [Instrumental break] [Bridge] When you see me in misery Come on, baby, see about me Now yeah, hey hey, all right [Verse 2] See the girl with the red dress on She can do the Birdland all night long Yeah yeah, what'd I say, all right [Chorus] Well, tell me what'd I say, yeah Tell me what'd I say right now Tell me what'd I say Tell me what'd I say right now Tell me what'd I say Tell me what'd I say, yeah [Post-Chorus] And I wanna know Baby, I wanna know right now And-a I wanna know And I wanna know right now, yeah And-a I wanna know Said I wanna know, yeah [Interlude] What? What's that? What's that? What's that? All right [Outro] Hey (Hey) ho (Ho) hey (Hey) ho (Ho) hey (Hey) ho (Ho) Oh, one more time (Just one more time) Say it one more time right now (Just one more time) Say it one more time now (Just one more time) Say it one more time, yeah (Just one more time) Say it one more time (Just one more time) Say it one more time, yeah (Just one more time) Hey (Hey) ho (Ho) hey (Hey) ho (Ho) hey (Hey) ho (Ho) Ah! Make me feel so good (Make me feel so good) Make me feel so good now, yeah (Make me feel so good) Whoa, baby (Make me feel so good) Make me feel so good, yeah (Make me feel so good) Make me feel so good (Make me feel so good) Make me feel so good, yeah (Make me feel so good) Huh (Huh) ho (Ho) huh (Huh) ho (Ho) huh (Huh) ho (Ho) huh Ah, it's all right (Baby, it's all right) Said that it's all right right now (Baby, it's all right) Said that it's all right (Baby, it's all right) Said that it's all right, yeah (Baby, it's all right) Said that it's all right (Baby, it's all right) Said that it's all right (Baby, it's all right) Whoa, shake that thing now (Baby, shake that thing) Baby, shake that thing now now (Baby, shake that thing) Baby, shake that thing (Baby, shake that thing) Baby, shake that thing right now (Baby, shake that thing) Baby, shake that thing (Baby, shake that thing) Baby, shake that thing (Baby, shake that thing) Whoa, I feel all right now, yeah (Make me feel all right) Said I feel all right now (Make me feel all right) Whoa (Make me feel all right) Tell you I feel all right, yeah (Make me feel all right) Said I feel all right (Make me feel all right) Baby, I feel all right (Make me feel all right)