On Valentine’s Day, I’m celebrating what I consider the greatest love song ever recorded: Etta James’ “At Last.” In this post, I dig into why this 1960 masterpiece has become the soundtrack of romance, how James’ spellbinding voice transformed it into a wedding staple, and why I play it at every single reception I DJ.
February 14, 2025
Ah, so here we are on Valentines Day 2025. On this day for lovers, I want to take just a moment to discuss what I believe to be the quintessential love song. It is one I play at every wedding. It is timeless, and it is beautiful. In my opinion, it is the most romantic song ever recorded. I am talking about "At Last," the 1960 masterpiece by Etta James.
If a song can intoxicate, then blues singer Etta James’ ballad “At Last” is a strong red wine — rich and elegant. The song’s iconic crescendo of strings leads up to her drawn out opening lyrics, “At last/ my love has come along.” The song captures the moment of, ‘You finally said yes,’ resonating with hopeless romantics everywhere. “You smiled,” James sings delicately, “and then the spell was cast.” Make no mistake. With every play, James casts a spell of her own. In the fifty years since she recorded the track, it has become THE classic love anthem, a permanent fixture of wedding receptions for five decades.
What's maybe most satisfying about the song is its placement on the album from which it comes. It is an album of lost and mangled love songs, each and every one a heartbreaker in which relief and fulfillment begin to seem truly impossible. But then, a moment of extraordinary deliverance. Finally, James finds her man: a person who doesn't get spooked, doesn't waver, doesn't leave her crumpled somewhere, alone and pining. “My lonely days are over, and life is like a song," The album’s title track is arguably the single greatest unburdening ever laid to tape. It plays like a person stumbling into a hotel room and simultaneously dropping all of her bags on the floor.
The ballad is just 95 words long. And yet, in this 3-minute paragraph, James says more than any robust love letter ever could. Originally written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical film Sun Valley Serenade (1941), Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded the tune several times, with a 1942 version reaching number two on the US Billboard pop music chart. But this song belongs to Etta James. Her recording is an arrangement by Riley Hampton who improvised on Warren's melody in 1960. Today it is one of the most beloved jazz standards of all time.
How ironic that many listeners do not identify James as a jazz vocalist. They are mistaken. It’s true that she is one of those singers that is difficult to categorize, as she successfully recorded in a number of styles. Her pioneering 1950s hits -- “The Wallflower” and “Good Rockin’ Daddy” -- assure her place in the early history of rock and roll. And, although James never grew as popular as 60s soul artists such as Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson, or Dusty Springfield, she still had the voice and the heart to hold her own against any of her contemporaries. She has also been named “the greatest of all modern blues singers” and “the undisputed Earth Mother.” Yet her vocal style owes much to jazz vocalist Dinah Washington, and while nominated for 13 Grammy awards in the genres of r&b and blues, her first Grammy win was for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. Etta James could do it all. And to celebrate her achievements, she has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and she has won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
If it has been a while since your last listen, or if you have never heard "At Last," do yourself a favor this Valentines Day. Cue the track, hold your partner, and dim the lights. I promise you will fall in love all over again. What comes after may make this the most memorable Valentines Day you've ever experienced.
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