Gustav Klimt - The Kiss
Etta James - I'd Rather Go Blind
William Shakespeare - Thou blind fool, Love, what dost thou to mine eyes
Thou blind fool, Love, what dost thou to mine eyes
That they behold and see not what they see?
They know what beauty is, see where it lies,
Yet what the best is, take the worst to be.
If eyes corrupt by overpartial looks,
Be anchored in the bay where all men ride,
Why of eyes' falsehood hast thou forgèd hooks,
Whereto the judgment of my heart is tied?
Why should my heart think that a several plot
Which my heart knows the wide world's common place?
Or mine eyes seeing this, say this is not
To put fair truth upon so foul a face?
In things right true my heart and eyes have erred,
And to this false plague are they now transferred.
That they behold and see not what they see?
They know what beauty is, see where it lies,
Yet what the best is, take the worst to be.
If eyes corrupt by overpartial looks,
Be anchored in the bay where all men ride,
Why of eyes' falsehood hast thou forgèd hooks,
Whereto the judgment of my heart is tied?
Why should my heart think that a several plot
Which my heart knows the wide world's common place?
Or mine eyes seeing this, say this is not
To put fair truth upon so foul a face?
In things right true my heart and eyes have erred,
And to this false plague are they now transferred.
Etta James has died at age 73 in Southern California where she was born.
ReplyDeleteThe California blues superstar has lost her battle with leukemia, Alzheimer's, kidney disease and Hepatitis-C, and the family of Etta James was by her side until the very end.
Etta James' manager, Lupe De Leon, had previously announced that the music legend was terminally ill, under 24-hour care and on oxygen. "We're all very sad. We're just waiting," said De Leon in December.
The great Etta James did not make it to her 74th birthday on January 25th, though many prayed for a healing miracle.
Millions of fans around the world are saddened by the news of Etta James' death after the Rock & Roll, Blues, Soul, R&B, Pop, Gospel and Jazz superstar had survived just about everything life could dish out --- and lived to sing about it all for decades.
Now the end has finally come and the great voice has been silenced on earth.
Etta James' signature song, "At Last," is the personal favorite of three generations of music lovers, so it thrilled millions when Etta James recently performed "At Last" on television's #1 show, "Dancing With The Stars," in her seventies, looking very glamorous
Born in Los Angeles and raised in San Francisco, Etta James (Jamesetta Hawkins) was the daughter of Dorothy Hawkins, a black teenage mother, and the legendary pool player "Minnesota Fats" (Rudolf Wanderone).
Her father never publicly acknowledged her due to social attitudes toward bi-racial children. Some still deny his paternity today.
At age five, Etta James began singing at the St. Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles. At age 14, she had her first #1 hit, "The Wallflower," and she was immediately placed on tour with Little Richard and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. She was later a backup singer for Chuck Berry and she recorded with legendary record producer Jerry Wexler.
In the years since, Etta James has released 30 albums, 58 hit singles, and toured with The Rolling Stones.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked Etta James as one of the Greatest Singers of All Time and one of the Greatest Artists of All Time.
The singer has won six Grammys, 17 Blues Music Awards, an NAACP Image Award, a BMI Lifetime Achievement Award, a Billboard R&B Founders Award, a Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Etta James was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Many recording superstars have credited Etta James as a powerful musical influence, including Diana Ross, Beyoncé, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Christina Aguilera, The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Joss Stone, the late Amy Winehouse, and today's hottest soul sensation, Adele.
Ironically, Etta James' just-released album, The Dreamer, is the most critically-acclaimed album of the singer's career --- right at the very end of her existence.
The impact of Etta James' life is almost beyond description. One California girl from L.A. did indeed change the world.
Now Sister Etta has graduated from this earth.
The legendary songbird has left Riverside, California for her grandest tour in the Great Beyond. Etta James was a sister to us all.
A great singer is always prepared to perform and, now that the time has come, Etta James is singing "At Last" like she never has before, with a thrill she never imagined, looking into the eternal eyes of love.
(from http://www.californiality.com )