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Done Somebody Wrong
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Done Somebody Wrong
"I Must Have Done Somebody Wrong" is a blues song written and recorded by Eddie Kirkland in 1959. Using the same lyrics but modifying aspects of the music, Elmore James recorded it as "Done Somebody Wrong" in 1960; he took sole writing credit for it and it came to be known as an Elmore James song. "Done Somebody Wrong" was interpreted by the Allman Brothers Band in 1971 and featured on their classic live album At Fillmore East. As Billboard magazine has stated, the song became "more associated with the Allmans than with James in the end."
Kirkland moved around during his youth, but one classification of blues singers' heritages places him in the Alabama part of the "Eastern Piney Woods" region. "I Must Have Done Somebody Wrong" was recorded for Fortune Records in Detroit, Michigan in 1959, and issued later that year on a 45 rpm record with "I Need You Baby" on the other side. Kirkland was listed as the sole songwriter.
Unlike some blues songs based around boasts, Kirkland's song was centered on the acceptance of blame for having betrayed his woman's trust:
Yes, the whistle done blown, and the bell done tolled
My baby done caught that train, and now she's gone
I must have done somebody wrong
Yeah, I must have done some somebody wrong
It is an exemplar of the kind of blues where the singer knows they have made a bad mistake, but is unsure exactly what the mistake is or why they did it. One book on mental health challenges uses the song as an example of rejection sensitivity, and suggests that a subsequent verse, in which the singer says "Gonna find me a new doctor, maybe my luck will change", indicates the value of psychotherapy.
As recorded, "I Must Have Done Somebody Wrong" is an electric blues, and was credited on the 45 to Eddie Kirkland and His House Rockers. Besides Kirkland on vocals and guitar, the lineup consisted of Joe Dooms on piano, Jimmy Parner on drums, and Johnny Hooks on tenor saxophone.
In 1960, Eddie Kirkland ran into Elmore James in Cleveland, Ohio, and played James his record of "I Must Have Done Somebody Wrong"; James thought highly of the song and offered to record it jointly with Kirkland. According to Kirkland's later account, he gave James the go-ahead to record it alone, but said, "Just give me the credit for it," which James said would be done.
The Elmore James session that recorded the song was held at Beltone Studios in New York City, likely beginning the night of May 23, 1960, and running into the next day. The producer for the session was Bobby Robinson. James used Kirkland's lyrics, with only a few slight changes, and the melody was substantially the same. However James rearranged the song into a stop-time rhythm that highlighted the slide guitar he was known for. His version also benefitted from a rhythm guitar part by Jimmy Spruill. Other players likely included Homesick James on bass guitar, Belton Evans on drums, Johnny Acey on piano, and Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams on baritone saxophone. As one writer later said, "the intensity of James' vocal and guitar," combined with the start-stop beat, "made it immediately unforgettable".
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Done Somebody Wrong
"I Must Have Done Somebody Wrong" is a blues song written and recorded by Eddie Kirkland in 1959. Using the same lyrics but modifying aspects of the music, Elmore James recorded it as "Done Somebody Wrong" in 1960; he took sole writing credit for it and it came to be known as an Elmore James song. "Done Somebody Wrong" was interpreted by the Allman Brothers Band in 1971 and featured on their classic live album At Fillmore East. As Billboard magazine has stated, the song became "more associated with the Allmans than with James in the end."
Kirkland moved around during his youth, but one classification of blues singers' heritages places him in the Alabama part of the "Eastern Piney Woods" region. "I Must Have Done Somebody Wrong" was recorded for Fortune Records in Detroit, Michigan in 1959, and issued later that year on a 45 rpm record with "I Need You Baby" on the other side. Kirkland was listed as the sole songwriter.
Unlike some blues songs based around boasts, Kirkland's song was centered on the acceptance of blame for having betrayed his woman's trust:
Yes, the whistle done blown, and the bell done tolled
My baby done caught that train, and now she's gone
I must have done somebody wrong
Yeah, I must have done some somebody wrong
It is an exemplar of the kind of blues where the singer knows they have made a bad mistake, but is unsure exactly what the mistake is or why they did it. One book on mental health challenges uses the song as an example of rejection sensitivity, and suggests that a subsequent verse, in which the singer says "Gonna find me a new doctor, maybe my luck will change", indicates the value of psychotherapy.
As recorded, "I Must Have Done Somebody Wrong" is an electric blues, and was credited on the 45 to Eddie Kirkland and His House Rockers. Besides Kirkland on vocals and guitar, the lineup consisted of Joe Dooms on piano, Jimmy Parner on drums, and Johnny Hooks on tenor saxophone.
In 1960, Eddie Kirkland ran into Elmore James in Cleveland, Ohio, and played James his record of "I Must Have Done Somebody Wrong"; James thought highly of the song and offered to record it jointly with Kirkland. According to Kirkland's later account, he gave James the go-ahead to record it alone, but said, "Just give me the credit for it," which James said would be done.
The Elmore James session that recorded the song was held at Beltone Studios in New York City, likely beginning the night of May 23, 1960, and running into the next day. The producer for the session was Bobby Robinson. James used Kirkland's lyrics, with only a few slight changes, and the melody was substantially the same. However James rearranged the song into a stop-time rhythm that highlighted the slide guitar he was known for. His version also benefitted from a rhythm guitar part by Jimmy Spruill. Other players likely included Homesick James on bass guitar, Belton Evans on drums, Johnny Acey on piano, and Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams on baritone saxophone. As one writer later said, "the intensity of James' vocal and guitar," combined with the start-stop beat, "made it immediately unforgettable".