Song of the Day 3/30: Ray Charles, “What’d I Say”

Joe Biden ad-libbed nine words in his speech in Poland and pundits all weighed in, for or against. I’m only following the story by headlines, but it sounds like Joe didn’t think he’d said anything wrong, and it took a while to convince him to walk it back. So now every pundit is weighing in on that. I just wish they’d have made this much fuss to the GOP back when Trump was openly betraying NATO, which is, lest anyone forget, an actual treaty.

This 1959 cut was Ray Charles’ pop breakthrough and first gold record, but its cultural impact was much deeper — many consider it the first soul song. Numerous radio stations banned it because of the sexually suggestive interplay between Charles and the Raelettes, and some critics were scandalized by the fusion of gospel music with the blues.

The song was immensely influential for first-generation rock bands, especially in Britain, and Charles closed every concert with it for the rest of his career.