In a telephone interview to The Press Enterprise on Thursday morning, Etta James claims the comments she made about Beyonce Knowles last week, were just in good fun.
“I’m a comedian besides a singer. I wasn’t doing it to be hateful. I think I’m funny and she’s not the only one I’ll say something about.”
If you’ve been living under a rock somewhere then you might have missed our earlier story featuring the classic singer saying some not so nice things about the popular star.
However, the 71 year old James also make sure to note that she takes a lot of pride in her signature song and would have loved to sing it at the Inaugural Ball Event.
“She got up there and sang it and didn’t give me a chance to sing ‘At Last,’” James said.
Wonder what Beyonce thinks of all the Hoopla? Her reps have remained silent during the whole thing.
Instead of worrying about AT LAST she should have thought about AT FIRST and kept her mouth shut. I do believe this is why Ms. James has never enjoyed the type of success she feels she deserves… No class. She will, from now on, be remembered as the singer who insulted the President and threatened one of this generations very talented, hard working artists.Thank goodness someone had the forsight NOT to have her sing at the inaguration. We’re trying to move up in the world and we don’t need that kind of attitude broadcast from an elder statesman who is supposed to be teaching and leading. It’s time to put the Ripple away and get serious.
I just want to know when you guys are going to stop making excuses for Beyonce stealing people’s song. Everybody ain’t lying on Beyonce. If she makes a decent song then she can sing her own song. I didn’t have a problem with her singing the song, but clearly she doesn’t have a song in HER catalog for classy events.
I wonder how much the Knowles paid for this recant.
This song “At Last” is not Ettas anyways she covered the song the song was originally done by a white man then covered by Nat King Cole then covered by Etta. It is ridiculous she is acting like this. Beyonce gave Etta mad respect when she performed the song to her and came down in the audience and sung it to her while holding her hand. Etta previously stated that she did not support Barack Obama so why would she expect to be invited to the inaugural concert to perform not her song but someone elses!
“Beyonce sounded like Ms. James herself. Can’t be mad at that! Well Ms James can. LOL”
Beyonce is a good singer, but she couldn’t hold Etta’s mic in the old days. No comparison IMO.
ETTA=OLD TIRED AND CONFUSED
BEYONCE-MATURE YOUNG RISING DIVA THAT MANY LOVE TO HATE.
PPl hate Beyonce as if she was the damn anti-christ herself…how ignorant can you be to support hate???? you call her out as if what your doing makes you better than her? But one thats foolish can never recognize there own ignorance.
Beyonce letem hate ma while they watch you elevate.
God blessed Beyonce with her gifts so if you hate what she got dont take it out on her try your luck and go to God about it…… go head…….
Etta needs a nursing home and a friend. LOL
# 58 That was toooo funny! Oh well, I guess Beyonce’s ego got knocked down a notch or two with this incident. Etta I still Love You mama because nobody else in the industry had enough woman in them to tell her off. I hope Daddy Knowles paid you well to take your statements back.
*****some of ya’ll is really trying make any reason to hate on beyonce. Why is this
****************getting so much attention anyway. Why does it make people happy to ***********see any harm or back talk about this woman? She hasn’t done ******nothing to
**********nobody, but is the mostly hated. That why its lonly at the top. Etta legend
****** or not wasn’t the problem but it was because she said something about Bey
******* that people made a story out of it. Beyonce is a great artist like it or not
******** even if i didn’t care for her she is one of the best of our generation
***** with AK, MJB, Jill S and others. The OBAMAs asked her to sing and thats
********that.
She’s lying. If she wasn’t bitter then why did she say Obama wasn’t her President and that he has big ears. Then she said that she was gonna whup Bey’s ass for singer her song. Like is “At Last” the only song she has. Sing something else homey. That played years ago for real.
Please, she knows shes lying.
so sad to see a supposed legend aging less than gracefully by begrudging the talent and success of a young black woman. it is inarguable that the president and first lady like beyonce and chose her for such an auspicious ocassion as the inaugural ball. it is also inarguable that beyonce’s performance was stellar. her rendition was beautiful, humble and memorable. it is one thing for many of you youngsters on here to sling venom about beyonce–i mean come on, most of you are still wet behind the ears and silly enough to think your childish rants actually matter. but it’s quite another thing for a “mature” woman with some measure of talent like etta james to not only insult a fellow artist who gave her the highest praise and honor, but to follow that classless act by insulting the President of the United States.
Etta J. let’s face the facts…..You A Hater!
I don’t know what James is mad about because Beyonce didn’t do a good job with this song at all. The song is still “yours.” I am glad that Beyonce’s camp is classy enough to not respond.
BEYONCE is NOT classy. (Id like to live to see how she looks & sounds at age 71. smoking stink ass CIGARS & dancing around half naked all the time, copying peoples moves & stealing peoples songs & music all the time)
OBAMA did not ask her to sing at that Ball. (poppa Knowles simply paid off some folks (as usual), for her to make that appearance–lets be real. And for what? all that exposure & her album is still wack & “Cadilllac Records” FLOPPED at the box office).
People are getting sick of BEYONCE, she needs to sit her ass down for a minute & start FRESH. Give people time to wonder where she went. Give them time to miss her. This should be a lesson to her, even if ETTA was JOKING.
@133
hunny bunny…in this incident, B is the poster child of class…NOT responding 2 ignorant statements made by a bitter old woman shows who the bigger person truly is…as far as B looks and sounds @ 71… I’d say she’ll be just fine…we all see how much good “dancing around half naked all the time” did for Tina Turner, she’s STILL fine as hell (no homo)…
does it really matter who sang the damn song really,and etta needs to get her shit together and get over the fact that beyonce sang a song that etta never even wrote or was the first to sing it or record it to the first black president but beyonce is a copy cat that is true,to be honest i love beyonce’s voice but i just cant stand the type of songs she sings
For all you over sensitive people up in here calling Etta a “hater” and whatever other nonsense, go learn your history on Etta James…this is how she talks…she has never been one to hold her tongue. I guess because we are all so used to these fake ass entertainers now days that it is surprising when we hear someone giving us the real. How the heck could Etta be “jealous” of Beyonce when it is Beyonce that was playing Etta in the movie? I mean seriously, stop it.. Beyonce cool and all, but some of ya’ll sound very young and silly. And before you come at me with all the crazy talk I am Beyonces age saying this.
While I dont agree with Etta saying Beyonce is “going to get her @ss whooped”..I do understand what she is saying. Wether some of you like it or not, that is NOT Beyonces song to go around singing. She played the role in the movie (because she was a producer in the movie and gave herself the role) and thats about it. It looks as if Beyonce was trying to pull a Jennifer Hudson and try to make the song her own..but the difference is when Jennifer Hudson sang “And I am telling you” in Dream Girls…she killed it!! There for, no one had a problem hearing her sing it over and over, because she made it her own and always acknowleged the fact that it was Jennifer Holidays song, and she was just borrowing it. It just looks like it just blew up in Beyonces face is all.
Obama picked a number of entertainers and Beyonce got added on a few weeks or so before the inauguration. They actually wanted to keep it a secret as to what song she would sing, but her people let the cat out the bag (ofcourse) trying to milk it for what its worth. So for everyone making a big deal about her getting picked, know that she wasn’t the only one…hell Jennifer Hudson was one of their first choices, had she been there Beyonce probably wouldn’t have had that role. Some of ya’ll up in here making a big deal out of nothing…SPOUNGE BOB SQUARE PANTS could have sang “At last” that night and no one would have been able to tell the difference because of how big the moment was, everyone was fixated on the President and first lady and nothing else.
I think Beyonce did a good job and seemed very moved by the moment…I also thought it was the perfect song for that moment, but people up in here disrespecting Etta James need their asses whooped…if it wasn’t for Etta, Beyonce wouldn’t be singing the song period. As ive said, I may not agree with the way she delivered her opinions, but I have enough commen sense to understand that while it may have been ok to Etta that Beyonce sang the song in the movie, but maybe she is getting a little irritated with Beyonce trying to sing that song everywhere..especially at a big event like this. But then again, what was Beyonce really going to sing? “Put a ring on it”?
Oh and P.S….I was more pissed at what Etta said about President Obama then that nonsense about Beyonce. As soon as I heard her say that about the President I was like “What”?!! LMAO!!!!
Etta James is crazy (is some of you would actually look up music history you would know this)…she stay saying crazy sh*t. LOL!
she not funny but she said was
Why do people keep casting this girl in movies. If I was Etta I would die having someone with no acting talent portray me.
Sure she was kidding…she a lyin ass.. anyways why didnt she sing her own song anyways?? i love beyonce and dont know etta but i would have been annoyed too
i think Etta James needs to be ashamed of her dried up old self.. black people never seem to amaze me with this ingrained hatred we seem to have for one another.. its not Beyonce’s vault no one invited her to sing her song at last at the inauguration for Obama and Michelle’s first dance, and her being 71 yrs old she would not have been able to sing that song like she did back in the dog on 50′s anyway.. i know beyonce is so hurt that this tired ass dried up dope fiend would say she cant stand her!!! she meant exactly what she said.. she probably was always jealous of beyonce .. just because shes old doesnt mean shes above being petty and jealous of younger beautiful woman like beyonce and others who look like bey.. she looks at beyonce and remembers when she was once a young woman and shes mad about it.. she needs to sit her bitter old self down somewhere.. her words were dripping with contempt and jealousy and deep down hatred.. beyonce did a beautiful job of singing for Obama and Michelle’s first dance!!! it was such a beautiful moment between those 2 dancing and gazing into each others eyes that moment showed the world a very tender moment between husband and wife you could tell by the look in Obama’s eyes hes so in love with Michelle and ill always remember it forever and Etta should’ve of been proud that Beyonce did her song justice.. she has no class shame or pride.. and black folks are just as happy that a black women (etta) would say something like this out loud for white folks to hear and there talking about her like a dog saying to each other “why are black people so mean and jealous of each other and why cant they be happy for each other when one makes it” etc… my grandma told me all about etta and she said she was gutter as hell on drugs and had the worst mouth on the planet she was classless trifling and a whore who slept with so many men she could give a prostitute on the stroll a run for her money.. Etta get a life and leave beyonce alone!!! at least she earned her fame+ fortune the good old fashioned way unlike yourself..
also for all the people saying Beyonce don’t write her own music get real , bey writes own music and so what she borrows and a few lines + hooks from other artist. and has other writers help her that’s there job but beyonce can claim the song if she came up with the concept. if my memory serves me correct mary j remade Anita bakers song and a whole lot of other songs and mary doesnt write her own music but alot of you like her saying how shes paid her dues and how “real” she is ans keeps it and blah blah blah..how many people still give Mary props .. Lauren hill remade killing me softly and that was written by Roberta flack both versions were beautiful.. biggie’s one more chance was borrowed from Debarge and Ashanti also used the hook to make her song foolish it goes on and on.. stars from back in the day remade songs they liked from the people they liked that’s what artist did back in the days..its called a” repeat” or remake of there favorite songs!!! just like fashion..what was hot back then is now hot again.. people hate Beyonce because of good ole fashioned jealousy !!!! she hasnt done anything to any black women to get as much hate as she does and “hate” is a very strong word to use against a women none of you know personally..Beyonce is a talented young woman who’s living her life the way she wants and it seems to bother people.. shes a true talent and she deserves everything she has in her life from money to fame .. she deserves it!!!!!!!! Jennifer Hudson had to give jennifer holiday her props because that song “i’m am telling you i’m not going” gave Jennifer her career “At Last” didnt make beyonce famous she already was!!!!! beyonce owes the lord upstairs for her beautiful voice+ natural talent+beauty not Etta Aretha or any other artist young or old !!!!! because before Aretha there was MAHALIA JACKSON and she was the best to do it and she damn sure could out sing Aretha on any given day my grandma used to go see her all the time and said her voice was something to behold.. i don’t hear Aretha bowing down to her or any one else. tina turner is the queen of rock and roll because she is and she damn sure would shake her ” TAIL FEATHER” all over the stage that’s what she known for aside for singing her tail off. Diana Ross is called “the boss” why because she is!!! no other artist could portray Billie holiday nor sing like her like Diana Ross did in lady sings the blues which is one of my favorite movies!!! black women need to stop ripping Beyonce apart and start up lifting her why? because shes one of our own!!!!!!!! when will black people ever learn.. unity in numbers = strong and powerful!!!!! hateful and separate from one another = weak and at the bottom of the damn barrel…