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B.B. King — Is You, Or Is You Ain't My Baby (w/ Dr. John)
Album: Let The Good Times Roll
Avg rating:
7.3

Your rating:
Total ratings: 579









Released: 0
Length: 3:20
Plays (last 30 days): 0
I got a gal that's always late
Every time we have a date
But I love her
Yes I love her

I'm gonna walk right up to her gate
And see if I can get it straight
Cause I want her
I'm gonna ask her

Is you is or is you ain't my baby?
The way you're actin' lately makes me doubt
Yous is still my baby-baby
Seems my flame in your heart's done gone out
A woman is a creature that has always been strange
Just when you're sure of one
You find she's gone and made a change
Is you is or is you ain't my baby
Maybe baby's found somebody new
Or is my baby still my baby true?

Is you is or is you ain't my baby?
The way you're actin' lately makes me doubt
Yous is still my baby-baby
Seems my flame in your heart's done gone out
A woman is a creature that has always been strange
Just when you're sure of one
You find she's gone and made a change
Is you is or is you ain't my baby
Maybe baby's found somebody new
Or is my baby still my baby true?
Comments (89)add comment


"Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" is a song written by Louis Jordan and Billy Austin. The song's first recording, by Jordan, was made on October 4, 1943.

 Andybob wrote:
They both sound tired on this one. Besides as covers of this tune go you can't beat Joe Jackson's version on Jumpin' Jive.

 
Yeah, well, it was still nice to hear them stretch out on a standard no matter how, um, assembled. Agree re Jackson's cover. Smokes. So does he.
How many times does a great song need to be covered until it's totally ruined.. its like that South Park episode where Harrison Ford gets raped over and over again. 
They both sound tired on this one. Besides as covers of this tune go you can't beat Joe Jackson's version on Jumpin' Jive.
Like many others below, I automatically think of Tom & Jerry when I hear any version of this song...
 xtalman wrote:
Sad to hear the BB maybe milking it a little too long.  I guess a recent show was a disaster.  

/Saw BB about 15 years ago.  Was an excellent show.
 

 
That's just bull -  BB and the Dr. are legend
 
Sad to hear the BB maybe milking it a little too long.  I guess a recent show was a disaster.  

/Saw BB about 15 years ago.  Was an excellent show.
 
{#Bananapiano}
This is just  - classic. Whether or not this is your exact cup of tea, you cannot deny the genius and charm.
B.B. King in Toronto on Oct 10 2013 at Massey Hall.  The best venue (and maybe the oldest) in Canada !
 

 
I am not a fan of big band sound, but this is not bad!


Go Tom Go...  Jerry can be such an old man (or mouse) sometimes.
Oh yeah, I is.
{#Hug}
Are you or are you not. But hey, who's splitting hairs?
 fredriley wrote: 

The Tom & Jerry version's pretty fun :o)
 
Oh yes! I'd forgotten how brilliant that was!  Thanks so much for sharing that! 
 lmic wrote:
Please Bill, the Louis Jordan version! {#Pray}
 
The Tom & Jerry version's pretty fun :o)

I love this song, no matter who does it. The interplay between Mr. King and Dr. John is wonderful, though - lots of witty ad-libs. {#Clap}
I is!
Please Bill, the Louis Jordan version! {#Pray}
 Jacksonstat wrote:
bump :)
 
This was my first exposure to this song.  Glad I'm not alone.
My favorite is Dinah Washington's version on the Verve Remixed compilation

What, no more plays for the better one, the one by the real guy, the guy who really did it?

This version — RP's apparently preferred substitute — is incomprehensible butchery.


 Jacksonstat wrote:

 
This is right up there with the Bjork - Puff Daddy quote from Smackdaddy

Oh, had I only listened to the cries of the old masters....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIOmzsiecuA
Cool arrange and dialogue. This is how t king ought . His solo act is arthritic, sad but true
neckbone wrote:
Nice. First thing I thought of when I heard this.
How funny. Nice to see someone else thinks like i do. First thing I thought of was Tom.
neckbone wrote:
Nice. First thing I thought of when I heard this.
me too! T&J my favorite cartoons ever.
IZ SHE IZ, O IZ SHE AINT, MY BABY
Excellent song for a Friday morning. Bill---you rock! Fantastic play list.
Sublime
Jacksonstat wrote:
Nice. First thing I thought of when I heard this.
This is cool:)
Wow, RP is on a huge a roll. Tuned in an hour or so ago and it's been all it should be. Programming is a craft. Bill, you the man.
...A woman is a creature that has always been strange Just when you're sure of one, you find she's gone and made a change ... Yes, I (have to...) agree strongly!
bump :) Jacksonstat wrote:
overlord wrote:
bwaahahahaha God I love the part where he plucks out the baseline on Spike's lower lip. Classic!
LOVE IT! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSe_CiG2A_M
Dull Dull Dull just because you're a couple of blues greats, doesn't mean you can sing anything...they must have been having a slow day in the boondocks
lunar1963 wrote:
I prefer Joe Jackson on his Jump 'n' Jive album
Agreed! Jumpin' Jive is a great album; it was about 15 years too early for the swing revival.
DebateG wrote: bwaahahahaha God I love the part where he plucks out the baseline on Spike's lower lip. Classic!
pweverka wrote:
This doesn't really seem to be B.B.'s thing . . .
I have to agree. I prefer Louis Jordan's version - in the RP library but not played since October '05?
This doesn't really seem to be B.B.'s thing . . .
pomalley wrote:
Joe Jackson does this cover of Lewis Jordan's song better than anyone. Check out Jumpin Jive, Joe's best album. I think Lewis Jordan did this orignally.... no?
Yes, Mr. Jordan did. Is the title is, or is it ain't, still missing a word?
rgrace wrote:
Incredible stamina by the guitar-playing cat there....
Damn straight
lunar1963 wrote:
I prefer Joe Jackson on his Jump 'n' Jive album
That was a great album and impressively, about 10 years ahead of the 1990s swing fad. :-D Glad I am not alone on that.
suddenchad wrote:
Says who? They're artists, not contractors.
Says the Artists Producing Crap Department- they have the power to revoke Artistic Licenses, dontcha know? If it weren't for artists producing crap, would we have had Picasso and Pollock, or the Beatles White Album, or Schoenbergs 12-tone-rows? Would we have had Stravinsky's Rite of Spring or anything by Mahler? All considered crap by somebody at something, yet it propels us along the line artistically speaking.
Joe Jackson does this cover of Lewis Jordan's song better than anyone. Check out Jumpin Jive, Joe's best album. I think Lewis Jordan did this orignally.... no?
dwa375 wrote:
Past success does not grant permission to turn out crap.
Says who? They're artists, not contractors.
This was alright until Dr. John kicked in...not that I wholesale dislike Dr. John, but in this context? Meh.
I wonder if she replied, "I's is".
rgrace wrote:
Incredible stamina by the guitar-playing cat there....
Well you know he's on the X, right?
Jacksonstat wrote:
Incredible stamina by the guitar-playing cat there....
I was off from work yesterday and was lying on the couch watching TV (that's what you're supposed to do when you call in 'sick' right?) and flipped to the Cartoon Network just as this cartoon was airing... it made my day :)
yes, but what about Scraming Jay Hawkins' version? Faaar superior, IMHO
Jacksonstat wrote:
WAAAAAAYYY to funny!!! If it weren't for that cartoon, I would never have heard this tune!!
second song in a row (put a lid on it was the last one) to have a swing-dance rhythm. nice!
This song is a classic in New Orleans. I used to hear different versions of it on the radio all the time when I was growing up there. And Dr. John's voice is the essence of New Orleans music.
Jacksonstat wrote:
Platypus wrote:
always reminds me of that Tom & Jerry episode...
God that's a classic. Tex Avery was an unqualified genius.
kaupmees wrote:
The title of this Louis Jordan song is Is you is or is you ain't my baby. An is is missing, is it ain't?
I thought so, too, but figured I'd made a mistake. Google says you're right.
The title of this Louis Jordan song is Is you is or is you ain't my baby. An is is missing, is it ain't?
PLEASE! I want to hear "Linus & Lucy" now... please please!
oh yeah! this beats 10,000 maniacs any day of the week! love when rp gets bluesy
Strange... women... what ever is he talking about?
str8nochaser wrote:
As much as I dig B.B. and the Docta, this ain't their milieu...gimme some Dinah Washington or Sarah Vaughn on this tune any day. I implore you, B.B., please get back to treatin' Lucille right and Dr. Jizzohn, please gits back home to Nawlins and gimme some o' dat good ol' Iko Iko stuff.
AMEN!!
Having not heard any other version, I find this pretty cool.
I agree. I never thought I would hear something from either of these two, particularly B.B., that would deserve less than a 7. But somehow you managed to find it, Bill !!! This song is just so much better by loads of other famous and not so famous artists.
I prefer Joe Jackson on his Jump 'n' Jive album
Someone else's version is funnier and faster. Aha, below, others mention the same thing. But even then, I have to be in an extreme mood to find bad grammar funny. Our society has reached such a low point that pro-grammar statements seem to require attendant apology or be considered "unacceptable"!
Platypus wrote:
always reminds me of that Tom & Jerry episode...
That was the first thing that came to my mind, too!!
This seems to be the start of a set: B.B. King & Dr. John - Is You, Or Is You Ai... Squirrel Nut Zippers - Put A Lid On It They both have that descending minor scale in the bass. Like Feeling Good.
As much as I dig B.B. and the Docta, this ain't their milieu...gimme some Dinah Washington or Sarah Vaughn on this tune any day. I implore you, B.B., please get back to treatin' Lucille right and Dr. Jizzohn, please gits back home to Nawlins and gimme some o' dat good ol' Iko Iko stuff.
Past success does not grant permission to turn out crap.
The real recording was played on RP just the other day. And now we hear this one. Oh, well . . .
Great song done by one of the all time greats. thanks Bill, ths brought a smile to my face this morning. lovin the King!
Bodhisattva wrote:
Nice segue from Squirrel Nuts... :highfive:
again... but a good transition nonetheless.....
lysdexic wrote:
Great tune. Like the Joe Jackson version better though. Much less loungy...
Ya, this is too slick by half.
What I like is BB playing inside a song instead of the "BB lick" that dominates all his blues stuff.
lysdexic wrote:
Great tune. Like the Joe Jackson version better though. Much less loungy...
Second that. Joe puts more energy into it.
cool. i have the Bing Crosby of this. I like it
Nice segue from Squirrel Nuts... :highfive.gif:
Captn_Pea wrote:
Nice Tune.... The King and The Dr. not bad.. Good stuff. :D
Ditto!
Wow! The Dr. and B.B. King together! Who'da thought?
Platypus wrote:
always reminds me of that Tom & Jerry episode...
Indeed. Now we need someone to upload Roy Rogers singing "If you're ever down in Texas, look me up"!
always reminds me of that Tom & Jerry episode...
Great tune. Like the Joe Jackson version better though. Much less loungy...
Nice Tune.... The King and The Dr. not bad.. Good stuff. :D
I don\'t care if it\'s B.B. King. It sounds like bad old lounge music and I don\'t like it.