I 'd Rather Go Blind - wikipedia I 'd Rather Go Blind `` I 'd Rather Go Blind '' Single by Etta James from the album Tell Mama A-side `` Tell Mama '' B - side `` I 'd Rather Go Blind '' Released 1968 ( 1968 ) Recorded 1967, FAME Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama Genre R&B - rock, soul, blues Length 2 : 32 Label Cadet 5578 Songwriter ( s ) Etta James Ellington Jordan Billy Foster Producer ( s ) Rick Hall `` I 'd Rather Go Blind '' is a blues song written by Ellington Jordan and co-credited to Billy Foster and Etta James. It was first recorded by Etta James in 1967, released in 1968, and has subsequently become regarded as a blues and soul classic. Contents 1 Original version by Etta James 2 Other versions 3 In popular culture 4 References 5 External links Original version by Etta James Etta James wrote in her autobiography Rage To Survive that she heard the song outlined by her friend Ellington `` Fugi '' Jordan when she visited him in prison. She then wrote the rest of the song with Jordan, but for tax reasons gave her songwriting credit to her partner at the time, Billy Foster, singer with doo - wop group The Medallions. Etta James recorded the song at the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. It was included on the album Tell Mama and as the B - side of the single of the same name which made number 10 on the Billboard R&B charts, and number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is also on the 1978 Jerry Wexler - produced album Deep in the Night, but there it is titled `` Blind Girl '' ( track 10 ). Some critics have regarded `` I 'd Rather Go Blind '' as of such emotional and poetic quality that it makes that release one of the great double - sided singles of the period. Critic Dave Marsh put the song in his book The Heart of Rock and Soul : The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Noting that James had recorded the song during a break from heroin addiction, Marsh writes, `` the song provides a great metaphor for her drug addiction and intensifies the story. '' Other versions It has since been recorded by a wide variety of artists, including the blind - from - birth Clarence Carter, on his 1969 album The Dynamic Clarence Carter. Other recordings include those by Little Milton, Chicken Shack, Koko Taylor, Man Man, Rod Stewart, B.B. King, Elkie Brooks, Paul Weller, Trixie Whitley, Ruby Turner, Marcia Ball, Sydney Youngblood, Barbara Lynn and Beyoncé Knowles for the Cadillac Records film soundtrack. The song reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart in 1969 in a version by the British blues band Chicken Shack, featuring Christine Perfect, later to become Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac. The song was also recorded in 1972 for Never a Dull Moment, the fourth album by Rod Stewart. Etta James refers to Stewart 's version favorably in her autobiography, Rage to Survive. A version of the song was UK singer Sydney Youngblood 's third single release, peaking at number 44 on the UK Singles Chart. It also appeared on Now That 's What I Call Music ! 17, before the single was released. Versions have been performed by Paolo Nutini, Australian musician Toby, and American folk singer Holly Miranda. British soul singer Liam Bailey released a home - recorded version of the song with his EP 2am Rough Tracks in 2010. The EP was released on Lioness Records. In 2011, Joe Bonamassa and Beth Hart included the song on their album Do n't Explain. At the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors concert honoring Buddy Guy, Beth Hart received a standing ovation for a rendition of the song accompanied by Jeff Beck on guitar. In 2012, Mick Hucknall recorded the song for his album American Soul. The Allman Brothers performed this song live occasionally with Susan Tedeschi. Tedeschi and Allman Brothers guitarists Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes performed their version of the song at The White House 's Red White and Blues event in 2012. Dua Lipa covered the song in 2017. In popular culture The song is used in the ending credits of the 2016 video game Firewatch. References Jump up ^ `` Ellington Jordan ( Fugi ) Almost Home CD Baby Music Store ''. Cdbaby.com. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Etta James - Tell Mama / I 'd Rather Go Blind ''. Discogs. Retrieved 24 August 2017. Jump up ^ Etta James and David Ritz, Rage To Survive, 1995, ISBN 0 - 306 - 80812 - 9 Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2013 - 09 - 27. Retrieved 2013 - 09 - 24. Jump up ^ `` Etta James - Chart history - Billboard ''. Billboard.com. Retrieved 24 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Etta James - Chart history - Billboard ''. Billboard.com. Retrieved 24 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Deep In The Night ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 20 January 2012. Jump up ^ Matthew Greenwald. `` I 'd Rather Go Blind - Etta James Song Info ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 26. Jump up ^ Marsh, Dave. `` The Heart of Rock and Soul : The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made ''. Da Capo Press. p. 429. Retrieved 31 January 2012. Jump up ^ `` The Dynamic Clarence Carter - Clarence Carter - Songs, Reviews, Credits ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 24 August 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Never a Dull Moment - Rod Stewart - Songs, Reviews, Credits ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 24 August 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` I 'd Rather Go Blind ''. Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 24 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Search for `` i 'd rather go blind '' ``. AllMusic. Retrieved 24 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Paolo Nutini Official Website ''. Paolo Nutini. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Recording by adus2 at 2011 Women 's Red Rock Music Festival ''. Youtube.com. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Do n't Explain - Beth Hart, Joe Bonamassa - Songs, Reviews, Credits ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 24 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` American Soul - Mick Hucknall - Songs, Reviews, Credits ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 24 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` I 'd Rather Go Blind ( song ) ''. Wikia. Retrieved August 9, 2018. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=I%27d_Rather_Go_Blind&oldid=854263142 '' Categories : Etta James songs Sydney Youngblood songs 1967 songs Cadet Records singles 1968 singles Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Edit links This page was last edited on 10 August 2018, at 02 : 21 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who wrote i'd rather go blind lyrics
Answer: Etta James