"What'd I Say" or "What I Say" is a song divided into two parts released in 1959 and performed by rhythm and blues (R&B) musician Ray Charles. It was improvised one evening late in 1958 when Charles, his orchestra, and backup singers had played their entire set list at a show and still had time left; the response from multiple audiences was so enthusiastic that Charles announced to his producer that he was going to record it.
After his run of R&B hits, this song finally broke Charles into mainstream pop music and itself sparked a new sub-genre of R&B titled soul, finally putting together all the elements that he had been creating since he recorded "I Got a Woman" in 1954. The Gospel influences combined with the sexual innuendo in the song made it not only widely popular but very controversial to both white and black audiences. It earned Ray Charles his first gold record and has been influential.
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