“Leave Him!”
Song by Ray Charles
Ray addresses a battered woman on 1990’s synth-heavy pop song “Leave Him!” Written by Jimmy Lewis, “Leave Him!” is a direct but loving confrontation from a man concerned about a woman’s treatment at the hands of her hateful, uncaring lover. And it’s not just the physical abuse; the woman is given nothing and doesn’t even had a decent dress to wear. The man doesn’t accept her children; the situation is hopeless as long as she remains with him.
There’s an urgency to the message of this song – “I don’t mean tomorrow, I mean today” sings Ray of the plea in the title. Hence the exclamation mark in the song’s name. “Leave Him!” is atypical for Ray, with its noisy synth bursts and entirely synthetic world, but typical for the Would You Believe? album that it closes.
Listen to “Leave Him!”
Songs on Would You Believe?