“Where Was He”

Ray Charles’ R&B song “Where Was He” from 1974 is an exact replica of Jimmy Lewis’ original from the year before. The track finds Ray warning a woman that her new man may not be all she believes him to be, and reminding her of all the times he has been there for her and helped her out.

“Where Was He” is the third song on Side 2 of Ray’s Come Live With Me album, released in January 1974. Jimmy Lewis’ version (and he wrote the song, too) appeared as the B-side of his single “Stop Half Loving These Women”.

Both versions have a quick pace and a ticky-ticky guitar adding a big dose of funk to the groove. The overriding feature of “Where Was He”, besides Ray’s animated and expressive singing, is the female singers who are mixed very high, making the recording a peculiar duet of sorts. They make the track sparkle and give it its delightful sing-along melodicism.

Jimmy Lewis, a long-time collaborator and contributor of Ray’s, often chose topics for his songs centering around a relationship, but usually one small, specific aspect of one. “Where Was He” (note that Ray dropped Jimmy’s question mark) follows in the tradition of his classic storytelling man/woman songs, with its detailed lists of arcane things the man has done for this woman (including donating blood for a medical procedure she needed).

Jimmy Lewis’ original version of “Where Was He?” was a 1973 B-side.

Another aspect of the lyrics that makes “Where Was He” a classic Lewis tune is the comical self-importance of the man singing them – and his lack of self-awareness. He tries to come off as merely trying to dispassionately help, not for his benefit for hers. Attempting to persuade her with a logical argument instead of addressing the emotion of her leaving. Clearly this is unconvincing, but he barrels through anyway. The listener can’t know whether his words are having the effect he wants on the woman, but one suspects they aren’t.

“Where Was He” fades after less than three minutes, and although it’s a fine piece of tight, enjoyable R&B, with a super-cool bass line that’s wisely mixed high, three minutes is about all it really needs. The chords are simple, the message is funny, and Ray and his band play it with impressive, well-practiced ease. Having accomplished everything they came to do, they finish up and move on.

Listen to “Where Was He”

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