Song · Etta James
“At Last” by Etta James
From the album The Heart of a Woman (1999)
“At Last” by Etta James appears on 16 radio countdowns from 7 stations between 2001 and 2026. It was first released in 1999 on the album The Heart of a Woman. Its best result is #15 on the WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #76 indie & aaa song of all time.
Watch
Video from YouTube (Etta James - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"At Last" was already an old standard when Etta James got hold of it in 1960. Mack Gordon and Harry Warren wrote it for the 1941 film Sun Valley Serenade, where Glenn Miller's orchestra had it first, but James made it hers for good. Riley Hampton's arrangement opened up Warren's melody, and she sings the thing like a woman who has waited her whole life and can barely believe the wait is over.
It became the title track of her debut album At Last!, a slow-burning blend of soul, blues and old-fashioned pop balladry, and the Grammy Hall of Fame took it in in 1999.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 15 | WFPK | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2000 |
| 2004 | 45 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) | 885 |
| 2007 | 57 | WTMD | WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time | 897 |
| 2009 | 509 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Essential Songs | 913 |
| 2009 | 66 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) | 885 |
| 2012 | 24 | WYEP | WYEP Top 500 Songs Countdown | 500 |
| 2014 | 36 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) | 885 |
| 2018 | 38 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs | 892 |
| 2019 | 360 | WYEP | WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 | 1099 |
| 2019 | 360 | WYEP | WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 | 1017 |
| 2020 | 44 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2021 | 52 | WYEP | WYEP 2021 Labor Day Countdown | 168 |
| 2023 | 374 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time | 909 |
| 2023 | 391 | WYEP | WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 | 1229 |
| 2024 | 406 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs | 850 |
| 2026 | 171 | WYEP | WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time | 1180 |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "At Last" by Etta James.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.