Fats Domino – I Want To Walk You Home

This man could take any song and make it his own. He must have loved walking… he had hits with I’m Walkin’, Did You Ever See A Dream Walking?, Walking To New Orleans, and this song I Want To Walk You Home. It was written by Fats Domino and produced by his long-time collaborator Dave Bartholomew. It peaked at #8 on the Billboard 100 and #1 on the Billboard R&B Charts. 

Antoine “Fats” Domino Jr. was not flashy and wild like some of his 1950s peers such as Elvis, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The first I heard of Fats Domino was on “Happy Days” and the song Blueberry Hill. I was at a relative’s yard sale when I was a kid and was given his and Chuck Berry’s greatest hits. My Aunt never knew how much those two records would influence me. 

Domino was the youngest of eight children in a musical family, he spoke Creole French before learning English. At age 7 his brother-in-law taught him how to play the piano. By the time he was 10, he was already performing as a singer and pianist.

Fat’s first hit in the Billboard 100 was the great “Aint That A Shame” in 1955 written by  Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew which peaked at #16 and his last charting song was a cover of the Beatles’s “Lady Madonna”(great version) that peaked at #100 in 1968. He had 45 songs in the top 100 and 4 top 10 hits…many more top 10 hits in the R&B Charts.

He lived in New Orleans During Hurricane Katrina, he lost most of his possessions and he and his family were rescued by the Coast Guard. He unselfishly made many personal appearances to raise money for the hurricane relief. His house was hit hard and he lost his National Medal and gold records but George Bush gave him another medal to replace the lost one and the RIAA gave him replacement gold records.

To raise money for repairs for his own home, friends and fellow musicians recorded a tribute album, Goin’ Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino, featuring Robert Plant, Elton John, Paul McCartney, and more. He was living in New Orleans at the time of his death on October 24, 2017.

He was a huge influence on The Beatles, Elton John, Robert Plant, and Randy Newman. Elvis even called Fats “The King”…a well-deserved title. 

I Want To Walk You Home

I want to walk you homePlease let me walk you homeI wants to walk you homePlease let me walk you homeYou look so good to me, oh-ooh-eeI wish I was the lucky guy who could walk you right on down the aisle

I love the way you walkI love to hear you talkI love the way you walkI love to hear you talkI’m not tryin’ to be smart, I’m not tryin’ to break your heartBut if I ask you for a date, will you tell me that I’m not too late

I want to hold your handPlease let me hold your handI want to hold your handPlease let me hold your handYou look so good to me, oo-ooee

I saw you walking all alone, that’s why I want to walk you home

So let me walk you homePlease let me walk you homeI want to walk you homePlease let me walk you homeYou look so good to me, oh-ooh-eeI saw you walking all alone, that’s why I want to walk you homeThat’s why I want to walk you home, that’s why I want to walk you homeThat’s why I want to walk you home

…

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

35 thoughts on “Fats Domino – I Want To Walk You Home”

  2. One good thing about the pop charts in those days is that we were exposed to more types of music than we realized. Did I know about New Orleans piano players? No, but I heard them.

    Thanks for not mentioning Pat Boone. Sorry I did. He was as white bread as they came and had a #1 hit with his rendition of “Ain’t That a Shame”. All I can say about that is ain’t that a shame? Did he bring more exposure to Fats? Did he share the wealth with him? Maybe.

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    1. Yea I try to stay away from Boone…. one thing my dad taught me was that Little Richard equals greatness…Pat Boone equaled boredom….I’ve told this story too many times but I’m proud to say my Dad got into a fight with Boone and supposedly won….when they were in high school….so I really embrace that legacy.

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  3. Some great music in there. He is among my favorites of the early, 1950s rock pioneers. I forgot he lived until so recently. New Orleans is supposed to be a good city to see by foot, so you may be right – maybe he liked walking a lot!

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    1. When I think of 1950s music he is the first one usually to come to mind. Happy Days helped that a lot as well with Blueberry Hill being played so much.

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  7. Pingback: Fats Domino – I Want To Walk You Home – MobsterTiger

  8. One of many great songs as you say and certainly a lot of walking! Fats did publicly thank Pat Boone, he said he made a lot from the royalties. Personally I am not a fan of Boone’s music either!

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  11. Fats Domino just makes me happy. The man had an amazing ability to deliver songs, which always puts me at ease.

    And, yes, I completely agree that unlike Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis, Domino wasn’t flashy at all! Just to be clear, I love Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis, especially his early rock & roll period. But at the end of the day, it’s not about being flashy. It’s about how you deliver a song. There’s a reason Domino was so beloved among many other music artists.

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      4. I gotcha dude! We are getting ready for a lot of snow! Well for us…3-6 inches for us…is lke over a foot to you guys lol.

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  14. In the early 2000s, when I was living in Georgia, I bought the “Fats Domino’s Greatest Hits” CD at an improbable place, an auto parts store. I remember this song was part of that CD. Good memories, I miss America.

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