Ray Charles' version drives on hammering piano and call-and-response. It carries gospel heat onto an R&B beat, and the answering chant of “hey, what I say” builds the fire. Born from an intermission improvisation, the song announced the birth of soul.
Etta James' version is a fiery television performance from the mid-1960s. She takes Ray Charles' call and makes it her own as the queen of soul. It captures soul spreading outward—no longer a corner of R&B but a music all its own.