ETTA JAMES WAS JUST PLAYING…

James told the Daily News Thursday she meant no harm when she poked fun at the President and ripped Beyoncé for her performance of James’ hit “At Last” during the inauguration.“I didn’t really mean anything,” James said. “Even as a little child, I’ve always had that comedian kind of attitude. … That’s probably what went into it.” Still, James acknowledged being miffed she wasn’t invited to perform her signature song for Obama’s first dance with his wife on inauguration night. James said she was “feeling left out of something that was basically mine, that I had done every time you look around.” She said she liked Beyoncé’s performance, but when asked if she thought she could have done better, James answered, “I think so. That’s a shame to say that.”

She went on to say about Beyoncé, “I tell you that woman he had singing for him, singing my song, she gonna get her ass whupped.” James said Thursday she kept the insults rolling only because the crowd was laughing so hard, a reaction that can be heard on a recording. “Nobody was getting mad at me in Seattle,” she said. “They were all laughing, and it was funny.” She said the jokes were “not from a vicious place.”