Green was born in Forrest City, Arkansas. He started performing at age ten in a Forrest City quartet called the Greene Brothers; he dropped the final "E" from his last name years later as a solo artist. They toured extensively in the mid-1950s in the South until the Greenes moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, when they began to tour around Michigan. His father kicked him out of the group because he caught Green listening to Jackie Wilson.
In 1967 at the age of 16, Al formed an R&B group, Al Green & the Creations, with several of his high-school friends. Two Creation members, Curtis Rogers and Palmer James, founded their own independent record company, Hot Line Music Journal, and had the group record for the label. By that time, the Creations had been re-named the Soul Mates. The group's first single, "Back Up Train," became a surprise hit, climbing to number five on the R&B charts early in 1968. The Soul Mates attempted to record another hit, but all of their subsequent singles failed to find an audience. In 1969, Al Green met bandleader and Hi Records vice president Willie Mitchell while on tour in Midland, Texas. Impressed with Green's voice, he signed the singer to Hi Records, and began collaborating with Al on his debut album
He was perhaps the ideal complement to the orchestral, syrupy, strong soul production work of Hi Records wizard Willie Mitchell, who also helmed 70s classics for Syl Johnson, Ann Peebles, and himself.
On October 18, 1974, Mary Woodson, a woman who was his longtime girlfriend, threw a large pot of sticky boiling grits on him as he was preparing to shower, because he didn't want to get married. She committed suicide in minutes, which deeply affected Green to turn to God and religion. This assault from behind caused third-degree burns on his back, stomach and arm. Deeply shaken, Green continued to reaffirm and grow closer to his deeply held love for God, and became an ordained pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Memphis in 1976.
Continuing to record R&B, Green saw his sales start to slip and drew mixed reviews from critics. 1977's The Belle Album was critically acclaimed but did not regain his former mass audience. In 1979 Green injured himself falling off the stage while performing in Cincinnati and interpreted this as a message from God. He then concentrated his energies towards pastoring his church and gospel singing, also appearing in 1982 with Patti Labelle in the Broadway musical Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. According to Glide Magazine, "by the late 70s, he had begun concentrating almost exclusively on gospel music." His first gospel album was The Lord Will Make a Way. From 1981 to 1989 Green recorded a series of gospel recordings, garnering eight "soul gospel performance" Grammys in that period. In 1985, he reunited with Willie Mitchell along with Angelo Earl for He Is the Light, his first album for A&M Records. In 1984, director Robert Mugge released a documentary film, Gospel According to Al Green, including interviews about his life and footage from his church. In 1989, Green released "I Get Joy", again with producer/guitarist Angelo Earl. In 2001, he appeared in the movie and soundtrack of On the Line featuring Lance Bass.
After spending several years exclusively performing gospel, Green began to return to Rhythm & Blues. First, he released a duet with Annie Lennox, "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" for Scrooged, a 1988 Bill Murray film. In 1989 Green worked with producer Arthur Baker writing and producing the international hit "The Message Is Love". In 1991 he created the introductory theme song for the short-lived television series Good Sports featuring Ryan O'Neal and Farrah Fawcett. In 1992, Green recorded again with Baker, the Fine Young Cannibals, and reunited with his former Memphis mix engineer (this time functioning as producer) Terry Manning, to release the album Don't Look Back. His 1994 duet with country music singer Lyle Lovett blended country with R&B, garnering him his ninth Grammy, this time in a pop music category. Green's first secular album in some time was Your Heart's In Good Hands (1995), released to positive reviews but disappointing sales, the same year Green was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2000, Green published Take Me to the River, a book discussing his career. Green received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
In 2001, Green's live cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" was released on the soundtrack to Will Smith's film Ali (the song plays when Muhammad Ali learns of the death of close friend Malcolm X).
By 2003 Green released a non-religious (secular) album entitled I Can't Stop, his first collaboration with Willie Mitchell since 1985's He is the Light. In March 2005 he issued Everything's OK as the follow-up to I Can't Stop. Green also collaborated with Mitchell on this secular CD.
The title of Al Green's latest album Lay It Down released May, 2008, truly tells it like it is. Conceived as a collaboration between the soul legend and a handful of gifted young admirers from the worlds of contemporary R&B and hip hop, the album is drawn from a series of inspired sessions that yielded the most high-spirited, funky and often lushly romantic songs of Green's latter-day career.
The project features the sophisticated R&B voices of singer-songwriters John Legend, Anthony Hamilton and Corinne Bailey Rae, and it was co-produced with Green by two of hip-hop's most innovative players, drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson from the Roots and keyboardist James Poyser , the go-to guy for high-profile artists ranging from Erykah Badu to Common. Add in Brooklyn's celebrated Dap-King Horns (Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse), guitarist Chalmers "Spanky" Alford (Mighty Clouds of Joy, Joss Stone) and bassist Adam Blackstone (Jill Scott, DJ Jazzy Jeff), among others, and you've got a modern soul-music dream team, fronted by the most expressive voice in the business.
098. Love And Happiness
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something that can make you do wrong, make you do right, love
Love and happiness
But wait a minute,
Something's going wrong
Someone's on the phone
Three o'clock in the morning
Well, happiness is when, you really feel good with somebody
But nothing wrong with being in love with someone, yeah
Oh, baby, love and happiness
Love and happiness,
Love and happiness, oh oh
I have to say
Love and happiness (Love and happiness)
Love and happiness (Love and happiness)
You be good to me
I'll be good to you
We'll be together
We'll see each other
Walk away with victory, yeah oh baby,
Love and happiness, (Love and happiness)
Love and happiness (Love and happiness)
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Make you do right, love'll make you do wrong,
Make you come home early,
Make you stay out all night long,
The power of love
Wait a minute,
Let me tell you,
Oh the power, power of love
Power of love, power, power
Make you do right, love'll make you do wrong,
Ha yeah (Love and happiness, love and happiness)
Make you want to dance (Love and happiness, love and happiness)
Make you want to dance
Love and happiness
Love is, wait a minute, love is,
Walkin' together, talkin' together,
Say it again, say it together, yeah
Say wanna moans
Moan for love, hey
Moan for love, hmm
Moan for love
Talkin' 'bout the power
"Love and Happiness" by Al Green is a song that talks about the power of love and happiness. It explains why people do things they normally wouldn't do when these two emotions are present in their lives. In the first few lines, Al Green sings that love and happiness is something that can make you do wrong or right. He then suggests that someone is trying to disrupt that happiness by calling in the middle of the night to make things right. But while love and happiness implies that you feel good with somebody, nothing is wrong with being in love with someone either.
As the song progresses, Al Green reveals that love and happiness can make you do things you never thought you could. Love can make you do right and wrong at the same time, and it can also make you come home early or stay out all night long. The power of love, as we find out, is the reason for all this. It can make you dance, sing, and do things you never thought possible. The song ends with Al Green mentioning the importance of walking and talking together and moaning for love because that's what it's all about.
Line by Line Meaning
Love and happiness, something that can make you do wrong, make you do right, love
Love and happiness are powerful emotions that have the ability to influence our actions and decisions, both positively and negatively.
But wait a minute, something's going wrong, someone's on the phone, three o'clock in the morning, talkin' about how she can make it right, yeah
Despite the positive effects of love and happiness, problems can still arise and disrupt our lives, even in the middle of the night.
Well, happiness is when you really feel good with somebody, but there's nothing wrong with being in love with someone, yeah
True happiness comes from feeling a deep connection and contentment with a partner, while being in love is also an important component of a fulfilling relationship.
Love and happiness, love and happiness, love and happiness, oh oh
Repeatedly mentioning love and happiness emphasizes the importance and impact of these emotions in our lives.
You be good to me, I'll be good to you, we'll be together, we'll see each other, walk away with victory, yeah oh baby, love and happiness
When both partners are kind and supportive of one another, they can overcome any obstacle and come out on top with love and happiness as their reward.
Make you do right, love'll make you do wrong, make you come home early, make you stay out all night long, the power of love
Love has a powerful influence on our behavior, guiding us towards both virtuous and sinful actions, while also giving us a sense of freedom and excitement.
Wait a minute, let me tell you, oh the power, power of love, power of love, power, power
This line emphasizes the incredible, transformative power of love and how it can change our lives in significant ways.
Make you want to dance (love and happiness, love and happiness), make you want to dance, love and happiness
Love and happiness can be so joyful and euphoric that they inspire us to celebrate and express ourselves through dance and other forms of artistic expression.
Love is, wait a minute, love is, walkin' together, talkin' together, say it again, say it together, yeah, say wanna moans, moan for love, hey, moan for love, hmm, moan for love, talkin' 'bout the power
Love is all about being close to one another, sharing your thoughts and feelings, and enjoying sensual pleasures together, all of which come together to create a powerful, transformative energy.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AL GREEN, MABON LEWIS HODGES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sean Ike
The progression and chord choices are not odd if one knows that era of American gospel. All that work you showed on guitar, is what really could be called verse 1. If you go deep enough in soul music and gospel, there's no playing it safe. The performers (not just the singer, but the backing that provides the groove) must give emotional content to the performance (even laying back). These audiences expect it, and songwriters in genre know to give enough room for expression and added meaning that is thus given to the text. THANKS FOR THE VID! btw, just got your audiobook~ Thanks again
Lyonz Cypher
This might be one of the most valuable series of ANYTHING on YT. There's so many videos on creative content creation and production, but none other than this that give common sense approach to breaking down legendary content to help educate and level set the idea of how the great ones understood WHEN to break the rules/norms and how to do so in a way that is commercially pleasing.
Holistic Songwriting
Lyonz Cypher thank you so much. :) means a lot!
ttrystt
Love this new segment of the artist series, it’s cool to get really in depth by spending ten minutes on one song. I do hope the “artist overview” episodes continue as well!
Holistic Songwriting
ttrystt you and me both! I have 3 episodes already uploaded, waiting to be greenlit for fair use :/
ttrystt
Holistic Songwriting copyright in 2019 😑 worth the wait!!
Amber Parrott
This is probably my favorite YouTube channel. Thanks for doing what you do and I'm glad to see frequent updates again!
Бомжиха с Курского Вокзала
Thanks a lot! I'd like to see your analysis of ABBA songs. They have a pretty nice harmonies, bass lines, melodies and so on. Their music inspires me as a songwriter!
RUN YO 24 STAY COMMITTED
This is my overall all time favorite song just hits the soul
Boris Maslakov
Really appreciate you started using an instrument to play chord progressions and show melody. This helps amateurs (like me) to build the clear picture of the song. I think though that piano can be a bit easier to follow in some songs.