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.
All the Time
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes well, I know, I'm over you, baby
Sometimes when I try so hard to bear
Well, I'll do my very best all the time
Do my very best all the time
Sometimes when I smile, hey, hey, I smile for you, baby
Sometimes when I'm down, I'm down for you, baby
Well, I'll do my very best, try to save the rest all the time, oh yeah
Do my very best all the time
Oh, I know, I know I'll do my very best all the time, yeah
I'll do my very best all the time
Oh, I'll do my very best, do my very best
Do my very best, all the time
Do my very best
Do my very best
Do my very best all the time
Do my very best
Do my very best
Come on, come on, yeah
Come on, come on, now, now, now
Oh, yeah
I'll do my very best, every time
Every time, every time I
Do my very best
Try to save the rest
Do my very best
All the time
Do my very best
Try to save the rest
Do my very best
All the time
Do my very best
The lyrics to Al Green's song "All the Time" seem to be about the singer's ongoing struggle to move on from a past relationship. The first verse discusses the conflicting emotions the singer feels when thinking about the person they once loved: sometimes they cry for them and sometimes they feel like they've moved on. The second verse discusses similar emotions but with a different focus: when the singer smiles, it's for the person they used to love, and when they're feeling down, it's because of that same person.
Despite the ongoing emotional turmoil, the singer is determined to keep doing their best all the time. They repeat this phrase throughout the song as a sort of affirmation, reminding themselves that they'll keep trying to move forward even when it's difficult.
Overall, the lyrics of "All the Time" seem to be about the complicated and ongoing process of letting go of a past love. The singer feels a mix of emotions, but ultimately they're committed to doing their best and moving on.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes when I cry, I cry for you, baby
There are times when I cry and it is because of you, my dear.
Sometimes well, I know, I'm over you, baby
There are other times when I know and accept that our time together is over.
Sometimes when I try so hard to bear
Occasionally, I try very hard to deal with the pain and sadness of losing you.
Well, I'll do my very best all the time
Despite the pain and heartache, I promise to always do my best.
Sometimes when I smile, hey, hey, I smile for you, baby
There are moments when I smile and it is because of my love for you.
Sometimes when I'm down, I'm down for you, baby
Other times when I am feeling low, it is because of our separation.
Sometimes when I cry, so hard to bear
When I cry and it is almost unbearable, it is usually because of our distance.
Well, I'll do my very best, try to save the rest all the time, oh yeah
Despite the constant struggle, I'll always strive to do my best, even when the rest of my world is falling apart.
Oh, I know, I know I'll do my very best all the time, yeah
I am aware that I don't always succeed, but I will always give it my all.
Oh, I'll do my very best, do my very best
I will keep trying my hardest no matter what.
Do my very best, all the time
I will carry on doing everything I can, every day, all the time.
Come on, come on, yeah
Let's keep moving forward together.
Come on, come on, now, now, now
We can't afford to waste any time, let's push on.
Oh, yeah
We will face the struggles together.
I'll do my very best, every time
Every time we face these difficulties, I'll be there doing everything I can to overcome them.
Every time, every time I
No matter how many times it happens, I promise to always put forth my best effort.
Try to save the rest
I will try to hold onto whatever is left and salvage the situation.
Do my very best
I will never give up, I will always keep pushing forward.
All the time
Every single day and moment, I will give it my all.
Do my very best
I will never let you down, I will always give it my all.
Try to save the rest
I will work hard to make the best of what we have left.
Do my very best
I will always put forth my best effort.
All the time
No matter what, I will always keep doing my best.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AL L. GREEN, BOBBY MANUEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Celia Webb
Love this song
Celia Webb
Love this song
Paula Palmer
Hell yes!
Robert Freedman
This made me love Al Green! But ITunes doesn't have it!!!
pearlt
Awesome track. Surprised no one else has commented