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.
Beware
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Using me in every way, its okay
Times are changing, life is upside down
No reason to cry now, oh, no reason to cry now
Beware of who you listen to
Beware of what you believe
Ain't nothing I can do to you
Friends are the reason for so many breakups and breakdowns
Round town, so many people think that life is so much fun
We've only just begun
Begun to have some fun
Beware of what you listen to
Beware of what you believe
Ain't nothing I can do to you
To make you love me
Beware of who you listen to
Beware of what you believe
Ain't nothing I can do to you
To make you love me, to make you love
me
In these lyrics to Al Green's "Beware," we see him warning listeners to be careful about who they listen to and what they believe, as well as the danger of being used by others. He notes that times are changing and life is upside down, but there's no reason to cry about it. Throughout the song, there's a note of caution and reserve, a sense that Green has been burned before and knows the pain of trusting the wrong people.
The lines "Friends are the reason for so many breakups and breakdowns / Round town, so many people think that life is so much fun / We've only just begun / Begun to have some fun" suggest that sometimes we can be led astray by our friends and peers, and that their idea of "fun" may not be in our best interests. There's also the sense that life is short and we should make the most of it, but that doesn't mean throwing caution to the wind and trusting everyone who comes along.
Overall, "Beware" is a cautionary song, one that warns listeners to be wary of others and to trust their own instincts. It's a reminder that life is full of complexities and dangers, but also that we can find joy and happiness if we're careful and thoughtful in our choices.
Line by Line Meaning
The way people smile and say
The insincere behavior of some people is often accompanied by a fake smile and smooth words.
Using me in every way, its okay
Some people do not mind being used and taken for granted by others.
Times are changing, life is upside down
The world is radically different from how it used to be and everything seems uncertain.
No reason to cry now, oh, no reason to cry now
There is no need to shed tears over the state of the world or personal struggles.
Beware of who you listen to
Be careful about who you trust and take advice from.
Beware of what you believe
Do not believe everything you hear or see without verifying its authenticity or credibility.
Ain't nothing I can do to you
There is no way for me to force you to do anything.
To make you love
To make someone fall in love with me is beyond my control.
Friends are the reason for so many breakups and breakdowns
Sometimes, friends can cause conflicts and problems that lead to the end of relationships.
Round town, so many people think that life is so much fun
There are many people who believe that life is easy and full of enjoyment, usually without acknowledging the struggles of others.
We've only just begun
We are just getting started, there is much more to come.
To make you love me
The artist reiterates that they cannot control or force someone to love them.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AL L. GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Iran Bennett
I love this song...one of all greens that touches me
Mark Herron
Happy Birthday to Rev Al Green 💚 Blessings and Hugs 💖💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕!
AsILearnITeach
That drummer tho 💯
James Hawthorne
When my mind is troubled I read the word and pray about it. It works for me every time. Sometimes I listen to gospel songs and pray while the music plays its relaxing and calm the body. I often read the book of psalm to get understanding and trust in my heart and my soul. Listen up it's people that don't believe they have a soul. Them type of people don't believe in God or the word.
Shirley Swain
Hi
alice jean
♥️!!!
The Rhythm_p4p
When it's everyday life, take care. But when it comes to love,
The Rhythm_p4p
...BEWARE
Jeff Sartain
Super Funk.