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.
Guilty
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, yeah, honest I do
But I'm guilty, baby
Of being untrue
What you heard
Through the grapevine
Every word is true
I'm guilty, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm guilty, guilty, guilty
Baby, I'm, guilty of this crime
Don't condemn me
Or cast me aside
Cause I'm gonna be good to you
Loving you is more
More important than
Your foolish pride
Ooh, just put me on probation
Loving you is more
Yeah, than infatuation
I'm guilty, yeah
Ooh, I'm guilty
But listen
Don't condemn me
Baby, baby, baby
Or cast me aside, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Loving you is more important
Than your foolish pride
All you got to do is
Just put me on probation
Loving you is more
Yeah, than infatuation
Cause I'm guilty
I'm so guilty, guilty
Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Al Green's song "Guilty" is a sentimental and introspective song of confession, where the singer admits to being disloyal in his relationship, but also pleads to be given another chance to make things right. The singer begins by expressing his love for his partner, but admits to being "guilty" of being "untrue." He then acknowledges that what his partner had heard through the grapevine was true and that he is solely to blame.
The chorus of the song reiterates the singer's guilt and plea for forgiveness. He asks not to be condemned or cast aside and promises to be good to his partner. He also notes that his love for her is more important than her pride and asks to be put on probation, implying that he fully acknowledges the severity of his wrongdoing and is willing to work to regain her trust.
Through its powerful message and its soulful delivery, "Guilty" conveys a powerful expression of regret and desire for redemption, and it's no wonder why it has become a classic ballad for many music lovers across generations.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh, girl, I love you
The singer confesses his love to a female person.
Yeah, yeah, honest I do
The singer emphasizes that he is telling the truth about his feelings for the female person.
But I'm guilty, baby
Of being untrue
The singer admits to cheating on the female person.
What you heard
Through the grapevine
Every word is true
And the blame's all mine, y'all
The artist acknowledges that rumors about his infidelity are true and takes full responsibility for the wrongdoing.
I'm guilty, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm guilty, guilty, guilty
Baby, I'm, guilty of this crime
The artist repeats his guilt and emphasizes that he is guilty of a serious offense.
Don't condemn me
Or cast me aside
Cause I'm gonna be good to you
The singer begs for forgiveness and promises to treat the female person well in the future.
Loving you is more
More important than
Your foolish pride
The singer expresses that his love for the female person is more important than her pride, and asks her to forgive him.
Ooh, just put me on probation
Loving you is more
Yeah, than infatuation
The artist suggests being put on probation as punishment, and professes his love is deeper than just an infatuation.
I'm guilty, yeah
Ooh, I'm guilty
But listen
The artist repeats his guilt but asks the female person to listen to what he has to say.
Don't condemn me
Baby, baby, baby
Or cast me aside, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Loving you is more important
Than your foolish pride
The artist repeats his plea for forgiveness and declares that his love is stronger than her pride.
All you got to do is
Just put me on probation
Loving you is more
Yeah, than infatuation
The singer reiterates his suggestion of being put on probation while affirming his love is more than just infatuation.
Cause I'm guilty
I'm so guilty, guilty
Guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty
Oh, oh, oh, oh
The artist repeats his guilt, implying that it weighs heavily on him.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CHARLIE DANIELS, KENT EVAN BLAZY, KIM WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gu Rue
My mothers favorite she moved on, and I continue to listen to it for her. A true master piece.
fra bel
The best singer ,the song emotion ,romantic,the Voice is gorgeous
Mark Birkes
So so true !
A.rthur Lovejoy
Al just coast through this one with very little vocal efforts although still very smoothly effective. Love this song by Al Green.
Rosemary Hatter
It doesn't get any better than this! What can I say? Mr.Fine Al Green at his best! Guilty Guilty Guilty
Cathleen Diaz
Love this to death! My most favorite song.....
Krista Shontee
Cathleen Diaz yes beautiful
Byron Darensburg
This came out in my teen age days in the 70's. Good memories.
Derrick Sutton
love this cut by Al I used to burn it all the time on the jukebox at my aunts restaurant in NYC in the summer of 72
Pearl Sanders
That's cool,I was in NewYork also,when this came out,one my favorites by AlGreene maybe we were at the Restaurant at the same time.lol