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.
Hangin' On
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, in my heart, baby, I'm for real
It's just the way I am as you can see
But is this love between you and me?
It's all because of you
I keep hangin' on, just keep hangin' on
'Cause I still belong to someone like you
Just because, oh baby, just because
I love you, you know I do
People like to talk, good and bad
In my heart, I know it makes me sad
I can't understand the little mistake
I'm not ? just to give and take
It's all because of you
I keep hangin' on, just keep hangin' on
I still belong to someone like you
I don't know what to do
Just be, oh, it's just because, baby
Just because, just because
I love you, know I do
I keep hangin' on, just keep hangin' on
Baby, it's just because
I have to cry, it'sjust because I love you
Tell the world I do
I'm trying to be one man
It's all because I love you
Tell the world I do
Let me say one thing
I keep hangin' on
Just keep hangin' on
I still belong to someone like you
I don't know what to do
Deep down in my heart
I say I love you
Tell the world I do
There's just one more thing
I gotta be
Al Green's song "Hangin' On" is a soulful ballad that explores the complex emotions of a man in love. The song's opening lyrics set the tone for the rest of the track, with Green expressing his confusion over the feelings of someone he cares about deeply.
The lines "I can't understand the way you feel / Well, in my heart, baby, I'm for real" suggest that Green is struggling to comprehend why his love interest is acting coldly towards him, despite his genuine feelings for her. He goes on to say "But is this love between you and me?" acknowledging that he's questioning whether they share the same level of emotional investment in each other.
Despite all of this uncertainty, Green still finds himself "hangin' on" to his affection for this person. He sings "It's all because of you / I keep hangin' on, just keep hangin' on / 'Cause I still belong to someone like you / I don't know what to do". These lines are repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the theme of the persistence of love, even when things are difficult.
The chorus of the song, "Just because, oh baby, just because / I love you, you know I do", is a straightforward declaration of the singer's feelings. He's not sure if his love interest reciprocates these emotions, but he's putting it all on the line anyway.
Overall, "Hangin' On" is a powerful and honest portrayal of the complexities of love and relationships. Green's soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics make it a standout track in his discography.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't understand the way you feel
I'm having trouble understanding your emotions
Well, in my heart, baby, I'm for real
I genuinely care about you
It's just the way I am as you can see
This is just my personality
But is this love between you and me?
I'm not sure if what we have is love
It's all because of you
My feelings are because of you
I keep hangin' on, just keep hangin' on
I'm trying to hold on to our relationship
'Cause I still belong to someone like you
I don't want to be with anyone else but you
I don't know what to do
I'm uncertain about how to proceed
Just because, oh baby, just because
My feelings are simply because of you
I love you, you know I do
I care about you deeply
People like to talk, good and bad
Others judge us, both positively and negatively
In my heart, I know it makes me sad
It upsets me to hear what others say
I can't understand the little mistake
I'm having a hard time understanding a mistake that was made
I'm not ? just to give and take
I'm not here just to take from the relationship
Just be, oh, it's just because, baby
I simply am because of you
I keep hangin' on, just keep hangin' on
I'm struggling to hold onto us
Baby, it's just because
It's because of my love for you
I have to cry, it's just because I love you
My emotions are overwhelming because of my love for you
Tell the world I do
I want everyone to know how much I love you
I'm trying to be one man
I'm trying to be the best version of myself for you
Deep down in my heart
In the depths of my emotions
I say I love you
My feelings for you are strong
There's just one more thing
I have one final message
I gotta be
I need to be true to myself in this relationship
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALLEN TOUSSAINT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@glenmanson963
one of my favorite al green songs. love this man music
@randywilliams5042
One of my favorites All Green songs
@CEH4978
Summer school mornings before I left for summer school I would play this song on my stereo 1975
@squelchers
Hi records must have been in a coma in the ‘70s, they should of release this 7” 45 single
A side "Hanging On"
B side "The City"
let’s go how about record day 2022!
@nezreendent546
Fantastic lovely tunes as alwayys
@ronaldparks6447
The absolute best
@andrewwheeler8290
Brother 😎al love ❤️ soul green with hanging on with dreams and visions of beautiful 😍 rhythms and beautiful 🤩 lyrics that will carry on as time goes by we love ❤️ you so much just because of you and your gracious inspirational sounding voice and that’s what’s up 🆙 😘🥰😍😇🎼🎼🎶✋🏿🎺🌹❤️🎧🎹🎼🎤🎷🎻🎺🎸🥁.
@debbiedaniels553
Just ❤️ Beautiful...
@robertaunblack4887
Hangin on because I love you 😍 ❤ 💕
@anthonytilley978
So many good memories listening to any AL Green song.