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.
I’m Still In Love With You
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Being here with you
Being near with you
I can't explain myself
Why I, feel like I do (like I do)
Though it hurt me so
To let you know
When I look in your eyes
How you feel
Let me know that love is really real
Well, it seems to me
That I'm
Wrapped up in your love
Don't you know that I'm
Still in love (still in love, in love with you)
Sho' 'nuff in love with you, yeah
Heaven knows that I'm
Still in love (still in love, in love with you)
Sho' 'nuff in love with you, hey
And I look in your eyes
And all, all the years, I see (I see)
Me lovin' you
And you lovin' me
Well, it seems to me
That I'm so wrapped up in your love
Don't you know that I'm
Still in love (still in love, in love with you)
Sho' 'nuff in love with you, hey
I, I, I
I need you to know that I'm
Still in love (still in love, in love with you)
Sho' 'nuff in love with you
Yeah, I'll try it if you want me too (still in love, in love with you)
I, I, I, I, I
The lyrics to Al Green's "I'm Still in Love With You" reflect the singer's deep emotional attachment to the person he loves. He spends his time thinking about her, and when he's near her, he can't explain the intensity of his feelings. He's aware that confessing his love might cause pain, but he can't help but feel that the love between them is real. When he looks into her eyes, he sees a future where they love each other completely. The verses all convey the same message: he's still in love with her, and he's not afraid to say it.
Line by Line Meaning
Spending my day, thinkin' 'bout you girl
I spend my entire day thinking about you, girl.
Being here with you, being near with you
Being with you and close to you makes me feel complete.
I can't explain myself
I can't find words to explain the way I feel about you.
Why I, feel like I do (like I do)
I don't understand why I feel the way I do about you, but I know it's real.
Though it hurt me so to let you know when I
Although it hurt me to do it, I had to let you know how I feel about you.
Look in your eyes, you want to let me know
I can see in your eyes that you feel the same about me.
How you feel
You want to express to me how you feel about me.
Let me know, that love is really real
You want to confirm that the love between us is genuine and true.
But it seems to me
It appears to me
That I'm, wrapped up in your love
I'm deeply in love with you and can't escape it.
Don't you know that I'm
You should know that I am
Still in love (Still in love, in love with you)
I never stopped loving you, and my feelings for you are still strong.
Sho' 'nuff in love with you, hey
I am definitely in love with you, and nothing can change that.
Heaven knows that I'm
Even the heavens know that I am
And I look in your eyes
When I gaze into your eyes
And all, and all the years I, I see (I see)
I can see all the years to come with you by my side.
Me lovin' you and you lovin' me
We will love each other for all eternity.
Well it seems to me
It appears to me
That I'm so wrapped up in your love
I am completely consumed by your love and can't imagine life without it.
Hey I tried, in love with you, I, I
I tried to fight my feelings for you, but I am in love with you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Willie Mitchell, Al L. Green, Al Jr. Jackson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Ruth-vb3sx
Friday 2/28/2020 I just put away first & only True Love. He passed on his B-day Mon. Feb. 10, 2020. We married July 23rd, 1975, right after my 18th b-day. My b-day is July 18. We had good times & hard times. But, he left this Earth knowing I loved him from the beginning & I loved him to the end. I keep crying cause I think of the good & the bad times. I was hoping & praying to have my husband, my sons father for another 3 years. He promised he would be here. He was greatly ill. I MISS HIM SO, though I know for certain I will see my first love, my only love again when I get to heaven. Love ur loves one as much as possible. Never tire of showing them & telling them how much they mean to u. God bless everyone that reads this. Babe, I AM STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU!!
@everettewingfield5123
Damn... I'm tearing up... Thinking about my mother.... MLK day is her Anniversary
@erikadavis4696
So sorry for your loss, sis. Sending you lots of love and strength. Peace be the journey to your dear departed husband. Namaste.
@soul_yt7842
He and Christ are surely watching over you this very moment. Be strong until you meet them both, sister.
@vnsjqm
so sorry for your loss, honey. i'm sure he knew how much you loved him when he was alive, and that's what you have to keep holding on to. hope you're better now. ♥
@deandreadavis8895
🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
@QuinnJACKSON-zx1dx
Heaven = Cruising in a 75' Cadillac, listening to AL Green on a long country road, during a summer afternoon eating an ice cream cone at slow speed while heading to a family cookout at grandma's house which is down a dusty path with tall cedar trees giving you a windy salute as they gently rock back and forth until sunset. I miss you grandma. See you soon.
@user-nb1dw7px9y
Yeah, you was jamming then.
@QuinnJACKSON-zx1dx
@@user-nb1dw7px9y Facts
@marietodd6886
Who's listening in 2023. Thats what up!!!!