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've Never Found a Girl
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not my baby's love
It's like burning fire
Oh, shut up in my bones
I got to say it
Ain't no lonely days (lonely days)
And no lonely nights (lonely nights)
And everything she does, you know the girl's alright (you know the girl's alright)
I ain't never, never found me a girl
I wouldn't lie about it, baby
Never, never found me a girl
Squeeze me tighter now (never, never found me a girl)
Nobody to love me like you do
I ain't gonna lie about it, baby
Ain't no man gotta sweet woman like me
She's everything in the world
One man could claim
She's every poor boy's dream
She's every rich man's prayer
I don't need no money, honey
Because you know, she's always there
Never, never found me a girl
(Somebody to keep me walking in my shoes)
Never, never found me a girl
(She always brings me good news)
Never, never found me a girl
To love me like you do
Love me like you do, baby
Never, never found me a girl
Never, never found me a girl
Never, never found me a girl
To love me like you do (oh, sweet baby)
Love me like
You do (I ain't never found a girl)
You do (you squeeze me tight, love me right)
You do (got me walking in my shoes)
You do (make me feel good)
The lyrics to Al Green's "I've Never Found a Girl" are a tribute to the love that the singer has found. He compares his love to a burning fire that's shut up in his bones, representing how deeply he feels for this woman. He proclaims that he's never found a girl like this before, but he's not lying because he's never felt this way about anyone else. Green's happiness is evident in these lyrics, as he celebrates the joyous moments he has shared with his love, and how she has brought light to every day and night that they've spent together.
The song highlights the fact that love has no barriers, as it can be found in the poorest of places and can make a man feel like the richest person in the world. The woman in question is every poor boy's dream and every rich man's prayer, a testament to her universal allure. He doesn't need money because she's always there for him, displaying the power of true love. The lyrics, "Love me like you do" are repeated throughout the song, as he implores her to continue to love him as she has been doing.
Line by Line Meaning
Ain't no love, baby
My baby isn't giving me any love
Not my baby's love
It's not because my baby is distant, but because their love for me is nonexistent
It's like burning fire
The pain of not having their love is like the agony of a burning flame
Oh, shut up in my bones
This feeling of emptiness and loneliness is so intense that it consumes me completely
I got to say it
I can't keep this pain inside any longer, I need to express it
Ain't no lonely days (lonely days)
Since I've been with this girl, I haven't had any lonely days
And no lonely nights (lonely nights)
I don't experience those miserable nights of longing anymore
And everything she does, you know the girl's alright (you know the girl's alright)
My girl is perfect in every way, and I have no complaints about her
I ain't never, never found me a girl
I have searched for love everywhere, but have never found a girl who loves me like she does
I wouldn't lie about it, baby
I'm being truthful and sincere about my feelings here
Squeeze me tighter now (never, never found me a girl)
Hold me closer, baby. I have never found someone who I trust and love this deeply
Nobody to love me like you do
There's no one else in the world who can love me as much as she does
Ain't no man gotta sweet woman like me
I have the sweetest woman in the world who loves me unconditionally
She's everything in the world
She's everything I need and want in a partner
One man could claim
I am the only man who can be grateful for having her in my life
She's every poor boy's dream
Even a poor boy's dream of finding true love pales in comparison to the love she has for me
She's every rich man's prayer
The richest man in the world would pray to have a woman like her
I don't need no money, honey
My love for her is not measured in terms of money, and I don't need any worldly possessions to be happy
Because you know, she's always there
Her constant presence and love has sustained me through the darkest times of my life
Never, never found me a girl
I have never met anyone who loves and treasures me like she does
(Somebody to keep me walking in my shoes)
I needed someone to support me and keep me going in life, and she does just that
(She always brings me good news)
She is a source of positivity and happiness in my life, and I cherish her for it
Love me like you do, baby
Keep loving me in the way that only you can, and I will be yours forever
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Alvertis Isbell, Booker T. Jr. Jones, Eddie Floyd
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@brolicc2869
Ain't no love (baby) like my baby's love
It's like burnin' fire, oh shut up in my bones
(I got to say it)
Ain't no lonely days (Lonely days)
Ain't no lonely nights (Lonely nights)
Every thing that she does
You know the girl's alright (You know the girl's alright)
(I got to say it)
I ain't never, never found me a girl
(I wouldn't lie about it, baby)
Never, never found me a girl
(To squeeze me tight at night)
Never, never found me a girl
Nobody to love me like you do
(I ain't lying about it, baby)
Love me like you do
(Sweet baby baby, what I'm sayin' is that)
Ain't no man got a sweet woman like me
She's everything in the world
One man could claim
(Let me say that)
She's every poor boy's dream (Every poor boys dream)
She's every very rich man's prayer (Every rich man's prayer)
I don't need no money, honey
Because (you know) she's always there
Never, never found me a girl
(Somebody to keep me walking in my shoes)
Never, never found me a girl
(She always brings me good news)
Never, never found me a girl
I never found me a girl to love me like you do
Ah-ha baby
Love me like you do (baby)
(And here I stand with)
Never, never found me a girl (tears in my eyes)
(And I'm caught by total surprise) Never, never found me a girl
(Ah-ha baby) Never, never found me a girl
To love me like you do
(Oh, sweet baby)
To love me like you do (baby)
(I never found a girl, he-he baby)
You do
(You squeeze me tight, love me right baby)
You do
(Got me walking in my shoes ah-ha)
You do
(Make me feel good oh)
You do
(Make me feel good, he-he baby)
You do
I never, never, never, never, never
You do
Never found a girl
@catirerubio
This is not an Al Green original. No matter. He OWNS it. Best version, ever!
@DonTopp
Neither, is “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” but he jams it better than anyone ever has.
@midlandssoulie
It would be about 1972-3 that someone brought the album to the youth club, I was 11/12 years old at the time, it shaped my taste in music, still sounds so good after all these years
@lelelovesfood9620
Me too!!!😊
@debrajackson1432
Im 65 I still listening to him
@Radioguy-tf6rp
It was 1972. I was nine years old and I still have the 8 Track tape. I love the Rev. Al Green.
Today is
September 16, 2024. Are there any old schoolers jamming with me today?
@tpppp2438
Today's music will never, every come close to singing and touching the soul for deep love, period........old school for life.
@karengray7139
This great musician his music has a way of touching your soul deep down.He is so down to earth .I'm 68 yrs. Old and I've been listening to his music since the early 70's
He is GOD sent❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you Reverend Green for sharing your GOD giving talent
Love to you for all ETERNITY ❤❤
@lindasmith9463
Linda in Philly still listening, 2024, 73 yrs old, have been listening since 70s, love you Al❤😢
@alicethiam8713
All the music from 50-70s is awesome..n i am over 70 n still playing my oldies but goodies..that all i listen to each Day. N as i walk the street playing them lots of people give me thumbs up n sing along too❤🎉❤