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.
Just Can't Let You Go
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want you back
I need you more than you think
I can't let you go
Hold me
I'm down to 1-2-3
Two and two is four
I can't let you go
Times spent together
All is dear to me
So you know my mind
All I need is Spring to see
Hold on tight
Can't let you go
Hold on tight
I just can't let you walk out on me
You don't know, know me
Stay around and see
I just can't let you go
Soon there'll be
Someone just for me
I'll be glad
When it comes down
To no one but you and me
I'll be glad when it comes down
To nobody but you and me
Hold on, got to hold on
Just can't let you go
Hold on
I just can't let you go
Hold on, got to hold on
I just can't let you go
In Al Green's song, "Just Can't Let You Go," the singer expresses his intense desire to hold onto his love interest. He starts off by saying "Love me, I want you back, I need you more than you think." He's telling his love interest that he needs them in his life and he can't imagine living without them. He then continues to plead, "I can't let you go, hold me, I'm down to 1-2-3, two and two are four, I can't let you go." He's emphasizing that he needs his love interest as much as he needs the basic understanding of math.
The singer reminisces about the times spent together and how they're all dear to him. He asks his love interest to "stay around and see" that he just can't let them go. He then brings up the possibility of someone else coming into his life, but he doesn't want anyone else but his love interest.
The singer's refusal to let go reflects the depth of his love and his unwillingness to move on. Overall, the song is a beautiful expression of deep love and devotion.
Line by Line Meaning
Love me
The singer desires the love and affection of his partner.
I want you back
He longs for the return of his partner in his life.
I need you more than you think
The singer feels that his partner is a crucial part of his life and his need for them is greater than what they realize.
I can't let you go
He is unable to move on and forget about his partner.
Hold me
The singer longs for physical closeness with his partner.
I'm down to 1-2-3
He is feeling low and saddened by the absence of his partner.
Two and two is four
A reference to the simplicity of adding numbers together, suggesting that the solution to their relationship problems could be simple if they work towards it together.
I can't let you go
He emphasizes that he is unable to let go of his partner and move on with his life.
Times spent together
The singer reflects positively on their shared experiences as a couple.
All is dear to me
The memories of their time together are valuable and cherished by him.
So you know my mind
The singer emphasizes that he is being sincere about his feelings towards his partner.
All I need is Spring to see
The singer feels optimistic that their relationship will bloom again like the season of Spring.
Hold on tight
He urges his partner to hold on tight and stay with him.
Can't let you go
He reiterates that he is unable to let go of his partner.
I just can't let you walk out on me
If his partner leaves him, it would be very difficult for him to cope and move on.
You don't know, know me
He feels that his partner doesn't truly understand him and his emotions.
Stay around and see
He asks his partner to stay and witness how deeply he cares for them.
Soon there'll be someone just for me
The singer is hopeful that he will find love again if his current relationship doesn't work out.
I'll be glad when it comes down
The singer is optimistic about the prospect of having a happy relationship in his future.
To no one but you and me
He wants to make sure that he and his partner are the only ones involved in their relationship.
Hold on, got to hold on
The singer urges himself and his partner to stay strong and committed to each other.
Just can't let you go
He emphasizes once again that he is unable to let go of his partner.
Hold on
The singer once again urges his partner to hold on tight and stay with him.
I just can't let you go
He is still unable to let go of his partner, even if it means he will have to continue to feel the pain of their separation.
Contributed by Scarlett D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.