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.
Letâs Stay Together
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Al Green
I, I'm so in love with you
Whatever you want to do
Is all right with me
Cause you make me feel so brand new
And I want to spend my life with you
Loving you forever
Is what I need
Let me be the one you come running to
I'll never be untrue
Let's, let's stay together
Lovin' you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad
Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad
Why, why some people break up
Then turn around and make up
I just can't see
You'd never do that to me (would you, baby)
Staying around you is all I see
(Here's what I want us to do)
Let's, we oughta stay together
Loving you whether, whether
Times are good or bad, happy or sad
The song "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green is a soulful love song that expresses the singer's pure, unwavering love for his significant other. The lyrics speak of the singer's love for his partner, assuring them that they can do or say anything they want, as long as they are together. The lyrics convey that being with their partner has given them a new lease on life and they want nothing more than to spend their life with their love. The singer promises to always be there for their partner and will never be unfaithful.
The chorus of the song emphasizes that the singer wants to stay with their partner forever, no matter the ups and downs that may come their way. The lyrics show that the singer understands that all relationships experience good and bad times but the key is to stick together and keep loving each other through it all. The song suggests that when one is with the right person, they will never look to leave or break up.
Overall, "Let's Stay Together" is a song that encourages commitment, love, and a sense of togetherness in a relationship. It's a song that has stood the test of time and has become a classic love song for many couples.
Line by Line Meaning
I, I'm so in love with you
I am deeply in love with you.
Whatever you want to do
I support your decisions wholeheartedly.
Is all right with me
I am fine with all your choices.
Cause you make me feel so brand new
You make me feel like a new person every day.
And I want to spend my life with you
I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
They say since, baby, since we've been together
People say that ever since we got together,
Loving you forever
Loving you for the rest of time,
Is what I need
Is my ultimate desire.
Let me be the one you come running to
Come to me anytime you need support.
I'll never be untrue
I will always be loyal to you.
Let's, let's stay together
We should stay together always.
Lovin' you whether, whether
I will love you no matter what happens.
Times are good or bad, happy or sad
In the best or worst of times, in joy or in sadness,
Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad
No matter the situation, we will always stay together.
Why, why some people break up
I wonder why some people break up.
Then turn around and make up
And then they reconcile again.
I just can't see
I can't seem to understand why that happens.
You'd never do that to me (would you, baby)
I trust you would never hurt me like that.
Staying around you is all I see
Being with you is my priority.
(Here's what I want us to do)
(This is my plan for us.)
Let's, we oughta stay together
We should definitely stay together.
Loving you whether, whether
I will love you unconditionally always.
Times are good or bad, happy or sad
In all kinds of situations and emotions,
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC , UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUB GROUP
Written by: AL GREEN, AL JACKSON, WILLIE MITCHELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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