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.
Million To One
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All of my days will be for loving you
Each and every night for the rest of my life
I'd be steadfast, unmovable, unshakable
All my life I'll spend it with you
All my days will be for loving you, one more time
Each and every night for the rest of my life
You're one in a million
(One in a million, one is a million)
A million to one
And you're one in a million
(One in a million, one is a million)
I love you, baby
Oh, each and every night for the rest of my life
I feel steadfast, unmovable, unshakable
All my life, all my days I'll spend with you
All of my days, sweet baby, I'll spend loving you
Each and every night for the rest of my life
I'll be steadfast, unmovable, unshakable
You're one
(One in a million, one is a million)
In a million, a million to one
You're one
(One in a million, one is a million)
In a million, baby
(One in a million, one is a million)
In a million, a million to one
(One in a million, one is a million)
In a million, yeah, yeah, yeah
You'll play the part
It's hard to get
You blowing my mind
You blowing my mind
I will never, never, never, never, never play
You're one
(One in a million, one is a million)
In a million, a million to one
You're one
(One in a million, one is a million)
(That's what you are)
Oh baby, you are a
(One in a million, one is a million)
(One in a million, one is a million)
(That's what you are)
(One in a million, one is a million)
I love you, baby, I love you
(One in a million, one is a million)
The lyrics of Al Green's "Million To One" express a deep and unwavering commitment to a loved one. The singer declares that they will spend their entire life loving the other person and will be steadfast, unmovable, and unshakable in their devotion. The singer states that their beloved is "one in a million" and refers to them as a "million to one." The repetition of this phrase emphasizes how rare and unique their love is. The chorus is a declaration of love, stating that the singer loves their partner and that they are truly one in a million.
The song's lyrics evoke a deep sense of longevity and devotion. The singer seems to suggest that their love will last a lifetime and that they will never falter in their commitment. This is reinforced by the repetition of the phrase "all my life, all my days" throughout the song. Additionally, the use of the word "steadfast" carries connotations of being reliable and unwavering, further emphasizing the strength of the singer's commitment.
Line by Line Meaning
All my life I'll spend it with you
I will devote my entire life to being with you
All of my days will be for loving you
Every day of my life will be spent loving you
Each and every night for the rest of my life
Without exception, every night for the rest of my life
I'd be steadfast, unmovable, unshakable
I'll be reliable, resolute, and unwavering in my love for you
You're one in a million
You are a very special and rare person
(One in a million, one is a million)
You are unique and incomparable to anyone else
A million to one
The odds of finding someone as special as you are incredibly low
And you're one in a million
And yet, I've found that special someone in you
I love you, baby
I am deeply in love with you
You'll play the part
You fit the role of the perfect partner for me
It's hard to get
It's rare and difficult to find someone like you
You blowing my mind
You amaze me and leave me in awe
I will never, never, never, never, never play
I will never play with your heart or deceive you
(That's what you are)
That's how special you are to me
Oh baby, you are a
Oh darling, you are truly
I love you, baby, I love you
I love you deeply and sincerely
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group, O/B/O CAPASSO, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AL GREEN, WILLIE MITCHELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@robertaunblack4887
Yes π a million π to one.
@robertaunblack4887
You are a million to one much love β€οΈ Ro.