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.
No Not One
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's no one in life quite like you, you baby
There's no one in life quite like you, you baby
As I sit and wonder baby
How you do the things you do, yeah
I know deep down in my heart
I'll never see all the way through, no
You're the best thing that I ever had
[Chorus]
One more thing,
Smoke stacks, signal your love
Coming from my window pane
The love I need from you baby
To take you in my arms again
One smile from you is all I need
To see me through my days
[Chorus]
One word from you, is all I need
One, one, one kiss from you, always set me free
[Chorus:Repeat x2]
Like you, like you, early in the morning, hey
Smile on your face, fade in the midnight hour
No one can take your place
Even sashes
The lyrics to Al Green's song "No One Like You" capture a deep feeling of love and admiration for someone special. The chorus emphasizes the uniqueness of the person being addressed, with the repetition of the phrase "There's no one in life quite like you, you baby." The singer marvels at the abilities and qualities of this individual, acknowledging that he will never fully understand how they do the things they do. Nevertheless, he feels grateful and happy to have them in his life and considers them the best thing he has ever had.
The second verse uses metaphorical language to describe the intense emotions the singer feels for his beloved. The reference to "smoke stacks" signaling love suggests that this love is so powerful it can be seen from afar, while the allusion to needing "one smile from you" to see him through his days underscores the importance and positive impact of this relationship. The final verse is more direct, as it highlights the transformative power of the individual's presence and affection, with "one word," "one kiss," or "one smile" from them being enough to set him free from any worries or doubts.
Overall, the song is a tribute to a special person who brings light and joy to the singer's life. It conveys a sense of wonder, admiration, and gratitude while also expressing the depth and intensity of the singer's emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
There's no one in life quite like you, you baby
There's nobody else quite like you in this world, my love
As I sit and wonder baby
As I ponder about your greatness, baby
How you do the things you do, yeah
I marvel at the way you do everything, yeah
I know deep down in my heart
I'm sure in the depths of my heart
I'll never see all the way through, no
I cannot completely fathom your excellence, no
I smile when I'm glad
I grin when I'm elated
You're the best thing that I ever had
You're the most precious thing I've ever possessed
Smoke stacks, signal your love
The smoke stacks signify your love
Coming from my window pane
It drifts in through my window
The love I need from you baby
The love I crave from you, my sweetheart
To take you in my arms again
I want to hold you in my embrace again
One smile from you is all I need
Just one of your smiles can light up my day
To see me through my days
It can help me get through all my days
One word from you, is all I need
I require just one word from you
One, one, one kiss from you, always set me free
Even just one kiss from you can make me feel liberated, every time
Like you, like you, early in the morning, hey
Nobody is like you, nobody, even in the morning, hey
Smile on your face, fade in the midnight hour
Your smile, in the midnight hour, fades away
No one can take your place
There's no one who can replace you
Even sashes
Not even decorative bands
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, Missing Link Music
Written by: AHMIR K. THOMPSON, AL L. GREEN, CHALMERS E. ALFORD, ADAM W. BLACKSTONE, JAMES JASON POYSER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cheallcj9351
Heard this alot when i was a kid, now i play it all the time! Thanks mom! Love Al Green gospels.😅✝ 🙏😷2020
@Charles-nt5bt
My kind of Gospel music
@thebladerduo3243
yes lord
@bobbywatson6983
Huge fan of Rev. A Green
@wilsonjones5171
he is the best
@robertaunblack4887
Amen 🙏 ❤ 🙏
@joycerobinson3432
Amen
@feliciasettles2701
Sip daddy lacy and Lorain may God bless your souls all 3 of yoll bday is in april
@vanessajackson359
Not One....