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.
One of These Good Old Days
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So you can see,
Little girl,
That you hurt me,
Talkin' foolishly,
About lies,
Never really knowin' the reason why.
I must have been dazed,
Cause' I don't know,
But that's the price,
You have to pay.
See, what I feel is real,
Won't me to stay, I wili,
Ya been lovin' me,
For years, baby.
Yeah, aw,
Talkin' bout lovin' you,
Hey, One of these good ole days
Talkin' bout lovin' you
Time and time again,
I wonted you to be my friend (My friend)
Gonna love you, till the end,
Baby! (Baby)
Here somthin' else, little girl,
Deep down inside, (Down inside)
You know you caught me by surprise (Yeah, ay)
Now I finally opened my eyes, baby.
Hey, I must have been dazed,
Cause' I don't know,
But that's the price,
You have to pay.
Yeah, listen here!
Hey, talking bout lovin you,
You haven't seen anything, girl! (Yeah, baby!)
One of these good ole days,
One of these good ole days!
After I get myself together, baby!
Talkin' bout lovin you!
When you think about it
Let me think about it
One of these good ole days,
One of these good ole days!
You won't have to do anythang,
But call your name
In Al Green's song One of These Good Old Days, the lyrics tell the story of a broken relationship where one person in the relationship was hurt by the lies and foolishness of the other. The singer is telling the girl to open her eyes and see the hurt that she has caused. The singer says that he must have been dazed, as he doesn't know what happened, but he knows that there is a price to pay for the hurt she caused him. Despite all the hurt, the singer still loves her and will continue to love her until the end. He tells the girl that she caught him by surprise, but he has finally opened his eyes.
The lyrics are a representation of a relationship that has gone through turbulent times. The girl in the relationship is not able to see the hurt she caused and is talking foolishly about lies. The singer, who is hurt and confused, is trying to make her see how much he is hurting. The song is a reminder that sometimes even the best relationships go through challenging times, and it is essential to open one's eyes, take responsibility, and work together to overcome the difficulties.
Line by Line Meaning
Open your eyes,
Al Green is asking his partner to be aware of their surroundings and how they are making him feel.
So you can see,
He wants them to understand the effect of their actions on him.
Little girl,
This is a term of endearment that Al Green uses to address his partner.
That you hurt me,
He wants them to acknowledge the fact that their actions have caused him pain.
Talkin' foolishly,
Al Green is calling out his partner for speaking carelessly and without concern for his feelings.
About lies,
He is referring to the lies that his partner has told him.
Never really knowin' the reason why.
Al Green's partner has never given him a reason for her lies, leaving him in the dark about what is really going on.
I must have been dazed,
He is acknowledging that he was blinded by his love for his partner and didn't see the warning signs.
Cause' I don't know,
He is admitting that he was ignorant of his partner's true motives.
But that's the price,
The cost of loving someone who has deceived you is great, and this is the 'price' that Al Green has to pay.
You have to pay.
His partner will also have to pay for her actions, and the consequences of her lies will catch up to her.
See, what I feel is real,
Al Green assures his partner that his love for her is genuine and sincere.
Won't me to stay, I wili,
Despite everything, Al Green still wants to stay with his partner and make things work between them.
Ya been lovin' me,
His partner has been showing him love, and he acknowledges that fact.
For years, baby.
Their relationship has been going on for a significant amount of time.
Yeah, aw,
This is an exclamation of surprise or sudden realization that Al Green is experiencing.
Talkin' bout lovin' you,
He wants to talk about their love for each other, and the state of their relationship.
Hey, One of these good ole days
Al Green is thinking about a time in the future when they will be able to look back on their current struggles and laugh at them.
Talkin' bout lovin' you
He is still thinking about their love for each other as a way to get through the hard times.
Time and time again,
Al Green has been through this same situation with his partner many times before.
I wonted you to be my friend (My friend)
He is looking for a deeper connection with his partner, and wants to be more than just lovers.
Gonna love you, till the end,
Al Green promises to love his partner no matter what happens in their relationship.
Baby! (Baby)
Another term of endearment directed at his partner.
Here somthin' else, little girl,
Al Green changes his tone to be more serious, addressing his partner with a sense of urgency.
Deep down inside, (Down inside)
He is talking about his partner's true feelings and motives, which she has been hiding from him.
You know you caught me by surprise (Yeah, ay)
Al Green has been blindsided by his partner's deceptive behavior and is now realizing what is going on.
Now I finally opened my eyes, baby.
He has come to a moment of clarity and is no longer blinded by his love for his partner.
Hey, I must have been dazed,
The repetition of this line emphasizes Al Green's realization that he was not seeing the truth.
Yeah, listen here!
Al Green is trying to get his partner to pay attention to what he is saying.
Hey, talking bout lovin you,
He is once again turning to their love for each other as a way to move past their problems.
You haven't seen anything, girl! (Yeah, baby!)
Al Green is warning his partner that there is more to come, and their relationship will continue to be tested.
One of these good ole days,
He is holding out hope for a time in the future when their relationship will be better again.
After I get myself together, baby!
He acknowledges that he needs to work on himself before he can fully invest in their relationship again.
Talkin' bout lovin you!
He is still affirming his love for his partner, even in the midst of their struggles.
When you think about it
Al Green is inviting his partner to reflect on their relationship and the impact of their actions on each other.
Let me think about it
He is giving himself time to process his own feelings and decide what he wants for their relationship.
One of these good ole days,
Al Green is still hoping for a brighter future for their relationship, even in the face of their problems.
One of these good ole days!
He reiterates that there is still hope for them, and they will work through their issues to come out stronger on the other side.
You won't have to do anythang,
He is reassuring his partner that he will take care of everything, they just need to work together to get through their problems.
But call your name
Al Green wants his partner to be present and engaged in their relationship again, with a renewed focus on their love for each other.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AL GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Adrian Guillot
My personal favorite on this whole album.
Ernest Davenport
I ain't mad atcha
stan
I totally agree with you I love 💕 this whole album 💿 too!!! He’s the greatest
JaQuayvius Deonte Riley-Wooden
I Still have the Album.
Dave
I. C. Y.
Troy Dove
@Toya Monique Coleman .
James Watts
Everything Al Green put out was a hit
BROOKLYN'SOWN LADYDOTDAVIS
Yesss! I wore his albums O W T!
Larry Johnson
They came off quick too!!!
Pepi Crummer
Put on Al Green panties came off!!!!