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.
Sha‐La‐La
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sha-la-la-la, la-la-la
Oh, baby
Sha-la-la-la, la-la-la
Oh, baby
I've been gone so long, I don't know what to do, oh, baby
Oh, make me happy baby, so I can say
Sha-la-la-la-la-la
And I love you, oh
Sha-la-la-la-la
I'm thinkin' of you, oh
I know you can tell what's on my mind, baby
And I've been feeling this way for such a long time, yeah, baby
Oh, make me happy baby, yeah
Oh, make me happy, I want to be happy, yeah, yeah
Make me happy
Yeah
I've tried and this feeling just won't die, oh
Sha-la-la-la-la
Make you cry, yeah
Well, it's something that just gets down in your bones, baby
And once I see you I can't leave your love alone, yeah, baby
Oh, make me happy, baby
Oh, make me happy, baby, let me sing
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, baby
Oh, let me sing
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, baby
The lyrics to Al Green's "Sha-La-La" song seem to be about a man who has been away for a long time and is yearning to be back with his lover. He confesses to feeling lost in her absence and admits that she may not be aware of all he has been going through. His ultimate desire is for her to make him happy, so he can bask in the joy of their love. The phrase "Sha-La-La" represents the singer's internal struggle, with him continuously chanting it like a mantra in hopes of finding peace.
Through repetition, the lyricist emphasizes how important the relationship is to the singer. The chorus reflects his yearning to be reunited with his lover as well as his passion for her. The repetition of the phrase "Sha-La-La" denotes the singer's intense emotional state, and its use helps him articulate his deepest feelings to his lover.
Overall, the song portrays the struggle of someone who has been absent from their loved one for a significant period, and his yearning for their love and care. The repetition of "Sha-La-La" brings this yearning to life, providing an emotive and compelling narrative to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Make me happy
I want you to do something that will bring joy and happiness to me.
Sha-la-la-la, la-la-la
A nonsensical phrase that expresses the singer's happiness.
Oh, baby
The singer is addressing his lover or partner as a term of endearment.
I've been gone so long, I don't know what to do, oh, baby
The artist has been absent for some time and is feeling lost without his lover.
And I know you don't know all I've been going through, baby
The artist understands that his lover may not fully understand or appreciate what he has been through.
And I love you, oh
The singer is professing his love for his partner.
I'm thinkin' of you, oh
The singer is indicating that his thoughts are consumed by his partner.
I know you can tell what's on my mind, baby
The artist believes that his partner can sense how he is feeling.
And I've been feeling this way for such a long time, yeah, baby
The artist has been experiencing these feelings for an extended period.
Oh, make me happy baby, yeah
The artist is making a request for his partner to do something to bring him joy.
Yeah, I've tried and this feeling just won't die, oh
The singer has attempted to suppress these emotions, but they persist.
Make you cry, yeah
The artist is acknowledging that his intense feelings may be overwhelming for his partner.
Well, it's something that just gets down in your bones, baby
The singer is describing an emotion that is deeply ingrained and felt to the core.
And once I see you I can't leave your love alone, yeah, baby
The singer is indicating that he is deeply attached to his partner and cannot resist their love.
Oh, make me happy, baby
The singer is requesting for his partner to do something to bring joy to him.
Oh, make me happy, baby, let me sing
The artist is expressing that his joy is so great that he feels like singing.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, baby
A nonsensical phrase that expresses the artist's happiness.
Oh, let me sing
The singer wants to express his joy through singing.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la, baby
A nonsensical phrase that expresses the singer's happiness.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Al L. Green
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lindaaitken7679
My brother loved al green, and this was one of his favourites. Lost my brother in August so i am here to pay tribute to my late brother William... and to Al Green.
@kathyhodges-ik2zk
I’m so sorry for your loss
@troydaigle7902
I'm here with you tooooo😊
@sandrapeterson197
So sorry for the loss of your brother 🙏🏽🙏🏽. I love this song too
@universal5225
RIP
@troydaigle7902
GOD bless you and your brother
@thomastarwater2989
Fifty years later, this song still sounds fresh. Like it was recorded today. Al Green’s music is timeless.
@michaelsaupe1356
I remember this old man who lived at a hospice. He used to sit on his wheelchair outside in the sun listening to his radio. One time this song was playing on his radio and he was happily dancing in his wheelchair and enjoying the music, and in that moment he was happy and everything was alright. You could tell the music took him back to a better time and place in his life. It was comforting to a dying man. That's how you really know that this music has soul!
@brenda9410
❤❤❤❤
@thomasfranco5997
I was 14 when this song came out. My Mother would play this song all the time and Have You Been Making Out Ok. Miss you Mom, I know you are in Heaven now. She loved Al Green. Sweet Memories!