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.
Shal-La-La
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So good, loving me
And you turn around and
Shamed my name
All I can say is la-la-la you, baby
Good feeling
It's for you sure that I'm a man
Take the bread out of my hand
Now you wanna know how strong I am
All I can say
La la la la you, babe
What's the use of giving out
Giving out, giving in, giving in, let 'em sin
Now you trying to be, you wanna be my friend
Yeah
I love you, anyway
No matter what my friends say
Ooh baby, come with me
Oh yeah
I la la la la la you
It's for sure that I'm a man
Take the bread out of my hand
Now you wanna know
(Wanna know)
How strong I am
I'm gonna keep on
(Keep on)
Loving you
(Loving you)
No matter what my friends say and do
Trying to sleep, trying my find my way through
I get down on my knees
I beg you, baby, baby
Just lend a helping hand to me
La la la la la la you
Yeah
Ooh baby
Aww, aww, babe
Wanna know, I got to know
Yeah baby, baby, baby, baby
Yeah, yeah
The lyrics in Al Green’s “La-La for You” seem to be a contradictory expression of love and hurt. The song is about a man who is in love with someone who makes him feel good and he loves her back, but this person has also done something to hurt him which he cannot describe in detail, hence the generalization of “shamed my name”. Despite feeling hurt by this person, the singer still loves her and only has positive things to say about her, hence the repeated “la-la-la you, baby” which could be interpreted as him choosing to focus on the good because the good is worth it.
The lyrics also talk about the idea of strength and the lengths the singer will go to for his love. He tells his love that he is a man and that he would give her anything including the bread out of his hand. He continues to say “trying to sleep, trying to find my way through”, which may suggest that he is going through some sort of inner turmoil as he tries to navigate his emotions while loving someone who has hurt him. The repetition of “I love you anyway, no matter what my friends say” reinforces the idea that the singer’s love is strong and overcome any challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
You make me feel
You have an amazing effect on my emotions
So good, loving me
Your love feels so good and pure
And you turn around and
However, you did something unexpected
Shamed my name
You brought me shame in some way
All I can say is la-la-la you, baby
Despite that, all I can do is sing about my love for you
It's for you sure that I'm a man
I am sure that I am a real man for your sake
Take the bread out of my hand
I am willing to give you everything I have
Now you wanna know how strong I am
You want to know my strength and devotion to you
What's the use of giving out
What's the point of being charitable
Giving out, giving in, giving in, let 'em sin
If it encourages bad behavior or wrongdoings
Now you trying to be, you wanna be my friend
You are seeking my friendship
I love you, anyway
Despite everything, I still love you
No matter what my friends say
Even if my friends have negative opinions about you
Ooh baby, come with me
I want to be with you
I'm gonna keep on, Loving you
I am committed to loving you always
No matter what my friends say and do, Trying to sleep, trying my find my way through
Regardless of their actions, I am trying to follow my heart
I get down on my knees
I humble myself before you
I beg you, baby, baby
I plead with you to love me back
Just lend a helping hand to me
I need and appreciate your support
Ooh baby, Aww, aww, babe
You mean everything to me
Wanna know, I got to know
I really want to understand
Yeah baby, baby, baby, baby, Yeah, yeah
Oh baby, you're the only one for me
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AL GREEN, WILLIE MITCHELL, WILLIE LAWRENCE MITCHELL
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!