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.
Standing In The Rain
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The cold hard driving rain
I stood all the pain
Standing out here in the rain
Do you know my name
Mr. endure the pain and shame
That's my name
Standing out here in the rain
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Write this down if you can
I'ma cold hard working man
See this guitar in my hand
I'm standing out here in the rain, hey
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Somebody stop the rain
Somebody stop the rain
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
Da, da, da, da
In the song "Standing in the Rain" by Al Green, the singer expresses the pain and difficulties of his life by comparing it to standing in the cold and harsh rain. Despite the pain and shame that he has endured, he has continued to persevere through it all like a "cold hard working man." The lyrics suggest that he feels like nobody knows his name or his story, but he continues to play his guitar in the rain, hoping someone will listen and understand.
The repetition of "da, da, da, da" in the chorus creates a sense of longing and repetition, making the lyrics very haunting. It's as if the singer is trying to make sense of his life's ups and downs, and the continuous rain represents those difficulties. He calls for somebody to "stop the rain," which could be taken literally or metaphorically, suggesting that he wants the hard times to come to an end.
The overall theme of the song is perseverance through hard times and the desire for someone to understand and empathize with one's struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
I been standing in the rain
I have been enduring through difficult times and unpleasant experiences
The cold hard driving rain
A metaphor for the harsh realities and challenges faced in life
I stood all the pain
I have persevered through all the hardships
Standing out here in the rain
Continuing to face my troubles regardless of how difficult they may be
Do you know my name
Acknowledgement of the struggles and hardships the singer has faced
Mr. endure the pain and shame
The singer's identity being rooted in perseverance through pain and suffering
That's my name
I am defined by my ability to endure hardship
Everything's in my hand
The singer has the power to control his own life and destiny
Standing out here in the rain
Continuing to persevere despite the difficult circumstances
Write this down if you can
Take note of my story, it is worth remembering
I'ma cold hard working man
I am someone who works hard in the face of adversity
See this guitar in my hand
A symbol of hope and the ability to create something beautiful in the midst of hardship
I'm standing out here in the rain, hey
Continuing to endure despite the unpleasant circumstances
Somebody stop the rain
A plea for relief from the challenges and difficulties faced in life
Somebody stop the rain
Repeating the plea for relief, further emphasizing the difficulty of the situation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AL L. GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind