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.
You Ought to Be With Me Forever
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About how you want to be
You ought to be with me
Yeah, you ought to be with me
Thinking about what people do
Talking about how I love you
Thinking there's nothing to what they say
They don't want to see us do
All of the things we want to
You ought to be with me
Hey, you ought to be with me
You don't have to waste my time
If you want to be a friend of mine
You can leave me now and walk away
And turn your back for another day
Oh babe, yeah, yeah
Say you ought to be the kind of girl
That can brighten this old world
And it's hard to see why you and me
Can't be together happily
I'm trying to realize
You being with some other guy
I don't know the reason why
You ought to be with me until I die
You ought to be with me until I die
I don't want to waste my time
If you want to be a friend of mine
I want to hold you tight, love you right
Put good feelin' in your night
In "You Ought to Be With Me Forever," Al Green sings to his love interest, urging her to be with him. He asks her to talk to him about how she wants to be and emphasizes that she should be with him. He tries to ignore what others say about them and highlights that they should be able to do whatever they want, wanting her to be with him in any case. Al doesn't want her to waste his time, mentioning that they can still be friends even if she decides to walk away. However, he hopes that she would stay, be the kind of girl that can brighten his world, and that they can be together happily.
The main message is that the singer wants his lover to be with him and highlights that they can be happy together, no matter what others may say. They should be able to make their own decisions about their relationship and not allow others to influence them negatively. Al emphasizes this message through his captivating soulful voice, suggesting that he is passionate about his lover and their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Sit right down and talk to me
Please take a seat and speak with me
About how you want to be
Discuss your desires with me
You ought to be with me
You should be with me
Yeah, you ought to be with me
Yes, you should be with me
Thinking about what people do
Contemplating the actions of others
Talking about how I love you
Expressing my love for you
Thinking there's nothing to what they say
Believing that their words hold no weight
You're going to be with me, anyway
Regardless, you will be with me
They don't want to see us do
Others do not wish to witness our actions
All of the things we want to
The things we desire to do
You don't have to waste my time
Do not waste my time unnecessarily
If you want to be a friend of mine
Only if you wish to remain my friend
You can leave me now and walk away
You have the option to exit now
And turn your back for another day
Delay your decision for another time
Say you ought to be the kind of girl
State that you should be the type of girl
That can brighten this old world
That can bring light to this bleak world
And it's hard to see why you and me
It is difficult to comprehend why we
Can't be together happily
Cannot be joyously united
I'm trying to realize
I am attempting to understand
You being with some other guy
You being with another man
I don't know the reason why
I am unsure of the cause
You ought to be with me until I die
You should be with me until my death
I don't want to waste my time
I do not want to squander my time
If you want to be a friend of mine
Only if you want to remain my companion
I want to hold you tight, love you right
I desire to embrace you firmly, love you correctly
Put good feelin' in your night
Prompt optimistic emotions throughout your night
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AL GREEN, AL JACKSON JR, WILLIE MITCHELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dom Boisvert Chanson
I just love the inner dynamics of the songs,whatever the chords,it works out so fine,and of course HIS voice ...
Thanks !
Greg Battles
Old school music a gift that keeps giving.
Linda Nichols
Never a bad time to hear Mister green❤
Luv_Goddess
Best music of all times ❤️❤️
marie-rose daly
♥♥♥
Jade Gabriel
❤️❤️ that voice, like velvet.
Jane Coles
Thank you for sharing this amazing song it brings back so many good memories for me .i play your music most days .❤️🙏
Marcia Skeen
I LUV THIS SONG AS I DO ALL YOUR MUSIC LUV YOUR BEAUTIFUL VOICE BRING BACK SO MANY WONDERFUL MEMORIES YOU ARE THE BEST HAPPY NEW YEAR MAY IT CONTINUE TO BE BLESS GOD BLESS😊❤💯👍🔥🔥🔥
SHANICE
Yes! Good song. Thank you for Sharing. It's one of my favorite. This music moves me. In memory of my father who died the 30 june 1972 at 34 years. I had 6 years. Love love love this beautiful song. God blessed you Révérend Al Green
Ronnie H
All I can say is RIGHT ON✊