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 t be with me
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 Al Green's classic song "You Ought to Be With Me," he pleads with his love interest to give him a chance and be with him. He asks her to sit down and talk to him about how she wants to be, suggesting that being with him is the right choice. Green argues that people talk about him and his love interest, but that there is nothing to what they say. He reassures her that they can do whatever they want, and no one can stop them from being together.
Green is convinced that his love interest ought to be with him and encourages her to be the kind of girl who can brighten the world. He believes that there is no reason why they cannot be together and that they would be happy together. He pleads with her not to waste his time and asks her to give him a chance to hold her tight and love her right.
Overall, the song is a plea to the woman Green loves to give him a chance and be with him. He believes that they would be happy together and that they should not listen to what anyone else says. The song is a classic love song that has stood the test of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Sit right down and talk to me
Take a seat beside me and communicate your true feelings
About how you want to be
Discuss your desires and aspirations for the future
You ought to be with me
We are meant to be together
Yeah, you ought to be with me
Undeniable that we belong together
Thinking about what people do
Pondering the actions of others
Talking about how I love you
Expressing the depth of love I have for you
Thinking there's nothing to what they say
Believing that the opinions of others do not matter
You're going to be with me, anyway
We will be together no matter what others think
They don't want to see us do
Other people disapprove of our relationship
All of the things we want to
The things we want to do in our relationship and life
Hey, you ought to be with me
It's clear that we belong together
You don't have to waste my time
Don't lead me on if you don't share the same feelings
If you want to be a friend of mine
If we cannot be more, let's at least be friends
You can leave me now and walk away
You have the option to end things now
And turn your back for another day
But we may never have another chance
Say you ought to be the kind of girl
You have the potential to be an amazing partner
That can brighten this old world
You bring light to my life
And it's hard to see why you and me
Our connection is so strong, it's hard to understand why we haven't already committed
Can't be together happily
We can be together and find happiness in one another
I'm trying to realize
Attempting to understand and come to terms with the idea of you being with someone else
You being with some other guy
You start a relationship with someone other than me
I don't know the reason why
I cannot understand why you wouldn't want to be with me
You ought to be with me until I die
We should spend our lives together
I don't want to waste my time
I don't want to invest in a relationship without a solid future
If you want to be a friend of mine
Friendship is still a viable option
I want to hold you tight, love you right
I long to embrace you and love you as you deserve
Put good feelin' in your night
To make every moment of your life better with my presence
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Al Green, Al Jackson Jr, Willie Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wavy8117
Lyrics
Sit right down and talk to me
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
You're going to be with me, anyway
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
@chinseibeats
Sit right down and talk to me
About how you want to be
You ought to be with me
Yeah, you ought to be with me
Thinking 'bout what people do
Talking 'bout how I love you
Thinking there's nothing to what they say
You're going to be with me anyway
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
Let me say it:
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
( Hey, 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
#AlGreen #Legend
@Trish-ql9kz
I was 10, my 16 year old sister played this on repeat.... she’s now gone but Al Green keeps us close
@SoutherRebelDoUFunDu
God Bless Trish
@jaqueselockhart6584
May your sister rest in heaven 🙏🏿
@marybehnke893
The first time I listen to Al Green I was 12 and I'm 60 now and still listen to him.
@gibbynyc6482
My Al Green rule for my kids is simple....once you know what he's talking about it's time to be on your own.
@globalgogetter4469
LOL! I heard that
@armeengreen1176
🤣🙌🏿🙌🏿
@javandrayton770
True d at lol
@brittgray1324
LOL😂😂 Facts
@nodoor9132
😂😂😂