Redding was born in Dawson, Georgia, and at the age of 2, moved to Macon, Georgia. Redding quit school at age 15 to support his family, working with Little Richard's backing band, the Upsetters, and by performing in talent shows at the historic Douglass Theatre in Macon. In 1958, he joined Johnny Jenkins's band, the Pinetoppers, with whom he toured the Southern states as a singer and driver. An unscheduled appearance on a Stax recording session led to a contract and his first single, "These Arms of Mine", in 1962.
Stax released Redding's debut album, Pain in My Heart, two years later. Initially popular mainly with African-Americans, Redding later reached a wider American pop music audience. Along with his group, he first played small gigs in the American South. He later performed at the popular Los Angeles night club Whisky a Go Go and toured Europe, performing in London, Paris and other major cities. He also performed at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
Shortly before his death in a plane crash, Redding wrote and recorded his iconic "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" with Steve Cropper. The song became the first posthumous number-one record on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts. The album The Dock of the Bay was the first posthumous album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart. Redding's premature death devastated Stax. Already on the verge of bankruptcy, the label soon discovered that the Atco division of Atlantic Records owned the rights to his entire song catalog.
Redding received many posthumous accolades, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In addition to "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," "Respect" and "Try a Little Tenderness" are among his best-known songs.
Redding has been called the "King of Soul", an honorific also given to Brown and Cooke. He remains one of the genre's most recognized artists. His lean and powerful style exemplified the Stax sound; he was said to be "the heart and soul of Stax", while artists such as Al Jackson, Dunn and Cropper helped to expand its structure. His open-throated singing, the tremolo/vibrato, the manic, electrifying stage performances and perceived honesty were particular hallmarks, along with the use of interjections (such as "gotta, gotta, gotta"), some of which came from Cooke. Producer Stewart thought the "begging singing" was stress-induced and enhanced by Redding's shyness.
Artists from many genres have named Redding as a musical influence. George Harrison called "Respect" an inspiration for "Drive My Car". The Rolling Stones also mentioned Redding as a major influence. Other artists influenced by Redding include Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Doors, and virtually every soul and R&B musician from the early years, such as Al Green, Etta James, William Bell, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Conley. Janis Joplin was influenced by his singing style, according to Sam Andrew, a guitarist in her band Big Brother and the Holding Company. She stated that she learned "to push a song instead of just sliding over it" after hearing Redding.
The Bee Gees' Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb wrote the song "To Love Somebody" for him to record. He loved it, and he was going to "cut it", as Barry put it, on his return from his final concert. They dedicated the song to his memory.
12 These arms of mine
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lonely and feeling blue
These arms of mine, they are yearning
Yearning from wanting you
And if you would let them hold you
Oh, how grateful I will be
These arms of mine, they are burning
Burning from wanting you
These arms of mine, they are wanting
Wanting to hold you
And if you would let them hold you
Oh how grateful I will be
Come on, come on baby
Just be my little woman
Just be my lover, oh
I need me somebody, somebody to treat me right, oh
I need your arms, loving arms to hold me tight
And I, I, I need your, I need your tender lips, to hold me
Together when I'm right with you
The lyrics of Otis Redding's song "These Arms of Mine" express the loneliness, yearning, burning and wanting of the singer's arms for the person he desires. The song represents a plea of love and affection for the person and asks them to reciprocate his feelings. The tone of the song is melancholic yet passionate, as if the singer is holding on to the faintest hope that his feelings will be returned.
The opening lines of the song set the mood of the song, where the singer expresses that his arms are lonely and feeling blue. It highlights how the singer's arms feel empty and devoid of love and affection, creating a sad and desolate mood. As the song proceeds, the singer's yearning and burning desire for the person intensify. He asks the person to let his arms hold them, symbolizing his willingness and eagerness to be with them. The overall hopeful yet heart-wrenching tone of the song depicts the pain and suffering the singer is going through due to his unrequited love.
In the chorus, the singer directly speaks to the person and asks them to be his little woman and his lover. The lyrics "I need me somebody, somebody to treat me right, oh" reveals the singer's need for love and care from this one person. The last line of the song "Together when I'm right with you" projects the idea of the singer finding completeness and happiness with the person he desires.
Line by Line Meaning
These arms of mine, they are lonely
My arms feel empty and alone without you by my side
Lonely and feeling blue
I am sad and melancholy because of the absence of your love
These arms of mine, they are yearning
I long for your touch and embrace
Yearning from wanting you
My desire for you is so strong it is making me ache
And if you would let them hold you
If you allow me to embrace you with my arms
Oh, how grateful I will be
My heart will be filled with gratitude and joy
These arms of mine, they are burning
My passion for you is so intense it feels like a fire in my arms
Burning from wanting you
I am consumed by my yearning for you
These arms of mine, they are wanting
My arms crave the simple pleasure of holding you
Wanting to hold you
My deepest desire is to be close to you
Come on, come on baby
Please be with me, my love
Just be my little woman
Be my partner in life and love
Just be my lover, oh
Share your love and passion with me
I need me somebody, somebody to treat me right, oh
I am looking for someone who will love me with kindness and respect
I need your arms, loving arms to hold me tight
Your embrace is what I need to feel safe, secure, and loved
And I, I, I need your, I need your tender lips, to hold me
Your gentle kiss is what I need to feel complete and cherished
Together when I'm right with you
Being together with you makes everything right in my world
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jazzyj7268
These arms of mine, they are lonely
Lonely and feeling blue
These arms of mine, they are yearning
Yearning from wanting you
And if you would let them hold you
Oh, how grateful I will be
These arms of mine, they are burning
Burning from wanting you
These arms of mine, they are wanting
Wanting to hold you
And if you would let them hold you
Oh how grateful I will be
Come on, come on baby
Just be my little woman
Just be my lover, oh
I need me somebody, somebody to treat me right, oh
I need your arms, loving arms to hold me tight
And I, I, I need your, I need your tender lips, to hold me
Together when I'm right with you
@teresamisenheimer4435
This song makes you long for a relationship you never had. What an amazing voice Otis Redding was...more than soulful, he touched the souls of his listeners.
@frankhendricks5918
Simple music can make you sing simple hug can make you feel better simple things can make you happy, i hope my simple Hello brings smile to your face ,,
@joaniebearden5408
Amen! Wishing I had that kinda love...
@cyndygough4107
He was The REAL SOUL MAN. All his songs touch you deep down in your soul. Gone way way too damn soon.
@lucilleromero7510
That's for sure!!
@donhill3182
As the story goes, Otis was a backup vocalist for Johnny Jenkins and the Pinetoppers in the early 60s. In between sets during an impromtu moment, Otis strolled up to the microphone and belted out this tune, acapella. The audience and band members were so stunned that you could have heard a pin drip at the end of the performance. The rest, as they say, is history...
@dianagarland6173
Wow I didn't know that
@unclrogPitcher
Cropper tells the story @ rock n
roll hall of fame interview
@junereilly9969
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL STORY
@janisbrow8395
This is when music was real!! They knew how to sing