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.
Come to me
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come to me for I'm lonely, darling
Come to me and be my girl
For I love, love you so
Come to me forget the past
Think of life we have ahead, my my my my baby
Come to me and be my girl
Day are getting so lonely, yeah now
Life are getting so blue
Time has come for you and I
To get together and we'll make two, my my my my babe
Come to me for I'm begging
Come to me for I'm begging, darling
Come to me and be my girl
For I love, love, love you so, yeah
Come on now baby
Baby I'm down
Said I'm down my knees, oh
I need me someone, now
Said I need some love
Just to stand right by me, oh
You know that these arms of mine
They have been lonely
Lonely so long
But I know, but I know, I know what my heart needs
I know just what my heart needs
The lyrics to Otis Redding's song "Come to Me" express the singer's feelings of loneliness and his desire for a lover to be by his side. Otis's melancholic voice emphasizes his sadness and longing for companionship, which is repeated throughout the song as he pleads with his lover to come and be with him. The lyrics suggest that the singer's life has become empty without love, and that he feels incomplete.
The first two lines in the song, "Come to me for I'm lonely, Come to me for I'm lonely, darling" emphasize the loneliness that the singer feels, while the following lines, "Come to me and be my girl, for I love, love you so," express his desire for the woman he loves to be with him. The song then shifts to a positive sentiment as the singer asks his lover to forget the past and focus on the future that they could have together. The song ends with the singer begging his lover to be with him and expressing his need for love.
Overall, the song "Come to Me" is a classic example of a love ballad. Otis Redding's raw and soulful voice adds to the depth and passion of the song, making it highly expressive and emotional.
Line by Line Meaning
Come to me for I'm lonely
I need you to come to me because I feel lonely without you
Come to me for I'm lonely, darling
You are the only one who can make me feel complete when I am lonely
Come to me and be my girl
I want you to be my partner and share my life with me
For I love, love you so
My love for you is so strong, and I want you to know how much you mean to me
Come to me forget the past
Let go of the past and focus on our future together
Think of life we have ahead, my my my my baby
We have a beautiful life waiting for us, and I can't wait to share it with you
Day are getting so lonely, yeah now
My days become lonelier and harder without you next to me
Life are getting so blue
My life feels sad and depressing without you
Time has come for you and I
The perfect time for us to start our life together has arrived
To get together and we'll make two, my my my my babe
Our coming together will create a beautiful and loving entity of two persons
Come to me for I'm begging
I am begging you to come to me because I need you in my life
Come to me and be my girl
I want you to be not just a lover, but also a friend I can rely on
For I love, love, love you so, yeah
My love for you grows deeper every day, and I can't imagine life without you
Come on now baby
I am urging you to come to me with all your love and affection
Baby I'm down
I am feeling sad and low without you
Said I'm down my knees, oh
I am figuratively on my knees, pleading for you to come to me
I need me someone, now
I need someone like you in my life right now
Said I need some love
I need your love to uplift and enrich my life
Just to stand right by me, oh
I want you to be by my side through all the ups and downs of life
You know that these arms of mine
These arms are meant to hold and embrace you with all the love I have
They have been lonely
My arms have been empty and waiting for you
Lonely so long
I have been lonely for too long, and I want you to end my loneliness
But I know, but I know, I know what my heart needs
I am sure that you are what my heart has been longing for, and I need you in my life
Lyrics Β© Royalty Network, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TONY GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michele Monroe
Food for the soul. Such a beautiful voice. Thank you Otis. Your legacy lives on. 2019
KingKeefage
2020.
Linda Knight
Love Otis forevermore
Amannda Walker
This man's voice was just amazing!!!!β€οΈπ
pacificcatherine
His voice on this song stopped me in my tracks and went straight to the heart.
Ruth Simpson
His voice is so lovely and he left us too soon. I was only a teenager when he passed but still plays his music now in my late 60s.
Carol W
I am 73 years old but I remember dirty dancing to this song when I was young. It's still sexy. And Otis is immortal.
Latifa
Bless you
Michele Monroe
Still listening to Mr. Redding's soulful voice. March 2020.
Peter Antcliffe
Started listening in 1969 and havenβt stopped since, July 2021 πΌπΌπ·πΊπΉπΈ