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.
I've Been Loving You Too Long
Otis Redding Lyrics
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were tired and you want to be free
My love is growing stronger, as you become a habit to me
Oh I've been loving you a little too long
I don't want to stop now, oh
With you my life,
Has been so wonderful
You were tired and your love is growing cold
My love is growing stronger as our affair affair grows old
I've been loving you a little too long, long,
I don't want to stop now
Oh, oh, oh
I've been loving you a little bit too long
I don't want to stop now no, no, no
Don't make me stop now, no baby
I'm down on my knees please, don't make me stop now
I love you, I love you,
I love you with all of my heart
And I can't stop now
Please, please don't make me stop now
The lyrics of "I've Been Loving You Too Long to Stop Now" by Otis Redding express a deep and long-lasting love that the singer does not want to give up on. In the first verse, the singer acknowledges that their lover may want to leave and be free, but their love has become a habit that they cannot break. The love is strong and growing stronger with time. The second verse reinforces this message by stating that even as the relationship grows old and tired, the singer's love remains strong.
The third verse takes a pleading tone, as the singer begs their lover not to make them stop loving them. The singer is willing to do anything to keep the love going, including getting down on their knees and pleading. The final line of the song emphasizes how strong the singer's love is: "I love you with all of my heart // And I can't stop now."
Overall, the song's lyrics convey a powerful message about love, commitment, and the difficulty of letting go when the love is so strong. It captures the feeling of being so deeply in love that one cannot bear to imagine life without the beloved.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been loving you too long to stop now
My love for you has been going on for so long that I can't stop it now.
You were tired and you want to be free
You were feeling exhausted and wanted to be independent of our relationship.
My love is growing stronger, as you become a habit to me
My love for you is becoming stronger as I get used to having you in my life.
Oh I've been loving you a little too long
I've been loving you for such a long time that it might be too much.
I don't want to stop now, oh
I don't want to end our relationship.
With you my life,
Has been so wonderful
My life has been amazing since you came into it.
You were tired and your love is growing cold
You were feeling exhausted and your love for me is diminishing.
My love is growing stronger as our affair grows old
My love for you is getting stronger as our relationship gets older.
I've been loving you a little too long, long,
I don't want to stop now
I've been loving you for a long time, but I don't want to end our relationship.
Don't make me stop now, no baby
Please don't end our relationship, my love.
I'm down on my knees please, don't make me stop now
I'm begging you not to end our relationship.
I love you, I love you,
I love you with all of my heart
I love you so much, my love.
And I can't stop now
Please, please don't make me stop now
My love for you is too strong to let go, please don't make me leave you.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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