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 Can't Get No Satisfaction
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't get no satisfaction
I have tried, I have tried
I have tried, I have tried
I can't get me no, ha-ha
And I can't get no, uh, now
And the man come on the radio
Keep a-tellin' me more and more
About that useless information
He's tryin' to mess up my imagination
And I can get me no, no, no
And I can get me no
Hey, hey, hey, what I say?
You gotta, gotta, gotta-groovy
We gotta have it, we gotta have it
We gotta have it, we gotta have it
Keep on grooving, keep on grooving
We keep on grooving
Got, no, my, yeah, said
I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no, no satisfaction
I have tried, I have tried
I have tried, I have tried, tried, tried
I can't get me no, no, no
And I can't get me no, no, no, no
We gotta groove it, groove it, oh my now
Keep-keep on knockin', knockin' baby, yeah
Ow, gotta, gotta have it, we gotta
Keep, keep, ah
Not ever, woman, she waits long time
This little girl is tryin' to put me down
I keep on runnin' round in my sleep
I keep on messin' up any beat
I keep on rockin', I try to find me
Somebody to love me
And give me some reaction
And I can find nobody, no, no, nobody
Give me no reaction, 'faction, 'faction got to have it
Satisfaction, we got to have it
Satisfaction, earlier in the morning
Satisfaction, later in the evening
Call it satisfaction, in the midnight hour
The lyrics of Otis Redding's "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" talk about the singer's frustration with the world around him. He confesses that he is unable to find satisfaction even after trying. The song captures the singer's anger with the radio presenters who keep playing useless information that destroys his imagination. Otis is not satisfied because he's always trying to find someone to love him and give him a positive reaction, but he can't find anybody who cares about him. He laments that he's trying to keep going, but things keep getting in his way.
The songwriters, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, wrote the original version of "Satisfaction" for the Rolling Stones. Otis Redding's version was recorded just a few months after the Stones' version was released. Otis Redding's version is different from the original in several ways. The verses are re-ordered and shortened, and the chorus is extended. Also, instead of playing the guitar solo, Redding's version features a horn section.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't get no satisfaction
I am unable to find fulfillment in anything I do or experience
I have tried, I have tried
I have put in effort to find satisfaction, but to no avail
When I'm driving in my car
During my daily activities
And the man come on the radio
And the radio host speaks
Keep a-tellin' me more and more
Keeps bombarding me with unnecessary information
About that useless information
About things that are of no value to me
He's tryin' to mess up my imagination
He is disrupting my thoughts and creativity
We gotta have it, we gotta have it
We need to find satisfaction in our lives
Not ever, woman, she waits long time
I have been unsuccessful in finding a woman who will love me back
This little girl is tryin' to put me down
This woman is trying to undermine my self-esteem
I keep on runnin' round in my sleep
I cannot find rest or peace of mind
I keep on messin' up any beat
I cannot find my rhythm in life
I keep on rockin', I try to find me
I keep pushing forward, trying to find satisfaction
Somebody to love me
Someone who will accept and appreciate me for who I am
And give me some reaction
And show me some kind of response or emotion
And I can find nobody, no, no, nobody
But I cannot seem to find anyone who fits this description
Satisfaction, we got to have it
We need to find fulfillment in our lives
Satisfaction, earlier in the morning
We need to find satisfaction from the start of our day
Satisfaction, later in the evening
We need to find satisfaction until the end of our day
Call it satisfaction, in the midnight hour
We need to find satisfaction even in the late hours of the night
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music, Inc.
Written by: Keith (gb) Richards, Mick Jagger, Gary Barlow, Author Unknown Composer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chancewebster7953
Happy 82nd birthday, Otis. Rest in Peace.
@fbendz
Any true Stones fan should know about their roots, and how much they digged American soul and blues legends such as Muddy Waters, Ray Charles, Willie Dixon, Otis Redding, etc, etc. Without those guys, no Rolling Stones.
@joe6096
When Brian, Mick, and Keith were like 18-19 years old they were playing the old American blues and R&B and soul in all the small London backstreet pubs.
@geemeff
That's why they are who they are bud. All they ever wanted to do was play the Blues, everybody knows that one.
@loudmind68
Not everybody, the "centennial" fans ( The Crystal Generation ) really don't know that
@ExpTube1969
no Stones, no Zeppelin, no nothing. lol xD
@cedrikmichelofficiel
Tell us something we don't know...
@3HR3NGR4B
Sounds like The Original "I can't get no, Satisfaction!" to my Ears. ✌😘👍
@jamonfannin8628
Hands down, best cover of a Rolling Stones song. Period.
@tyecook9630
Damm right!!