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.
Let Me Come Home
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby, I got to get home to you
Days and nights feeling so blue
Lord, I just don't know what I'm gonna do
Oh, baby, I wanna come home
Oh, baby, I you're one thousand miles away
Baby, you're just one thousand miles away
Take these chains from 'round my heart
Baby, let me come on home to you
Oh, I love you, baby, let me come on home
Please, let me come on home to you, girl
Crying my eyes out over you
I don't know nothing in the world that I'm gonna do
But I'm gonnaâ?¦
Come on, girl, say it, I got to get home
Yeah, baby girl, I love you, honey
Please let me come home
The lyrics to Otis Redding's song "Let Me Come Home" express a sense of loneliness and desperation for the singer's loved one. The repetition of the phrase "I want to come home to you" and "let me come on home to you" emphasizes the singer's longing for his partner's company. He feels lost and sad without her, as demonstrated with the lines "Days and nights feeling so blue, Lord, I just don't know what I'm gonna do."
The singer's desperation is evident in the line "Take these chains from 'round my heart, never leave you, you no more you never depart," where he pleads for his partner's forgiveness and to take him back. He is willing to do whatever it takes to be with her, even if it means crying "my eyes out over you." It's a simple yet powerful love song that emphasizes the singer's emotional state rather than the complexity of the language used.
Overall, the song portrays a sense of vulnerability and raw emotion that is universal in the human experience. It is relatable to anyone who has ever missed a loved one or experienced heartbreak. The lyrics show the power of love to make someone feel both elated and despondent depending on its presence or absence.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, baby, I want to come home to you
The singer is expressing a deep desire to return home to their loved one
Baby, I got to get home to you
The singer feels an urgent need to go back to their loved one
Days and nights feeling so blue
The singer has been feeling sad and depressed while away from their loved one
Lord, I just don't know what I'm gonna do
The artist is feeling lost and unsure of how to cope without their loved one's presence
Oh, baby, I wanna come home
The artist reiterates their longing to return home to their loved one
Baby, you're just one thousand miles away
The singer emphasizes the distance between them and their loved one, making their desire to return more urgent
Take these chains from 'round my heart
The singer feels trapped or suffocated without their loved one, hence the reference to 'chains'
Never leave you, you no more you never depart
The artist promises to never leave their loved one's side again if they're allowed to return home
Baby, let me come on home to you
The artist's request for permission to return home to their loved one
Oh, I love you, baby, let me come on home
The artist restates their love and desire to return home to their loved one
Please, let me come on home to you, girl
The singer pleads with their loved one to allow them to return home
Crying my eyes out over you
The artist has been crying tears of longing and sadness because they miss their loved one
I don't know nothing in the world that I'm gonna do
The singer feels helpless without their loved one, and doesn't know what to do to ease their pain
But I'm gonna...
The singer trails off, indicating they're possibly going to take some kind of action to reunite with their loved one
Come on, girl, say it, I got to get home
The singer urges their loved one to give them permission to return home
Yeah, baby girl, I love you, honey
The artist reaffirms their love for their loved one
Please let me come home
The artist's final plea to be allowed to return home to their loved one
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OTIS REDDING, BOOKER T. JONES, AL JACKSON JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind