Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an America… Read Full Bio ↴Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, and talent scout. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. Redding's style of singing gained inspiration from the gospel music that preceded the genre. His singing style influenced many other soul artists of the 1960s. During his lifetime, his recordings were produced by Stax Records, based in Memphis, Tennessee.

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.

Little Time
Otis Redding Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Mornin', noon and night
Every time I think is right
I'm gonna hold you, kiss you
Roll you and squeeze you
And make sure every thing alright

Give me just a little time
All I need, now
Got to have a little time, yeah baby

Come on, mama
Gotta, gotta, gotta give it all to you now
Late in the mornin'

Lovin' you is my destiny
So you got to help me cop this plea
And I'll make sure that you'll need nobody
Do the thing that you want me to do for you

Give me just a little time
All I need, aot to have a little time, yeah baby
Just give me just a little time
I'll take five minutes

Give me just a little time
Give me twenty minutes
Go to take a little time, yeah baby
I got to, got to, got to

Come on, girl, oh give it

Give me just a little time, yeah baby
Give me just a little time, yeah baby

Overall Meaning

In Otis Redding's song A Little Time, the singer is promising his lover to love her more if she tells him that she doesn't think he is loving her enough. He bets her five dollars and a quarter that he will love her just a little bit more. He asks for a little time and promises to make sure everything is alright by holding her, kissing her, rolling her, and squeezing her. He says he loves her and it's his destiny to love her. He pleads with her to help him cop this plea and promises to make sure she doesn't need anybody else.

The song is about expressing one's love for someone else and promising to do better. It's a simple message that resonates with everyone. The song's tempo and powerful delivery of the lyrics make it a crowd favorite at concerts, and it remains a classic to this day. Redding's soulful voice captures the emotions of the song, and the lyrics are straightforward but impactful.

The song was originally released in 1966 as a single and later included on Redding's album, The Soul Album. It was written by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper. The song was a commercial success, reaching number eleven on the R&B chart and number twenty-five on the Pop chart. The song has been covered by various artists and is considered one of Redding's most beloved songs.

Line by Line Meaning

If you don't think I'm loving you enough
If you think I'm not showing enough love

Oh, you got to tell me so
You have to tell me if that's the case

And I bet you five dollars and a quarter
I'm so confident that I'm right

I'm gonna love you just a little bit more
I'll show you a little more affection

Give me just a little time
I need a bit of time

All I need
That's all I require

Got to have a little time, yeah baby
I must have some time, my dear

Mornin', noon and night
Every part of the day

Every time I think is right
When I feel it's appropriate

I'm gonna hold you, kiss you
I'll embrace you, give you a peck

Roll you and squeeze you
I'll roll around with you and hug you tight

And make sure every thing alright
To ensure everything is okay

Come on, mama
Let's go, my dear

Gotta, gotta, gotta give it all to you now
I have to fully dedicate myself to you

Late in the mornin'
In the early hours of the day

Lovin' you is my destiny
It's my fate to love you

So you got to help me cop this plea
So please help me with this request

And I'll make sure that you'll need nobody
I'll take care of everything so that you don't need anyone else

Do the thing that you want me to do for you
I'll do whatever you want me to do

Just give me just a little time
Just give me a brief moment

I'll take five minutes
I'll only need five minutes

Give me twenty minutes
I need twenty minutes

Go to take a little time, yeah baby
I have to take some time, my dear

I got to, got to, got to
I must, I must, I must

Come on, girl, oh give it
Come on, my dear, please give it to me

Give me just a little time, yeah baby
Just give me a bit of time, my dear

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: OTIS REDDING

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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05Give Away None of My Love2:45

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07I Got the Will2:52

08Johnny's Heartbreak2:25

09Snatch a Little Piece2:09

10Slippin' and Slidin'1:56

11The Match Game2:55

12A Little Time2:32

13Swingin' on a String2:51

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Bubs D

If you don't think I'm loving you enough
Oh, you got to tell me so
And I bet you five dollars and a quarter
I'm gonna love you just a little bit more
Give me just a little time
All I need
Got to have a little time, yeah baby
Mornin', noon and night
Every time I think is right
I'm gonna hold you, kiss you
Roll you and squeeze you
And make sure every thing alright
Give me just a little time
All I need, now
Got to have a little time, yeah baby
Come on, mama
Gotta, gotta, gotta give it all to you now
Late in the mornin'
Lovin' you is my destiny
So you got to help me cop this plea
And I'll make sure that you'll need nobody
Do the thing that you want me to do for you
Give me just a little time
All I need, aot to have a little time, yeah baby
Just give me just a little time
I'll take five minutes
Give me just a little time
Give me twenty minutes
Go to take a little time, yeah baby
I got to, got to, got to
Come on, girl, oh give it
Give me just a little time, yeah baby
Give me just a little time, yeah baby