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.

Loving By the Pound
Otis Redding Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Got some loving
That I want to give you, babe
Got it by the pound, girl
Yes I have, now, huh

When you get it
It's such a strong love
It's gonna knock you down, girl

Yes it is, now, huh

I got some love
I can't control it, baby
It's like a hot wire
Runnin' on the floor, baby

I got some loving by the pound
And by the hundreds, honey
Loving by the pound
And by the hundred

Got some
I want to tell you baby
Got a mastermind, girl
Yes I have, now, huh
Now, when I get to you
I won't give it to you
I got to take my time, girl
Yes I have, now, huh

I got some love
And I can't control it, baby
It's like a hot wire
Runnin' on the floor, baby

I got some loving by the pound
And by the hundreds, honey
Loving by the pound
And by the hundred, baby, yeah

Alright, I got it
I got some loving by the pound
And by the hundreds, babe
Loving by the pounds
And by the hundreds, honey
Loving by, loving by the hundred

I got it, I got it by the ounce
I got it by the pound
I got it by the ton
Got it by the hundreds, honey
Got some strong love
When I get to you, baby
Got to take my time
I got to give it to you
Such a strong love, baby good, good lovin'
And I want to give it to you
Good, good lovin', honey
Baby, you got it, honey
I want to give it to you

Baby, you gotta, gotta, gotta get it
You got to have it, honey...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Otis Redding's "Loving By The Pound" speak to a love so strong and powerful that it comes in large amounts, "by the pound" and "by the hundreds." The singer expresses a desire to give this love to a particular woman, but also acknowledges that he must take his time in doing so. The love that he has to offer is described as a force so strong that, once she receives it, it will "knock [her] down."

The second verse, in particular, vividly describes the intensity of this love. The singer likens it to a "hot wire" running on the floor, implying that it is a dangerous force that must be handled with care. However, he also describes it as something that he cannot control, suggesting that this love is coming from a place beyond himself.

Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of immense passion and desire, but also a recognition that this love must be treated with caution and respect.

Line by Line Meaning

Got some loving That I want to give you, babe Got it by the pound, girl Yes I have, now, huh
I have a lot of love to give you and I have it in abundance

When you get it It's such a strong love It's gonna knock you down, girl Yes it is, now, huh
When you receive my love, it will be so powerful that it will overwhelm you

I got some love I can't control it, baby It's like a hot wire Runnin' on the floor, baby
I have so much love that I cannot contain it, it feels like electricity coursing through my body

I got some loving by the pound And by the hundreds, honey Loving by the pound And by the hundred
I have an endless supply of love that I want to share with you in abundance

Got some I want to tell you baby Got a mastermind, girl Yes I have, now, huh
I have a lot to share with you and it has been well thought out and planned

Now, when I get to you I won't give it to you I got to take my time, girl Yes I have, now, huh
I want to savor the experience of sharing my love with you and take my time

Alright, I got it I got some loving by the pound And by the hundreds, babe Loving by the pounds And by the hundreds, honey Loving by, loving by the hundred
I have re-affirmed that I have an infinite amount of love to give you

I got it, I got it by the ounce I got it by the pound I got it by the ton Got it by the hundreds, honey Got some strong love
I have so much love that I can measure it by the ounce, pound or ton

When I get to you, baby Got to take my time I got to give it to you Such a strong love, baby good, good lovin'
When I share my love with you, I want to savor the moment and give it to you with all my heart

And I want to give it to you Good, good lovin', honey Baby, you got it, honey I want to give it to you Baby, you gotta, gotta, gotta get it You got to have it, honey...
I want to share my love with you and I hope you are ready to receive it, you need to have my love in your life

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Otis Redding

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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