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.
New Year's Resolution
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just to say that I'm sorry, honey
All I want to do
Is just finish what we started, baby
Let's turn over a new leave
And baby let's make promises
That we can keep
Oh, I'm a woman
And woman makes mistakes too
But will you, will you forget the changes
That I put you through
let's try it again
Just you and me
And, baby, let's see how happy honey, yeah
That we can be
And call it a New Year's resolution, yeah, yeah, yeah
Many times we had our ups and downs
And times you needed me I couldn't be found
I'm sorry
And I'm sorry too
I'll never, never do it again, no, no, no
So baby before we fall out
Let's fall on in, yeah, yeah
Oh, and we're gonna try harder
Not to hurt each other again, oh
Love me baby, huh
Week after week
And baby let's make promises
That we can keep
And call it a New Year's resolution, yeah, oh
I know we can do it Carla
I'm gonna keep my promises
I'm gonna hold on that we can do it, baby
Oh, it's not too late
You're gonna love me
Nobody else
Oh Otis let's finish what we started
Talk no mean
The lyrics to Otis Redding and Carla Thomas's song New Year's Resolution are about a couple who is looking to start anew and make amends for their past mistakes. The opening lines "I hope it’s not too late, just to say that I'm sorry, honey" sets the tone for the song's theme of regret and redemption. The couple wants to finish what they started together and make promises that they can keep as their New Year's resolution. They acknowledge that mistakes were made, but they are willing to try again and not hurt each other.
The lines "And woman makes mistakes too, but will you forget the changes that I put you through" is a powerful statement about women owning up to their mistakes, but at the same time, they hope their partners will let go of the past and move forward. The chorus "let's turn over a new leaf and baby let's make promises that we can keep and call it a New Year's resolution" emphasizes their eagerness to start anew and make things work.
In the midst of their failed attempts to fix their relationship, they acknowledge the hurt they have caused to each other. However, they are willing to try again and make it work. The song ends on a hopeful note as they promise to make the effort to love each other and keep their New Year's resolution to work things out.
Line by Line Meaning
I hope it's not too late
I hope there's still time to make things right with you, my love.
Just to say that I'm sorry, honey
I want to apologize to you and make things better between us, my love.
All I want to do
My only desire is to finish what we started and be with you, my love.
Is just finish what we started, baby
I want us to complete what we began and be happy together, my love.
Let's turn over a new leave
Let's start fresh and make positive changes in our relationship, my love.
And baby let's make promises
Let's commit to things we can actually follow through with, my love.
That we can keep
Let's make realistic promises that we can actually fulfill, my love.
And call it a New Year's resolution, hmmm
We can name our commitment to each other a New Year's resolution, my love.
Oh, I'm a woman
As a woman, I know I'm not perfect and make mistakes, my love.
And woman makes mistakes too
I understand that women make mistakes and I don't hold it against you, my love.
But will you, will you forget the changes
Can we move past the changes and move forward together, my love?
That I put you through
I'm sorry for putting you through difficult times and want to make it better, my love.
let's try it again
Let's give our relationship another chance, my love.
Just you and me
Just the two of us, my love.
And, baby, let's see how happy honey, yeah
Let's see how happy we can be together, my love.
That we can be
We can be happy together, my love.
And call it a New Year's resolution, yeah, yeah, yeah
We can make a fresh start and call it a New Year's resolution, my love.
Many times we had our ups and downs
We've had our fair share of highs and lows in our relationship, my love.
And times you needed me I couldn't be found
I wasn't always there for you when you needed me, my love.
I'm sorry
I'm sorry for not being there for you and causing pain, my love.
And I'm sorry too
I'm sorry for any pain I may have caused you as well, my love.
I'll never, never do it again, no, no, no
I promise to never repeat my mistakes and hurt you again, my love.
So baby before we fall out
Before we give up on each other, my love.
Let's fall on in, yeah, yeah
Let's come back together, my love.
Oh, and we're gonna try harder
We will make a conscious effort to try harder in our relationship, my love.
Not to hurt each other again, oh
We will make a promise to not hurt each other again, my love.
Love me baby, huh
Please continue to love me, my love.
Week after week
Every week, my love.
And baby let's make promises
Let's make achievable promises to each other, my love.
That we can keep
Realistic promises that we can fulfill, my love.
And call it a New Year's resolution, yeah, oh
We can name our promises a New Year's resolution, my love.
I know we can do it Carla
I believe we can make our relationship work, my love.
I'm gonna keep my promises
I'll keep the promises I make to you, my love.
I'm gonna hold on that we can do it, baby
I'll remain hopeful that our relationship will work out, my love.
Oh, it's not too late
It's not too late for us to make things right, my love.
You're gonna love me
I hope you'll continue to love me, my love.
Nobody else
No one else but me, my love.
Oh Otis let's finish what we started
Let's complete what we began together, my love.
Talk no mean
Let's not just talk, but take action to make things better, my love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID PARKER, RANDLE CATRON, MARY FRIERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Quantisha Reeves
At 45 yrs old, this song WILL FOREVER be a FAVORITE, thanks to my dad🤗🤗🤗♥️
carol7774
i love this man's voice, so soulful and raw..i love it..
OtisFan1
Had to bring in the new year with Otis and Carla. Best wishes to all for a happy, healthy year. Peace and love. RIP, Otis.
BlackCoffee C
Let's turn over a new leaf... Let's make promises we can keep. I love this song
Andrzej Woźniak
Sukces! znalazłem piosenkę której szukałem prawie 50 lat
VitaminseaFL
This reminds me of one thing we miss with all digital music. Just touching the records, cleaning them off before we put them on the turntable.
Stacks and Stacks of records. I love this one,...
D!on D
This is one of the songs that my mom plays every year for the holidays!!! 🥺😘😞😖😫
jpoopist
Wow. I want to hear every Otis song harmonized this way
David Cunningham
I love this song ... always on my holiday rotation ... I love how this was ripped from the 45 also
gregory ross
The best ... had this CD years ago, co misremembered I loan it to him. Thank the lord I found this and a whole lot more. I remember hearing it in cafes back in the good ole days, 60's