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.
Nobody
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, and still you came to see me day by day
But now I miss you all the time
No heart can be as sad as mine
Ain't nobody's fault but mine
Ah, yeah, uh
Burden down and suffer with my sorrows
But crying ain't gonna help me knock
I made a mistake anyhow
It ain't nobody's fault but mine
Oh, got to but
One day I got to pay for my mistakes, y'all
It's gonna carry me straight to my grave
Ooh
I gotta tell you, now
I wanna tell you sum'n
Instead of you trying to spend my money
Yet your favorite word was to call me honey
But I was just a doggone fool
Trying to be so doggone cool
Ain't nobody's fault but mine
I thought I didn't, oh
I made a big mistake, y'all
I did something wrong too, ah
Nobody's fault but mine
It ain't nobody's fault but mine
I did the wrong thing to you girl
Somebody help me now
I need a little bit of help now
The song Nobody's Fault But Mine by Otis Redding is a soulful and introspective look at the mistakes made in a past relationship. The lyrics speak to a sense of regret and sadness over not being able to love the other person in the way they wanted and needed, despite their continued presence and love. Redding's vocals are powerful and emotionally charged, conveying the pain and guilt felt by the singer.
The opening lines "I couldn't love you your way/ Yeah, and still you came to see me day by day" suggest that the relationship was not mutually fulfilling or satisfying, and that despite the singer's inability to love the way the other person needed, they were still present in their life. However, now that they are no longer together, the singer is consumed with the regret of not being able to make things work and missing the other person. The lines "But now I miss you all the time/ No heart can be as sad as mine" convey the depth of their sorrow.
The chorus "Ain't nobody's fault but mine" is a reminder that ultimately, the mistakes made in the relationship were the singer's responsibility. The lines "One day I got to pay for my mistakes, y'all/ It's gonna carry me straight to my grave" suggest a sense of inevitability and a desire for atonement. The final verse acknowledges that the other person tried to make things work and was hurt in the process, and that the singer was foolish for not realizing what they had until it was gone.
Overall, Nobody's Fault But Mine is a powerful and emotionally honest song about the pain and regret that comes from failing to love someone in the way they need and deserve.
Line by Line Meaning
I couldn't love you your way
I couldn't love you the way you wanted me to love you
Yeah, and still you came to see me day by day
Despite that, you still came to see me every day
But now I miss you all the time
But now that you're gone, I miss you all the time
No heart can be as sad as mine
There is no sadder heart than mine
Ain't nobody's fault but mine
I am responsible for my own sadness
What will lie due tomorrow
What will happen tomorrow because of my lies
Burden down and suffer with my sorrows
I am burdened by my sorrows and have to suffer through them
But crying ain't gonna help me knock
Crying won't resolve my problems
I made a mistake anyhow
I made a mistake anyway
It ain't nobody's fault but mine
I am responsible for my own mistakes
One day I got to pay for my mistakes, y'all
One day I will have to face the consequences of my mistakes
It's gonna carry me straight to my grave
My mistakes will follow me to the end of my life
Instead of you trying to spend my money
Instead of spending my money, like you used to do
Yet your favorite word was to call me honey
You used to call me honey all the time
But I was just a doggone fool
But I was just a foolish person
Trying to be so doggone cool
Trying to be cool, unnecessarily
I thought I didn't, oh
I thought I didn't make a mistake
I made a big mistake, y'all
But I made a big mistake, everyone
I did something wrong too, ah
I did something wrong as well
Nobody's fault but mine
I am responsible for my own actions
It ain't nobody's fault but mine
I am responsible for my own wrongdoing
I did the wrong thing to you girl
I did something wrong to you, girl
Somebody help me now
I need someone to help me now
I need a little bit of help now
I need a little bit of help right now
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: OTIS REDDING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind