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.
Pain In My Heart
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is treating me cold
Where can my baby be?
Lord no one knows
Pain in my heart
Just won't let me sleep
Where can my baby be?
And now the days
Has began to get tough
Said I want you to come back, come back
Come back baby
I had enough, oh
A little pain in my heart
Just won't let me be
Wake up restless nights
Lord, and I can't even sleep
Hmm, yeah
Stop this little pain in my heart
And now the days
Has began to get rough
Said I want you to love me, love me, love me baby
Till I get enough, oh
Pain in my heart
Little pain in my heart
Stop this little pain in my heart
Stop this little pain in my heart
Someone stop this pain
Someone stop this pain, oh
The lyrics to Otis Redding's "Pain In My Heart" convey the anguish and yearning of someone who has lost their loved one. The first two lines establish the pain that is consuming the singer, and the following two express the desperation and feeling of uncertainty for their lost love. The line "where can my baby be?" repeats in each verse, highlighting the singer's obsession with finding their lover, and the line "Lord no one knows" adds a touch of hopelessness to the lyrics as if the singer feels helpless in their search.
The second stanza has a more feverish urgency to it. The line "just won't let me sleep" expresses an inability to rest and suggests that the singer's mind is overtaken by thoughts of their lover. The repetition of the line "Where can she be?" emphasizes the frustration and longing that the singer feels. The line "I had enough," reveals the exhaustion and finality of the singer's search for their lost love. The final chorus is a plea to end the pain that has engulfed the singer and highlights the powerlessness that they feel as they plead for help in ending their suffering.
Line by Line Meaning
Pain in my heart
I feel a deep emotional discomfort
Is treating me cold
It's making me feel lonely and isolated
Where can my baby be?
I am missing my loved one and wondering where they are
Lord no one knows
I feel helpless and hopeless because I don't know where my loved one is
Just won't let me sleep
It's keeping me awake at night
Where can my baby be?
I am still missing my loved one
Lord where can she be?
I am feeling even more desperate and sad
And now the days
As time goes on
Has began to get tough
It's getting harder to deal with the pain
Said I want you to come back, come back
I am begging my loved one to return
Come back baby
I miss you so much
I had enough, oh
I can't take this pain anymore
A little pain in my heart
The emotional discomfort I feel
Just won't let me be
It's consuming me
Wake up restless nights
I can't even sleep peacefully
Lord, and I can't even sleep
It's affecting my ability to rest
Stop this little pain in my heart
I desperately want to be free from this emotional suffering
Has began to get rough
Things are getting more challenging
Said I want you to love me, love me, love me baby
I want my loved one to show me affection and comfort me
Till I get enough, oh
I need their love and care until I feel better
Little pain in my heart
The emotional discomfort is small but persistent
Someone stop this pain
I am desperate for relief from the emotional discomfort
Someone stop this pain, oh
I feel overwhelmed and desperate for help
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Naomi Neville
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind