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.
Satisfaction
Otis Redding Lyrics
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I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
I have tried, I have tried
I have tried, I have tried
I can't get me no, ha-ha
And I can't get no, uh, now
When I'm driving in my car
And the man comes on the radio
Keep a-tellin' me more and more
About that useless information
He's tryin' to mess up my imagination
And I can get me no, no, no
And I can get me no
Hey, hey, hey, what I say?
You gotta, gotta, gotta-groovy
We gotta have it, we gotta have it
We gotta have it, we gotta have it
Keep on grooving, keep on grooving
We keep on grooving
Got, no, my, yeah, said
I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no, no satisfaction
I have tried, I have tried
I have tried, I have tried, tried, tried
I can't get me no, no, no
And I can't get me no, no, no, no
We gotta groove it, groove it, oh my now
Keep-keep on knockin', knockin' baby, yeah
Ow, gotta, gotta have it, we gotta
Keep, keep, ah
Not ever, woman, she waits long time
This little girl is tryin' to put me down
I keep on runnin' round in my sleep
I keep on messin' up any beat
I keep on rockin', I try to find me
Somebody to love me
And give me some reaction
And I can find nobody, no, no, nobody
Give me no reaction, 'faction, 'faction got to have it
Satisfaction, we got to have it
Satisfaction, earlier in the morning
Satisfaction, later in the evening
Call it satisfaction, in the midnight hour
The lyrics of Otis Redding's 'Satisfaction' convey a feeling of frustration and dissatisfaction with the world around him. The repetition of the lines "I can't get no satisfaction" emphasizes the intensity of his unfulfilled desires. The song suggests that consumer culture and the media are responsible for exacerbating this feeling as they bombard him with "useless information" that distracts him from his desires.
The verse about driving in his car and hearing the radio further highlights the idea of how the media shapes our desires and perceptions. Otis Redding feels as if the man on the radio is trying to "mess up my imagination" with the barrage of information and advertising. The song suggests that our desires are not truly our own, but rather they are influenced by external forces.
Throughout the song, Otis Redding searches for someone to love him and give him the "reaction" he seeks. The repetition of the phrase "got to have it" emphasizes the urgency of his desire for satisfaction. The song implies that satisfaction is elusive and difficult to come by in a world that constantly bombards us with distractions.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't get no satisfaction
Despite trying, I am unable to be content and happy
I have tried, I have tried
I've made an effort to seek satisfaction, but to no avail
When I'm driving in my car
While I'm riding in my vehicle
And the man comes on the radio
And an announcer speaks on the radio
He's tryin' to mess up my imagination
The announcer is attempting to impede my creative thinking
We gotta have it, we gotta have it
We must obtain it, it's essential for us
Keep-keep on knockin', knockin' baby, yeah
Persistently keep knocking, hey baby
Not ever, woman, she waits long time
It takes a long time to satisfy a woman
This little girl is tryin' to put me down
This young woman is attempting to belittle me
I keep on runnin' round in my sleep
I am frustrated and restless
I keep on rockin', I try to find me
I am often active, searching for someone to love me
And give me some reaction
And show me any kind of response
Give me no reaction, 'faction, 'faction got to have it
I need reaction; I can't go on without it
Satisfaction, earlier in the morning
I need satisfaction from the moment I wake up
Satisfaction, later in the evening
I need satisfaction until the end of the day
Call it satisfaction, in the midnight hour
I need satisfaction even in the middle of the night
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Keith Richards, Michael Jagger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind