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.
Send Me Some Lovin
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Send it, I pray
How can I keep loving you
Only when you're so far, far away?
Ooh, send me your kisses
Why don't you send it, my dear
So I can hold you
Why don't you send me your kisses?
Honey, I can feel that great love
I need you so bad
I miss you, you so much
My, my days are so lonely
Honey, my nights, nights are so blue
I'm here and I'm lonely
I'm waitin' for you now, all my, all night long
In Otis Redding's song "You Send Me," the singer is longing for his love to send him affection and kisses, as he feels incomplete without them. The repeated phrase "send me" serves as a plea for the love and affection that is missing from his life. The singer longs for physical connection, as they are separated from their love and unable to hold them. The lyrics express the loneliness that the singer feels, with days and nights seeming empty without their significant other.
The song captures the longing that can exist within a long distance relationship, with the singer using language that conveys the physical separation and emotional isolation they are experiencing. By using phrases like "I'm here and I'm lonely" and "my nights are so blue," Otis Redding drives home the depth of emotion that is being conveyed in the song. Despite the distance, the love between the singer and their significant other remains strong, and the singer calls out for their kisses and affection as a way to make them feel closer.
Overall, "You Send Me" is a song that captures the ache and longing involved in a long distance relationship. The lyrics express the intense emotions that can be experienced when separated from the person you love, while also conveying a message of hope and perseverance in the face of distance and isolation.
Line by Line Meaning
Send me some lovin'
Please show me affection
Send it, I pray
Send it to me as soon as possible
How can I keep loving you
It's difficult to maintain my love for you
Only when you're so far, far away?
Especially when you are distant from me
Ooh, send me your kisses
I desire your physical affection
Why don't you send it, my dear
I'm wondering why you haven't shown me love yet
So I can hold you
So I can embrace you physically
And pretend, yeah, you are here
And imagine that you are present with me
Why don't you send me your kisses?
Once again, I'm asking for your physical affection
Honey, I can feel that great love
I can sense your intense love for me
I need you so bad
I require your presence and love deeply
I miss you, you so much
I miss you greatly and ache for you
My, my days are so lonely
My days are without companionship
Honey, my nights, nights are so blue
My nights are sad and depressing
I'm here and I'm lonely
I'm physically here, but emotionally alone
I'm waitin' for you now, all my, all night long
I'm eagerly waiting for you, every night for hours
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Marascalco, Leo Price
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nata54440
Send me some lovin'
Send it, I pray
How can I keep loving you
Only when you're so far, far away?
Ooh, send me your kisses
Why don't you send it, my dear
So I can hold you
And pretend, yeah, you are here
Why don't you send me your kisses?
Honey, I can feel that great love
I need you so bad
I miss you, you so much
My, my days are so lonely
Honey, my nights, nights are so blue
I'm here and I'm lonely
I'm waitin' for you now, all my, all night long
@gloriabooker1537
This man has been my favorite singer since I was a very young girl like 14 years old and now 70 years old. Today, I still feel the same way about him. He sang from his heart. My mother wouldn't let me hang out so I never got to see him preform. I was married and pregnant with my first child when he was taken away and today she plays his music for me when I visit her. She is 51 years old. The best I've heard yet, and God bless his soul and his family
@marybennett4160
How are you 70 and your mother is 51?? 😂
@daryldarichuk2149
Are you serious? Thats 19 years old. People are having kids at like 16. Wtf you talkin bout?
@danielpiper478
@@marybennett4160her daughter plays the record
@adela315
wow...never get tired of that voice! I can feel every emotion this man is sending out!!!
@josphinepedro4744
Adela l loop mop
@tashaalexander6384
There will only be one OTIS REDDING...
And I'll forever fall in love with his voice like I heard it for the first time anytime his songs is played
I just love his voice....
@robertgrimm8531
The man sang from the heart
@elvispresley9632
S0OOO VERY TRUE. AMEN.
@cyndygough4107
I totally agree. He was The Soul Man. Can only imagine how much more he would have recorded if he hadn't gotten on that plane. The best. RIP Mr. Redding. 💜