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.
She Put the Hurt On Me
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes she did
She put the hurt on me, y'all
Oh she put the hurt on me
My baby socked it to me
Put the hurt on me, y'all
Oh she put the hurt on me
She put the hurt on me, children
Oh she put the hurt on me, huh
My baby socked it to me
She put the hurt on me, now
Wait a minute
I gotta tell you about it
She give me twenty two minutes of love
I had to think about it
She give me forty minutes
I had to talk about it
She give me sixty minutes
I can't do without it
She give me one hour of love, y'all
She give me that yeah
Oh she put the hurt on me
Yes she did
She put the hurt on me, y'all, now
Oh she put the hurt on me, huh
My baby did it to me
Put the hurt on me, y'all
Wait a minute
I gotta tell you about it
She give me twenty two minutes of love
I had to think about it
She give me forty minutes
I had to talk about it
She give me sixty minutes
I can't do without it
She give me one hour of love, y'all
She give me that yeah
I couldn't do without it
She give me one hour of love
Then knocked me on the floor y'all)
Oh she put the hurt on me
Yes she did
She put the hurt on me, children
Oh she put the hurt on me, huh
My baby socked it to me
She put the hurt on me, now
Oh she put the hurt on me
My baby did the thing to me
She did the
Oh she put the hurt on me
My baby rolled me on my back
The lyrics to Otis Redding's song "She Put the Hurt On Me" paint a picture of a passionate love affair. The singer sings about his lover putting the hurt on him, but it's clear that he enjoys it. He describes how his lover gives him different amounts of time to express his love, and how he can't live without it. It seems that the singer is addicted to the physical and emotional aspects of his relationship, even if it does cause him some pain.
At first, the lyrics might sound like the singer is being mistreated by his lover. However, a closer look reveals that he is actually reveling in the intensity of his relationship. By saying that his lover put the hurt on him, he is acknowledging the intensity of their passion. He even notes that she rolled him onto his back, implying that he was completely taken by her. The use of colloquial language, with phrases like "socked it to me" and "rolled me on my back," shows that the singer is coming from a place of raw emotion and intensity.
In essence, the song is an ode to intense, passionate love that might cause some pain, but is worth it in the end. It's about the consuming nature of love and how it can be both exhilarating and exhausting. The lyrics of "She Put the Hurt On Me" paint a picture of a relationship that is all-consuming and intense, but ultimately worth it.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh she put the hurt on me, y'all
The singer is expressing that he was hurt badly by his lover
Yes she did
Acknowledgment of the previous statement
She put the hurt on me, y'all
Reiteration of the singer's feeling of being hurt by his lover
Oh she put the hurt on me
Reiteration of the singer's feeling of being hurt by his lover
My baby socked it to me
The singer's lover hit him emotionally and caused him pain
Put the hurt on me, y'all
Reiteration of the singer's feeling of being hurt by his lover
Children
A term of endearment to address the audience
Wait a minute
The singer is asking for the audience's attention
I gotta tell you about it
The singer is about to reveal something to the audience
She give me twenty two minutes of love
The singer's lover gave him short bursts of affection
I had to think about it
The singer had to process the love he was receiving from his lover
She give me forty minutes
The singer's lover gave him a longer amount of affection
I had to talk about it
The singer had to discuss the love he was receiving from his lover
She give me sixty minutes
The singer's lover gave him a full hour of affection
I can't do without it
The singer has become dependent on the love he is receiving from his lover
She give me one hour of love, y'all
The singer's lover gave him an extended period of affection
She give me that yeah
The singer's lover gave him exactly what he needed emotionally
I couldn't do without it
The singer has become dependent on the love he is receiving from his lover
Then knocked me on the floor y'all)
The singer was emotionally overwhelmed by the love he received from his lover
My baby did the thing to me
The singer's lover caused him pain emotionally
She did the
Incomplete sentence expressing the singer's emotional state
My baby rolled me on my back
The singer's lover caused him to be emotionally vulnerable
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OTIS REDDING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind