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.
Snatch a Little Piece
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All you go to do, is just tell me so girl
And I′ll bet you five dollars in a quad if not more
I'm gonna give you just a titty bit more
But you got to, got to, got to, just let me just
Snatch a little piece of your heart love girl
I got to snatch a little piece of your heart love girl, yeah
Loving you is my destiny
So you got to help me, cup this please
And I'll make sure that you need nobody
To do the thing that you want me to do
But you got to, got to, got to just let me
Snatch a litlle piece of your heart′s love girl
Got to, got to, got to get a little piece of your heart love girl, now
Give it to me, I want it
Let me have it, give it to me
Loving you is my destiny
So you got to help me just cup this please
And I′ll make sure that you need nobody
To do the thing that you want me to do
But you got to just let me girl
Just snatch a little piece of your heart love girl
Wanna, wanna, wanna get a little piece of your heart love girl, yeah
Gimme little piece
Got to, got to, got to, sweet-sweet piece
Got to just let me get a little piece, of you heart love girl
I got, get a little piece, of your heart love girl
I wanna, wanna snatch a little piece
Snatch it, snatch it, snatch a little piece
Snatch, snatch, give it to me baby
I got, got, sweet-sweet piece, of your heart love baby
I got to get a little, get, get
Get a little
The lyrics to Otis Redding's song Snatch a Little Piece are about the singer expressing their love and desire to be with their partner. The song talks about how the singer will do anything to make their partner happy and satisfy their wants and needs. The chorus repeats the line "Snatch a little piece of your heart love girl" which refers to the singer wanting a little piece of their partner's heart, love, and affection. The singer is asking their partner to let them in and be a part of their life and love.
The verse "If you don't think I'm loving you enough, All you got to do is just tell me so girl" is the singer's way of telling their partner that they are open to communication and willing to make changes to improve the relationship. The song also talks about how the singer's destiny is to love their partner and make them happy. They want to be the one to fulfill their partner's desires and be the only one they need.
Overall, the song is a sweet love song about the singer's desire to be with their partner and do anything to make them happy. The repeated chorus line "Snatch a little piece of your heart love girl" is a catchy and memorable phrase that emphasizes the singer's longing for their partner's love and affection.
Line by Line Meaning
If you don't think I'm loving you enough
If you feel like I'm not giving you enough love
All you go to do, is just tell me so girl
Just communicate it to me and I'll listen, girl
And I′ll bet you five dollars in a quad if not more
I'm willing to put money on it that I can give you more love
I'm gonna give you just a titty bit more
I'm going to give you a little bit more of my love
But you got to, got to, got to, just let me just
But you have to allow me to do so
Snatch a little piece of your heart love girl
I want to take a small portion of your love
I got to snatch a little piece of your heart love girl, yeah
I really need to take a little piece of your love
Loving you is my destiny
It's my fate to love you
So you got to help me, cup this please
So you need to assist me in holding onto this love
And I'll make sure that you need nobody
I'll make sure you don't need anyone else
To do the thing that you want me to do
To fulfill your desires
But you got to, got to, got to just let me
But you have to allow me to do so
Got to, got to, got to get a little piece of your heart love girl, now
I have to take a little bit of your love right now
Give it to me, I want it
Please give me your love, I desire it
Let me have it, give it to me
I'm asking to have your love, please give it to me
Wanna, wanna, wanna get a little piece of your heart love girl, yeah
I really want to take a small portion of your love
Gimme little piece
Give me a little bit
Got to, got to, got to, sweet-sweet piece
I really need to take a sweet piece of your love
Got to just let me get a little piece, of you heart love girl
Please let me have a little bit of your love, girl
I got, get a little piece, of your heart love girl
I really want to take a small portion of your love
I wanna, wanna snatch a little piece
I really desire to take a small piece of your love
Snatch it, snatch it, snatch a little piece
Take it quickly, take a small piece
Snatch, snatch, give it to me baby
Take a piece for me, baby
I got, got, sweet-sweet piece, of your heart love baby
I really have a sweet piece of your love, baby
I got to get a little, get, get
I really need to take a little bit
Writer(s): Otis Redding
Contributed by Dominic M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
lovely Dove
Otis just knew how to move the spirit within me. Such a funky low down beat!!
OtisFan1
Gotta gotta gotta listen to my Otis. Love how he could sing obvious double entendres without being vulgar. Wish the rap and hip-hop writers would take a lesson from Otis. And don't you just feel his joie de vivre? Even though he's best know for his Mr. Pitiful side, with mournful "Dock of the Bay" and "I've Been Loving You Too Long" and such, or the plaintive "Open the Door" or "Come to Me," if you want to feel UP just play "Wholesale Love," "Can't Turn You Loose," "Look at That Girl," "Groovin' Time," and "Snatch..."
ALAIN DEWAELE
love this fran !!!!!!!!!!!
Dee G
The start of this song was a monster groove, it slips off after the initial groove.