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.
Stand By Me
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only
Only light we see
No, I won't be afraid
No no no no no no
No, I won't be afraid
Just as long, just as long
Now darling, darling
Whenever I'm in trouble
Darling, won't you stand
I need just a little helping hand
Now now now
And darling, darling
Won't you stand by me
If the sky we look upon now, now
Should tumble and fall
All of the mountains may crumble
May crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry
No no no no no, I won't shed no tears
Just as long, just as long
Just as long as you stand by me
Now darling, darling
I said I need somebody right now
I need just a little helping hand
I need someone to come pick me up
And stand by me
Come on, come on, baby, yeah
My my my my baby, whoa
Come on, come on and stand, stand by me
And darling, darling stand by me
Come on, pretty baby, and stand now
Stand, stand by me
Come on and help me, baby
I need a little lovin'
Come on and stand, stand by me
Whenever I'm in trouble
Won't you stand by
Come on and stand by me, my baby
Come on
I need a little bit of love
Otis Redding's song Stand by Me is a slow and steady paced ballad that talks about the importance of having someone to lean on in times of trouble or difficulty. The lyrics describe a time when the night has descended, and the world is enveloped in darkness. The only source of light is the shining moon that illuminates the scene. In this time of darkness, Otis Redding sings about not being afraid, as long as the person he is addressing stands by him. He pleads that whenever he is in trouble, he needs that person to be there, just a little helping hand to lift him up.
If the sky were to fall, and the mountains crumble to the sea, he would not cry, he would not shed any tears, as long as the person he trusts stands by him. The song describes the need for companionship and features the theme of relying on someone when times are tough. Otis Redding's Stand by Me is a poignant ode to the human need for care and support.
Line by Line Meaning
When the night has come
When darkness surrounds us
And the land is dark
And the world seems black
And the moon is the only
And the only source of light we have is
Only light we see
The dim light from the moon
No, I won't be afraid
I won't let fear overcome me
No no no no no no
No, not at all
Just as long, just as long
As long as
Just as long as you stand by me
You are there to support me
Now darling, darling
My dear, my love
Whenever I'm in trouble
When I'm having difficulty
Darling, won't you stand
Will you be there
I need just a little helping hand
I need a bit of assistance
Now now now
Right now
And darling, darling
My dear, my love
Won't you stand by me
Will you be there for me
If the sky we look upon now, now
If the sky we see right now
Should tumble and fall
Comes crashing down
All of the mountains may crumble
Even the mountains could crack and break apart
May crumble to the sea
And fall into the ocean
I won't cry, I won't cry
I won't weep
No no no no no, I won't shed no tears
No, I won't cry
Just as long, just as long
As long as
Just as long as you stand by me
You are with me
Now darling, darling
My dear, my love
I said I need somebody right now
I need someone right now
I need just a little helping hand
I need a bit of assistance
I need someone to come pick me up
I need someone to help me get back up
And stand by me
And support me
Come on, come on, baby, yeah
Come on, come on, my love
My my my my baby, whoa
My love
Come on, come on and stand, stand by me
Come and be here to help me
And darling, darling stand by me
My dear, stand by me
Come on, pretty baby, and stand now
Come here and be with me
Stand, stand by me
Be there for me
Come on and help me, baby
Assist me, my love
I need a little lovin'
I need love
Come on and stand, stand by me
Be here for me
Whenever I'm in trouble
When I'm having difficulty
Won't you stand by
Will you stay with me
Come on and stand by me, my baby
Come and support me, my love
Come on
Let's go
I need a little bit of love
I need some love
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Anthem Entertainment
Written by: Ben King, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Pride317
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only
Only light we see
No, I won't be afraid
No, no, no, no, no, no
No, I won't be afraid
Just as long, just as long
Just as long as you stand by me
[Chorus]
Now darling, darling
Whenever I'm in trouble
Darling, won't you stand
I need just a little helping hand
Now, now, now
And darling, darling
Won't you stand by me
[Verse 2]
If the sky we look upon, now, now
Should tumble and fall
All of the mountains may crumble
May crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry
No, no, no, no, no, I won't shed no tears
Just as long, just as long
Just as long as you stand by me
[Chorus]
Now darling, darling
I said I need somebody right now
I need just a little helping hand
Need someone to come pick me up
And let you stand by me
Come on, come on now, baby, yeah
Baby, come on, come on and stand, stand by me
And darling, darling, stand by me
Come on, pretty baby, stand there, stand, stand by me
Come on and help me, baby
I need a little love, come on and stand right be
Whenever I'm in trouble, won't you stand
Come on and stand by me
My, my, my, my, my baby, come on
I need a little bit of love
I need someone to come on, darling, just stand by me
@ronaldpriest9301
Sang Otis to my girlfriend at our homecoming dance in a old high school gym in 1968 while we slow dancing. Fifty three years later we are still madly in love with each other. Thank you Otis Redding for putting your heart and soul in what you sang.
@rochellemix4389
That is sooo BEAUTIFUL! LOVE FRM DA NAVAJO NATION!!
@riverrat9412
don't know ya, but I love ya. what a short, but VERY sweet story! bless ya both!
@GypsyEncounters
This is so damn beautiful!!
@smoothedenabiitchh
This is everything!!! Thank you!!
@aprilporter4657
Oh my.. this the sweetest thang, congrats!
@diegobraun9215
I wish today's youth would have the chance to see such a singer today, to hear, to feel ... to experience this era again ... What happiness the time of early birth ... my time ...
@kaythompson5164
Fell in love with Otis Redding and still love him today at 71 years old.
@einatmengbkade
same here..fell in love @ 11 years; still deeply in love 55 years later.
@sallylee7396
@@einatmengbkade hang in there I'm a good ole 78 years and still feel my heart skip a beat listening to his voice, those were the days.