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.
Tell the Truth
Otis Redding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell the truth, girl, now
You know you got me goin' everything crazy that you want me to do
Yes you have girl
Don't you, don't you, don't you know you gotta tell the truth, yeah huh
Baby, baby, baby, babe why don't you tell me truth, now, uh
You know you got me goin' everything crazy that you want me to do
Yes you have, yeah watch it
Lovin' you is just a little bit easy started, so hard to stop
Feel how could
Baby, bay, you know I would
I feel a strong all around
If I thought that it would do any good, mama
Tell me the truth, yeah
Lit-lit-lit-lit-little girl just
Tell me the truth now, yeah, huh
You know you got me goin' everything foolish that you want me to do
Oh play it
Come on Steve, yeah
Tell me,tell me, tell me the truth now
Tell the truth now
Lovin' you is easy to start, hard to stop
But I'm gonna just tell you this, uh
If I had to do it
Baby you know I would
I would feeling strong all around
If I just thought that it would do me some good, aahhhh
The truth now
Tell 'em, tell 'em, tell 'em, tell 'em, tell, just tell me the truth now
Just tell me the truth now
Got to tell me no lie
I wanna tell you the truth now
Don't you, don't you tell me no lie, ah
Just tell me the truth now
Don't you, don't you tell me no lie girl, huh
Just tell me the truth now
Otis Redding's "Tell the Truth" is a plea from a man wanting honesty from his lover. Throughout this song, Otis laments about how he is driven mad by his lover’s dishonesty. He's desperately searching for answers but can't seem to get them. The lyrics “tell me the truth” are repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the importance of honesty in relationships.
Otis Redding's passionate, soulful voice amplifies the powerful message of this song, making the listener empathize with the frustration of not being able to trust someone. The song is a classic example of old-school rhythm and blues. The melody features an upbeat tempo and an organ and horn section that accentuates the strong beat, giving the song an electrifying feel.
In summary, "Tell the Truth" is a song about the importance of honesty in relationships. Otis pleads with his lover to stop lying and be truthful with him. He acknowledges that loving someone is easy to start but hard to stop. He desires a relationship based on authenticity and transparency. Otis portrays these themes through his emotive voice and classic rhythm and blues sound.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell the truth
Please be honest with me
Tell the truth, girl, now
I need you to be completely honest with me right now
You know you got me goin' everything crazy that you want me to do
Your actions are driving me to do things that are out of character
Yes you have girl
You are the source of my confusion and I need clarity
Don't you, don't you, don't you know you gotta tell the truth, yeah huh
I hope you understand that the only way we can move forward is if you tell me the truth
Baby, baby, baby, babe why don't you tell me truth, now, uh
I am pleading with you to tell me the truth
Lovin' you is just a little bit easy started, so hard to stop
Falling in love with you was easy, but ending it seems impossible
Feel how could
I am overwhelmed with emotion
Baby, bay, you know I would
I would do anything for you
I feel a strong all around
I am confident in my love for you
If I thought that it would do any good, mama
I would do anything to make our relationship work
Tell me the truth, yeah
I need to hear the truth, even if it hurts
Lit-lit-lit-lit-little girl just
My dear, please
Tell me the truth now, yeah, huh
Please tell me the truth, I need to know
Oh play it
Continue the music
Come on Steve, yeah
Encouraging Steve to play the music
Tell me,tell me, tell me the truth now
I am begging you to tell me the truth
Tell the truth now
Be honest with me now
But I'm gonna just tell you this, uh
However, I need to say this now
If I had to do it
I would do anything for you
I would feeling strong all around
My love for you is intense and unyielding
If I just thought that it would do me some good, aahhhh
If it meant improving our relationship, I would do anything
Tell 'em, tell 'em, tell 'em, tell 'em, tell, just tell me the truth now
Please tell me the truth, there is no need to hide anything
Got to tell me no lie
Please do not lie to me
I wanna tell you the truth now
I am being open and honest with you, please do the same
Don't you, don't you tell me no lie, ah
I need to hear the unfiltered truth from you
Just tell me the truth now
Please be honest with me now
Don't you, don't you tell me no lie girl, huh
I am not willing to accept anything but the truth from you
Just tell me the truth now
I need to know the truth, no matter how hard it may be
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: LOWMAN PAULING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Erin Lola
Love Ken Burns documentaries...and the tunes are always the icing on his cake
Matthew Shortt
Pp8p8
a. n. conley
@pbs played this song on closing credits on "the Vietnam war" series , had to come here for a replay
AdamandEve
Same, great doc and a great song :)
Louis Kuyten
me too
Rene Macias
The veneer of civilization
Julien Gray
LMAO just saw the documentary
Mads en
wow same for a atre documentation about vietnam war. finally found it
Ngweji Mfumu
Like most everyone, I heard it on the Vietnam documentary and had to hear it again. Loved it back in the mid-sixties, doing the shing-a- ling and boog-a-loo.
markaysta
Oh yes! No one else quite so soulfully bluesy, for me. And yes to Ken Burns Vietnam soundtrack (still watching it one ep at a time) -- been totally tripping on the music. I also had to come here to listen again to this song, and many others from the series. That was exactly my era, 21 in 1968.