Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an America… Read Full Bio ↴Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, and talent scout. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. Redding's style of singing gained inspiration from the gospel music that preceded the genre. His singing style influenced many other soul artists of the 1960s. During his lifetime, his recordings were produced by Stax Records, based in Memphis, Tennessee.

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.

Tennessee Waltz
Otis Redding Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was dancing with my baby
To that Tennessee Waltz
When an old friend I happened
Happened to see
Well I didn't know I was going to see him
I introduced him to my baby
While, while they kept on playing
That friend stole my sweetheart

Away from me. yes he did
I remember, yeah, that night
Of that beautiful Tennessee Waltz
Oh you know, you'll never know
You'll never know just how much I've lost, ooh
I lost my baby, my sweet baby
While, while they kept on playing
That beautiful Tenne- Tennessee Waltz
Yeah yeah yeah now
I remember, yeah, that night
Of that beautiful Tennesse Waltz
Oh you know, you know, you know
Just how much I've lost
Ooh honey, I lost too much, yeah
I lost my baby, my sweet baby
While, while they kept on playing
That beautiful, wonderful
That marvelous, yeah man that glorious
That cotton pickin' Tenne-

Tennessee Waltz
I lost my baby, my my my my baby

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Otis Redding's Tennessee Waltz are filled with strong emotions of heartbreak, depicting the story of a man who lost his sweetheart to a friend while dancing to the iconic Tennessee Waltz. The song starts with the singer dancing to the Tennessee Waltz with his love until an old friend appears unexpectedly. He introduces his friend to his sweetheart, but while they continued to dance, his friend steals away his love. The singer then reminisces about the night of the beautiful Tennessee Waltz, which holds bittersweet memories for him. He laments his loss of his sweet baby, as the song ends with him repeating the phrase 'I lost my baby' several times, emphasizing his heartbreak.

The Tennessee Waltz itself is the perfect metaphor for the situation in the song, representing the flow and ebb of a relationship, the joy and happiness alongside the heartache and betrayal. It's also a nod to the dance's cultural significance, with the Tennessee Waltz having been declared the official state song of Tennessee in 1965. The emotional lyrics of the song coupled with Otis Redding's passionate delivery made this song a hit, resonating with audiences around the world.

Line by Line Meaning

I was dancing with my baby To that Tennessee Waltz
I was enjoying my time with my significant other dancing to the music of the Tennessee Waltz.

When an old friend I happened Happened to see
I unexpectedly encountered an old friend of mine.

Well I didn't know I was going to see him I introduced him to my baby While, while they kept on playing That friend stole my sweetheart Away from me. yes he did
I introduced my friend to my significant other without knowing that he would steal her away from me while we were dancing to the Tennessee Waltz.

I remember, yeah, that night Of that beautiful Tennessee Waltz Oh you know, you'll never know You'll never know just how much I've lost, ooh
I still have memories of that night when I lost my beloved while we were dancing to the beautiful music that played during the Tennessee Waltz. The pain and loss I feel cannot be fully expressed or understood.

I lost my baby, my sweet baby While, while they kept on playing That beautiful Tenne- Tennessee Waltz
I lost the person I loved the most, my sweet baby, while the enchanting music of the Tennessee Waltz played in the background.

Yeah yeah yeah now I remember, yeah, that night Of that beautiful Tennesse Waltz Oh you know, you know, you know Just how much I've lost
I still vividly remember that night and the Tennessee Waltz that played as I lost my love. You can't even imagine how much I lost that day.

Ooh honey, I lost too much, yeah I lost my baby, my sweet baby While, while they kept on playing That beautiful, wonderful That marvelous, yeah man that glorious That cotton pickin' Tenne- Tennessee Waltz
The loss of my beloved during the beautiful and glorious Tennessee Waltz was too much for me to bear. The music was so wonderful and marvelous that it made the loss even more painful.

I lost my baby, my my my my baby
I lost the person who was the love of my life, my baby, and it hurts so much.

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Redd Stewart, Pee Wee King

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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OverviewLyricsListenOther recordings
I was dancing with my baby
To that Tennessee Waltz
When an old friend I happened
Happened to see
Well I didn't know I was going to see him
I introduced him to my baby
While, while they kept on playing
That friend stole my sweetheart
Away from me. yes he did
I remember, yeah, that night
Of that beautiful Tennessee Waltz
Oh you know, you'll never know
You'll never know just how much I've lost, ooh
I lost my baby, my sweet baby
While, while they kept on playing
That beautiful Tenne- Tennessee Waltz
Yeah yeah yeah now
I remember, yeah, that night
Of that beautiful Tennesse Waltz
Oh you know, you know, you know
Just how much I've lost
Ooh honey, I lost too much, yeah
I lost my baby, my sweet baby
While, while they kept on playing
That beautiful, wonderful
That marvelous, yeah man that glorious
That cotton pickin' Tenne-
Tennessee Waltz
I lost my baby, my my my my baby