As an old 70 year old white lady, I amazed myself that I honestly remembered every word to this song. I grew up listening to as much music by black artists as I did white ones. I just loved music! Anyway, I haven’t heard this song in years. Happy I could remember the words. Some good songs you just don’t forget!
I'm a white youngster of 68 and you got that exactly right! Ahhh, the glory days of radio when they played everything (they still do, but you just have to look harder now).
I was thinking how I can't believe I do remember every word of a song from 50 years ago, and I can't remember why I walk into a room half the time ... lol. I get it girl. I listened to all music but rap when I was young. I never could get into that.
I agree with all that’s been said. And speaking of tapping your feet, when I was in my 50’s, I joined a group of older ladies and we tapped danced. We were even in recitals. And, we learned a step made famous Gregory Hines! It’s never too late to make your dreams come true. Y’all have a great day!
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay was recorded twice by Otis Redding in 1967, the last was 3 days before he died. The song isn't really about depression. Neither Redding nor Cropper were depressed. They said the song was about trying to find the beauty in life in spite of the hopelessness and despair we all have dealt with. The lyrics speak to the human condition, the emotional turmoil that we've all gone through at some point in our lives. Lines like "I’ve had nothing to live for, looks like nothing’s gonna come my way," "Looks like nothing’s gonna change, everything still remains the same," and "Sittin’ here resting my bones and this loneliness won’t leave me alone," certainly bring home the hopelessness and despair. Apparently while on this houseboat, Otis would go on the deck, sit there and watch the ships coming and going from San Francisco Bay. He watched the waves and the tides rolling in and out, and contemplated life. He had nothing to do but sit there and watch and let time go by. He came up with "I watch the ships come in and I watch them roll away again. Sittin’ on the dock of the bay." That's all he had and what he and Cropper collaborated on and made into a song. Otis and Steve Cropper came up with one of the biggest soul hits of all time...Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. Cropper said that he geared the song towards Otis' life as Otis really did leave his home in Georgia and ended on the Frisco Bay in his little houseboat where he watched the ships come and go and tide roll in and out.
Steve Cropper one of the greatest musicians who really put Soul Music on the map. The man is a totally unrecognised hero, his track record speaks for itself.
Otis wanted to write a new kind of music. Dock of the Bay was the only song he wrote because he died shortly afterwards in a plane crash. His songs were joyfull, but this song was given to him to be written. It was deeper than he intended it to be. I wish I could continue his work.
SF Bay Area Baby Boomer. Love the Rob Squuad. Love Ottis Redding and the good old days🖖 Gorgeous voice. Sad story. 1967 plane crash. No one could believe it. His fans were everywhere. All colors
YEAH OTIS REDDING! I beg you to do "I've Been Loving You Too Long" and "Try A Little Tenderness" for some HEAT! They start as slow embers and turn into raging infernos.
This was his last recording it was a hit. He was 27 years old when he died. He had a lot of hits. He wrote Respect One of Aretha Franklin's biggest hits.
*Other Otis Redding songs to check out* "These Arms Of Mine" "Try A Little Tenderness" (Live at Monterey Pop 1968) "That's How Strong My Love Is" "I've Been Loving You Too Long" "Love Man"
I’m an older guy, so maybe not everyone can relate… But I miss the days when songs like this came out and a single Top 40 radio station would play *all* kinds of music. Now, music is so segmented, so many listeners never hear anything outside of their favorite genre. Unless they watch you guys! ;)
This song didn’t come out until after his death his whistling at the end was not intended to be in the track he planned to write another verse and add it to the song later but his untimely death prevented that from happening. How ironic the whistling makes this song so iconic and is what most people remember about “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay”
I have heard that they thought about adding the Staples to the chorus but I've never heard of another verse. I think Otis knew the whistle worked. But he was know for great fade outs
I wonder if that final verse was going to be a turn to the positive to end the song on a positive note. The whistling kind off does that in its own way...
I've seen Cropper say the song was unfinished. But nothing about another verse. Otis played the song for his Wife and manager, telling them it was his next hit. Both thought it sounded too different. But it seems obvious Otis was satisfied with song. I have ever seen anything from anybody involved saying Otis planned to add a verse.
I'm still amazed... I just turned 60, I can't believe I grew up in the 60's, 70's. It was such a awesome time. I'm so glad you all are open to enjoy this era of music. It was so special.
We named our dog 'Otis' after this song. We found him sitting on the dock of the bay as a young pup. He was a fantastic canine creature! Miss him, I do.
The Reddings are from my hometown. They're really good people and are loved by everyone. His daughter used to shop in my store, and I loved talking to her. She told me her favorite song of her father's was 'Try a Little Tenderness'.
@@yahadyashabbat9364 When I was in middle school, I lived down the road in Cordele, and my parents lived in Albany before I was born. 🙂 Edit: YT keeps putting my period and emoji in the wrong place, no matter how many times I fix it!
He was straight-up gut-bucket soul, personified. This song was released after his death. His bestselling song ever. Ironic. Sad. 26 years old. But the soulful sound of Otis Redding will live forever! Glad you got to experience a piece of what made him a legend.
@@rtm27 that’s the interview. You might recognize Steve from Booker T and the MG’s or the Blues Brothers band (“play it, Steve!”). He played on and produced lots of Stax artist tracks, including Otis’, though he passed on signing James Carr and the granddaddy of Memphis soul singers, O.V. Wright.
Only 26 when he died. He was so brilliant and just really coming into his own as a creative artist. He co-wrote this song with guitarist Steve Cropper (from Booker T and the MGs) who also produced the track. I remember Cropper talking about how Redding was exploding with creativity at this time and really coming into his own. In terms of what was left on the table, it's possibly the most tragic death in pop/rock/soul /RnB (whatever) history. But, for some reason, he doesn't get nearly the attention of other (Hendrix, Lennon, Holly, Cobain, Joplin, etc) similarly tragic pop artist. He was open and interested in exploring other styles of music. He covered songs by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. And you can tell (on this track) he was developing his own eclectic style. He was proving adept at meshing these different styles. This track is first and foremost a Soul track, but it leans into a Country/pop vibe as well. It was unique when it was released and has been imitated many times since.
Other amazing Artists also are Sam Cooke, The Isley Brothers, and everyone knows that you definitely can't wrong with The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops!!!!!!! Just a few of the greatest singing groups of all time
@@johnreeves8223 To think of all we did not mention. There is a wealth of artist in that same category that both you and I could list. I'm subscribed and am looking forward to suggesting and guiding both of them through an amazing journey. I gather we are allies in the task and direction. I bid you a wonderful day good sir. Catch you on the flip side someday :)
Otis Redding - “These Arms of Mine” and “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember” and please check out my hero *Sam Cooke* “A Change is Gonna Come” and “Bring it on Home to Me”.
A big ‘yes please’ for those Sam Cooke recs! A Change is Gonna Come, is one of those songs everyone needs to listen to. Another artist gone long before his time.
Hey guys, I'm going thru your library listening to songs I've missed and I'm so happy to have heard this on your list. Here is a little bit of a fact that may be of your interest, although by now you may already know ... The Bee Gees wrote a song for Mr. Otis Redding although he died before he could record it....To Love somebody is the song. The Bee Gees ended up recorded it, and it was a big hit for them...Sam & Dave (60's group) also recorded it.
For me, this song is showing how you can be depressed about your life and still enjoy where you are. I love the water and watching waves is a way for me to find peace. So even though he says he’s wasting time because things aren’t going right, he’s feeding his soul.
Oh yes! They have to listen to Marvin! Don't forget "Let's Get It On", "I Want You", "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", "Hitch Hike", "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You", "Distant Lover(Live)", "Pride and Joy", "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "Ain't That Peculiar", "You're A Wonderful One', "Got To Give It Up", "Mercy Mercy Me" and all the songs he sang with Tammi Terrell("Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "You're All I Need to Get By", "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing", "Your Precious Love" and "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You". I love when young people discover older music and artists! :D
Marvin was a genius, and another of the all-time great singers. His early songs with Tami Terel, (his best singing partner) are so GREAT! Every single song they sang together was so excellent.Yes his song "Sexual Healing" is beautiful, but please listen to World-Famous Reggae Star: Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals, singing his song "Spiritual Healing." Toots (real name Frederick) died of Covid in Jamaica, his homeland, a few months ago. He was my all-time favorite Reggae singer. He was getting old: began his music career in Jamaica about the same time as Bob Marley. But you should have seen him jump off the stage into his audience, where his fans would hug and kiss him. Last time I saw him was at the Marin County Fair, in the San Francisco Bay Area. We miss you Toots, Otis, Marvin, and all the great singers who made the world a brighter place.
Otis' rendition of "I've Been Loving You To Long" from the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival is not only definitive but the epitome of raw soul. Some of the images in this video were taken from that performance. This song became a hit just at the time of his death in a plane crash. RIP to The Man.
Listened to Otis in grade school on the radio. In the kitchen, in the car, and under my pillow I hid a transistor radio! Still listening to music before I fall asleep. Thank you for playing Otis! "Cigarettes and Coffee" is a good late night song (Otis Redding.)
Recorded in 1967. I actually left my home in Georgia and found my way to the USS Enterprise docked in Alameda across the bay from San Francisco. So, I have sat on the dock of the bay watching the ships roll in. Needless to say, this is one of my favorite songs.
I’m a 70’s baby, I grew up on this kind of music in Guyana. Oldies are goodies. My children listens to this too they are 30, 27, 12 & 6 they all love oldies. Enjoy
There's a reason that Otis Redding is a household name!! You should do more old classics: Louis Armstrong - What a beautiful world Nat King Cole Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock (live performance) Little Richard - Tutti Frutti (live performance) Chuck Berry - Rollover Beethoven (live performance)
The version of Unforgettable that Nat King Cole's daughter Natalie recorded using both his vocals and hers! There's no way Amber could get through that one without tearing up.
@@recyclerhopkins Yes, Lou Rawls "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine". A classic I remember hearing as a kid. They sould definitely check that one out.
Yup, he was actually writing about this one time when he contemplated jumping off the dock into the water to drown himself. "I have nothing to live for, looks like nothing's gonna come my way" says it all.
Voltor07 it's not a suicide song. Otis wrote this after his triumph at Monterey. Top of his career. If anything Otis may have been taping into the mindset of the hippies around him in the San Fran bay
This song is iconic. For a favorite vacation, I drove to San Francisco from Minnesota (2,000 miles). I made it to San Francisco Bay, sat on a dock overlooking the bay and put this song on my phone. Pure joy. Doing nothing just watching the boats come in. ❤️
Nice. I discovered all that '60s vocal gorgeousness as a teenager in the '80s (thanks to my bestie's mum). So so many great voices for you to explore if you really haven't already, like Otis, and some of my other favourites like Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Wilson Pickett, Ben E King, Brook Benton, Solomon Burke, Clyde McPhatter, etc.
Otis was the King of Soul. Everything thing he did was GOLD. His live performances were something else to watch and listen to. This song was recorded in 1967 and he died before this song was released
WOW....was listening to this, sitting on the dock of the bay waiting for the Alcatraz ferry. Sunny and sweet smell of the sea....1982...New Zealand tourist, I remember every second, magical.
I thought,as Amber did,when I heard it as a child that it was a happy,laid-back song about just enjoying taking it easy recharging one's batteries by the quayside. It was only later that the lyrics as a whole registered me and I realised that it was about this poor guy whose life was a bust and who was just sitting on the dock of the bay to get away from it all,marking time,unsure of what if anything he was going to do with the rest of his days.
@@ZoeyPaigeLunaPhD Last overdubs were completed three days before he died. It was released a month after his death. It has the MG's as the backing band, Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn, who were on hundreds of songs back then
This is one of my top 10 favorite favorites! TexasRose50 I am a 69 year old white person also and I remember all the words! He has one of the smoothest voices ever! Thanks for playing it!
Late 50's, 60's and early 70's- from Chuck Berry and Elvis to Ricky Nelson and Smokey Robinson to the Beatles Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, Temptations and 4 Tops- the rock, Motown and Soul was new every day. The output was tremendous. And we haven't started talkin' about the blues! Check out Arthur Conley's Do You Like Good Music!
Blues was born out of pain and misery. As the man on the dock surely knows, singing helps to ease the pain. Otis Redding did not have an easy life as he had to leave school to help out the family then he got tuberculosis. But he had tremendous popularity in his short life. One of my favorites is “Try A Little Tenderness” and I think he did it at the Monterey Pop Festival and just blew everyone away. Try and get that song to show his range, it’s very up beat.
Amber my dad absolutely loved Otis Redding played this song all of the time and every time I hear it I Have these wonderful memories of him hes amazing!!!
I had this single in 1968 when I was 13, I loved it & played it over and over , he had died in a plane crash in 67, not long before it was released, I wish he would have been alive to see what a big hit it was and how everyone loved it & him. RIP Otis.
Otis Redding was a wonderful musician. I'm a die hard fan of classic Rock-n-Roll and R&B, in particular from the 70's. I'm glad to watch and listen to your reaction of classic R&B. I highly recommend the O'Jays. "For The Love Of Money" and "Back Stabbers" just to name a couple. Peace Out 😊✌
I had to take a music class in college. Otis was one of the most interesting artists I learned about. So many accomplishments in his short life. He left a lasting impact on the industry. Interesting tidbit, he wrote RESPECT which was later made famous by Aretha.
that's our annual boys fishing/camping trip official after dinner tune. a couple dozen of us sitting at the edge of a mountain lake with a cup of good single malt, a Cuban cigar, and a camp fire singing at the top of lungs and loving life. you're in if you want.
I grew up (70 years old) on Big O (Otis Redding) music. He is one of the greatest of all times. Sitting on the "Dock of the Bay" was released soon after Big O died. Check out JayZ and Kanye's rap song using one of Big O's song.
Like Marc Bolan, John Lennon and others, Otis Redding left us in a ridiculously tragic way at far too young an age. I always feel like whistling at the end of this song is both hopeful and relaxing. This song was the first time I heard San Francisco abbreviated as “Frisco.” Also there’s one chord on the guitar that has such a unique ring to it that also brings in a different angle, contributing to the complexity of the emotions expressed. Almost like a slight snickering.
"Aint got nothing to live for, looks like nothings gonna come my way" & "sitting here resting my bones and this loneliness wont leave me alone" always got me in the feels
The song definitely had overtones of depression or just wanting to give up. The artistry of the song is legendary though. Go forth and try to make at least one person a day smile, fight depression one smile at a time.
@@stormy8207 I guess? I’m 23 and wasn’t raised in country but I still know who Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty are? I mean how could I not? It’s like knowing who Clark Cable is. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hating, I love this channel. I just can’t fathom it
Hey guys, I live near The coast of Charleston, SC. We call this beach music/shagging music. There is a dance that people do on the beach area is called the shag. This is one of those songs and it’s a classic!
Well Jay, I’m sure you’ve come to the conclusion that only listening to one genre of music is a grave mistake, and I hope you’ll continue to broaden your children’s musical horizons. There is just too many songs and artists, amazing people from all walks of life, skin tone and nationalities that are being missed by only listening to one genre that you end up doing yourself an injustice. 😎💕🤞
I fully agree! I try to spread my listening over several genres and through several decades. There's songs I've listened to from the '50s, but I usually do stick with '80s and '90s. Those are my favorite decades (probably because I grew up in those).
So true. I was lucky to have a father that taught me everything from Big Band to Chet Atkins to Ray Charles to the Beatles. If it had been left to my mother, I would only know Andy Williams 🤣.
