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59听|听The Top 100
(Sittin鈥 On) The Dock Of The Bay
Otis Redding
Listening to Otis Redding sing 鈥(Sittin鈥 On) The Dock Of The Bay鈥 can鈥檛 help but leave you with a sense of what might have been. Recorded just three days before his death in a plane crash in Dec 1968, 鈥淒ock Of The Bay鈥 was a giant leap forward for a man who was already a star in the soul |
 Song facts |
| Composer |
Steve Cropper/Otis Redding |
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| Genre |
Soul |
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| Album |
The Dock Of The Bay |
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| Year of Release |
1968 |
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| UK Chart Position |
3 |
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world but was primed for a crossover to the mainstream. Redding鈥檚 state of mind at the time of the recording is evident in the calm, languid feel of the song. He鈥檇 been a huge success as the only soul act to play the Monterey Pop festival and he and his guitarist Steve Cropper rewarded themselves with a holiday on a houseboat outside San Francisco. Redding was a huge fan of The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and hoped that 鈥淒ock Of The Bay鈥 would be seen as fitting in with the mood of that album. It certainly displays a maturity in his songwriting that would no doubt have led to further mainstream success had he lived. But he didn鈥檛, and Cropper was left to tidy up the recording, adding the seaside noises but leaving in the whistling, which Redding had hoped to replace with a further verse at some time.
Otis Redding talks about his church background and other artists he admires |
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Otis Redding on church, poverty and Little Richard: "you've gotta be poor to sing the blues . . ."
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 听 |
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Other versions |
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听Tom Jones leant his vocal talents to Otis Redding's all-time classic soul track.
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Songwriting tips For expert advice on writing decent lyrics, great hooks or a melody to get the A&R scout humming. Find out more in |
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Test your knowledgeWhich hit did Redding pen for Aretha Franklin? Answer this poser and more in our quiz - or if you can't stand the heat just sit on the dock of the bay . . . TAKE THE CHALLENGE! |
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