No one could sing like Otis Redding could sing. The King of Soul stole the hearts of soul lovers in the 1960s. His first feat towards greatness was his Stax Records debut single “These Arms of Mine”. The song was released as a single in 1962 and appears on Redding’s debut album Pain In My Heart (1964). But what’s the story and meaning behind the song? Let’s find out!
The Story Behind the Song
In 1961 Otis Redding pitched his self-written song “Shout Bamalama” to record label owner Bobby Smith. Smith deemed the track good enough and signed Redding to his label Confederate. The song was released as a single in late 1961.
Smith and Redding began promoting the song, but stumbled upon an – to them – unforeseen hurdle. R&B stations refused to play anything related to Confederate. Disc jockeys would disregard the track without even listening to it.
The no-longer-clueless Bobby Smith instantly created a new label called Orbit Records. Under Orbit Records “Shout Bamalama” gained some airplay, but still wasn’t capable of breaking through.
Therefore Redding decided to pitch a new self-written tune to Smith titled “These Arms of Mine”. Smith loved the song but considered it too early for Redding to release another record. Instead, Smith decided to give the song to a local band.
Everything changed, however, when Joe Galkin (record producer) invited Redding to a Stax (record company) recording session. Otis would accompany blues musician Johnny Jenkins. And if there was time left at the end of the session, Redding could record a song too.
During the session, Jenkins was backed by Stax’s house band Booker T. & the M.G.’s. It turned out to be a disaster and the session was halted with about 30 minutes to go. All Otis Redding needed to showcase his talents.
The Booker T. & the M.G.’s initially thought Otis Redding was Johnny Jenkins’ driver. And most certainly didn’t expect what was about to happen next. guitarist Steve Cropper later recalled to Rolling Stone: “Otis said, ‘Just gimme those church things.’ We call them triplets in music. I said, ‘What key?’ He said, ‘It don’t matter.’
“He started singing ‘These Arms of Mine.’ And, man, my hair stood on end. Jim Stewart [producer and co-founder of Stax] came running out and said, ‘That’s it! That’s it! Where is everybody? We gotta get this on tape!’ So I grabbed all the musicians who hadn’t left already for their night gigs, and we recorded it right there.”
Bobby Smith was initially furious when he found out Redding recorded a song with Stax, but eventually agreed with a buy-out. Otis Redding was now a Stax artist. “These Arms of Mine”, with “Hey Hey Baby” as a B-side, was released in October 1962. The rest is history.
The Meaning of These Arms of Mine
The meaning of the song is pretty straightforward. Otis Redding wrote “These Arms of Mine” about his desire to be in the arms of his dream girl. The song could be written for Zelma Atwood, who married Redding in 1961.
The Song’s Legacy
“These Arms of Mine” was Otis Redding’s breakthrough song. It reached number 85 on the US Billboard hot 100 and number 20 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. The single reportedly sold over 800.000 copies.
Read more: The 10 Best Otis Redding Songs of All Time
The song is considered essential in Redding’s repertoire. Both for its importance (Redding’s first hit) and its undeniable beauty. So it’s not surprising to hear that “These Arms of Mine” appears on every Otis Redding greatest hits/compilation album.
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