As one of the most influential soul musicians during the 1960s, it’s no surprise Otis Redding is nicknamed ‘The King of Soul’. During his brief career, which was tragically cut short in December 1967, Redding wrote and released several timeless classics such as “These Arms of Mine”, “Respect”, and “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”. After his death, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” was released as a single and became a chart-topping hit, earning Redding posthumous acclaim and worldwide recognition. To celebrate Otis Redding’s music, I’ve ranked his 10 best songs of all time. Let’s dive into the list!
10. Love Man
I start this list with “Love Man”. Otis Redding recorded the song in 1967, and it was posthumously released on Redding’s 1969 album with the same name. The instrumental backing Redding gets on the catchy song, provided by Booker T. & the M.G.’s and other Stax house artists, is as outstanding as Redding’s invariably great vocals.
9. Mr. Pitiful
Thanks to his sad ballads, disc jockey Moohah Williams gave Otis Redding the nickname “Mr. Pitiful”. Steve Cropper, who frequently collaborated with Redding, heard this on the radio while driving home and began writing the song during his morning shower the next day. “Mr. Pitiful” was eventually recorded in a matter of minutes and released as a single in late 1964.
8. Just One More Day
Together with Steve Cropper and McElvoy Robinson, Otis Redding wrote the beautiful ballad “Just One More Day” for his fourth studio album The Soul Album. “Just One More Day” is a typical Redding song and deserves more recognition than it generally gets.
7. Respect
In 1967, Aretha Franklin turned “Respect” into her signature song. But the song was first recorded by Otis Redding. He released the song on his highly acclaimed third studio album Otis Blue. Although Aretha Franklin had astronomical success with the song, Redding’s version of “Respect” is worthy in its own right and one of his very best songs.
Read more: The Story Behind “Respect” by Aretha Franklin
6. Hard to Handle
For number 6 I picked “Hard to Handle”. The song was released as a single shortly after Redding’s death and reached a modest number 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The Black Crowes had more success with their rendition 22 years later, which reached number 26 on the US charts.
5. I’ve Got Dreams To Remember
“I’ve Got Dreams To Remember” is one of Otis Redding’s most poignant songs. The song started as a poem written by Redding’s wife Zelma. Redding came up with the song’s beautiful melody and later rewrote a portion of the poem with writer Joe Rock. The song was eventually released on Redding’s posthumous studio album The Immortal Otis Redding.
4. Try a Little Tenderness
Otis Redding’s rendition of “Try a Little Tenderness” – written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connely, and Harry M. Woods – is easily one of the best songs he ever recorded. Stax co-founder Jim Stewart even considered the song Redding’s most essential: “If there’s one song, one performance that really sort of sums up Otis and what he’s about, it’s ‘Try a Little Tenderness’. That one performance is so special and so unique that it expresses who he is.”
3. (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay
For number 3 I picked Otis Redding’s signature song “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”. Sadly enough, Redding couldn’t enjoy the success of the song, as he passed away three days after he recorded the song. Steve Cropper, who wrote a big portion of the song, was given the difficult task of making the song ready for single release. It was posthumously released on 8 January 1968 and became Otis Redding’s first and only US number 1 hit.
Read more: The Story Behind “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding
2. These Arms of Mine
“These Arms of Mine” isn’t only one of Otis Redding’s best songs, it is also one the most important songs in his repertoire. When Redding was still an unknown singer, he got a chance to showcase his talents to Stax Records after a Johnny Jenkins recording session was cut short. Redding decided to sing his own composition “These Arms of Mine”.
Guitarist Steve Cropper remembered the moment: “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 [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.”
Read more: The Story Behind “These Arms of Mine” by Otis Redding
1. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long
In my opinion, “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” is Otis Redding’s greatest song. The foundation of the soul classic was written by songwriter Jerry Butler. After Butler showed the song to Redding in a hotel room and admitted that he was stuck, Redding decided to see if he could finish the song. Redding started playing around with the song and came up with the now-so-well-known arrangement of the song.
When Jerry Butler heard the song, he couldn’t believe Redding’s interpretation. “Nobody else on the face of this earth would have gotten that song because it was intended for him,” Butler reflected. “I’ve since heard it recorded by Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Joe Cocker. I recorded it. And I still say it was Otis’s song. I was just the conduit. I never would have approached it the way he approached it.”
Read more: The Story Behind “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” by Otis Redding
That wraps up my list of the 10 best Otis Redding songs. Do you agree with my list? What would you change? What other songs should’ve been included on this list? What would your ranking look like? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.
