Music / Otis Blue

May not actually resemble Otis Redding

Recorded in just one day in 1965, Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul is the third studio album by Stax singer Otis Redding. Backed by the Stax house band along with Isaac Hayes and the Memphis Horns, Redding covered soul classics by then recently-deceased Sam Cooke along with current hits by B.B. King, William Bell, and The Rolling Stones (Band), creating what many argue is the greatest album in the entire Soul genre in the process and widely considered Redding's best. The album also features Redding's original recording of "Respect", which would eventually become Aretha Franklin's Signature Song.

Tracklist:

Side One

1. "Ole Man Trouble" (2:55)
2. "Respect" (2:05)
3. "Change Gonna Come" (4:17)
4. "Down in the Valley" (3:02)
5. "I've Been Loving You Too Long" (3:10)

Side Two

1. "Shake" (2:35)
2. "My Girl" (2:52)
3. "Wonderful World" (3:00)
4. "Rock Me Baby" (3:20)
5. "Satisfaction" (2:45)
6. "You Don't Miss Your Water" (2:53)

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All I'm asking... is for a little respectable tropes...

• Born Unlucky: "Ole Man Trouble" in which Redding asks Ole man trouble to stay away from him now, I've lived this way so many years.
• Break Up Song: "I've Been Loving You Too Long", where the protagonist realizes he should make and end to a relationship he is not happy with.
• Colour-Coded Emotions: The album cover is blue, in line with the album title and the songs about feeling blue.
• Cover Album: Predominantly. There are three originals out of the eleven songs: "Ole Man Trouble", "Respect", and "I've Been Loving You Too Long".
• Cradle of Loneliness: "Down In The Valley"
  Now, have you ever been lonely, lonely, ha?
  Now have you ever been sad?
• Dancing Is Serious Business: "Shake", an invitation to shake along to music.
• Dude Where Is My Respect: "Respect", where Redding asks for more respect from his partner, which became more famous in Aretha Franklin's cover version.
• The Future Will Be Better: "A Change Is Gonna Come", where hope is promised for changes for the better.
• Grief Song: "Down In The Valley", about someone feeling sad, "You Don't Miss Your Water", about how you only start to miss people after they've gone.
• I Have Many Names: The album is also known as Otis Redding Sings Soul, which is Exactly What It Says on the Tin, by the way.
• Improv: Redding and Steve Cropper had trouble making out the words to "Satisfaction", so Redding was left to make up his own on the verses.
• Intercourse with You: "Satisfaction", much like the Rolling Stones original.
• One-Man Song: "Ol' Man Trouble".
• One-Word Title: "Respect", "Shake" and "Satisfaction".
• Pep-Talk Song: "A Change Is Gonna Come", where hope for a better future is on the way.
• The Power of Love: "My Girl", "Wonderful World", "Rock Me Baby".
• Protest Song: "A Change Is Gonna Come", just like the Sam Cooke is a song that was embraced by the Afro-American civil rights movement.

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