Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay

01/22/20 • 27 min

14 Listeners

Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay was written whilst Otis Redding was reflecting on his life on Sausalito Bay, California, in the summer of 1967.

Its upbeat, laidback melody belies the loneliness of the lyrics.

In December of the same year, Otis was killed in a plane crash.

His song was subsequently released and became the first posthumous Number 1 record in the US.

His musician contemporaries including Booker T Jones and guitarist Steve Cropper, who co-wrote Dock of the Bay, tell the story of the song's genesis, and people in their 20s to their 80s reveal why they relate it to dramatic periods in their lives.

Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact.

Producers: Maggie Ayre and Mair Bosworth

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2020.

Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay was written whilst Otis Redding was reflecting on his life on Sausalito Bay, California, in the summer of 1967.

Its upbeat, laidback melody belies the loneliness of the lyrics.

In December of the same year, Otis was killed in a plane crash.

His song was subsequently released and became the first posthumous Number 1 record in the US.

Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact.

Producers: Maggie Ayre and Mair Bosworth

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2020.

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“It’s a goodbye song, but it’s also an inspirational song, It could also mean a new beginning" - Ray Davies

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Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact

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