Redding had told his wife Zelda that he wanted “(Sitting On) The Dock Of The Bay” to “be a little different,” envisioning the song as an opportunity to expand his musical horizons and, if he was lucky, his audience as well. At the time of his death, Redding still didn’t feel like the song was finished. “So he started whistling,” said Cropper, and the end result was one of the many instantly-memorable moments that stand out in the track.ģ. Okay, so maybe that’s the most diplomatic way to put it, but the fact of the matter is that Redding – per Cropper – had worked up “this little fadeout rap he was gonna do, an adlib,” and when the time came for him to work his verbal magic, he blanked. The whistling at the end of the song was the spontaneous result of Redding having a bit of a brain fart. In short order, Redding had scribbled down the words which would prove to be the first verse of a new song, one which – at least at the time – was simply called “Dock of the Bay.” He would contribute to come up with additional lines here and there while on the road, eventually sharing the various lyrics with guitarist Steve Cropper, who would not only finish them but also come up with a tune to accompany them as well.Ģ. Redding was the middle of a tour with The Bar-Kays, a band best known by children of the ‘80s because of an exchange between Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase in Spies Like Us.Īykroyd: It’s “Soul Finger,” by The Bar-Kays!Ĭhase: They must be having trouble getting gigs.ĭuring the course of this tour, Redding was enjoying a leisurely evening on a houseboat at Waldo Point, one owned by his friend Earl “Speedo” Simms, when he found himself struck by a flash of inspiration. Picture it: Sausalito, California, August 1967.

Redding started composing the lyrics while he was on tour with The Bar-Kays. To keep you entertained between these two key moments in the song’s history, we hereby offer you 5 things about the classic track that you may not have been aware of, and we’ve also sprinkled in some covers of the song that you may not have heard before.ġ. Last month we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the release of Otis Redding’s signature song, “(Sitting On) The Dock Of The Bay,” and next month we’ll be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the single hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Sittin in the dock of the bay