Soul Music

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Soul Music: Series 29: Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay

Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay

Series 29

BBC Radio 4 - Soul Music, Series 29, Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay

Otis Redding's lonely lament, and why it matters to people aged from 20 to 80

4 Extra Debut. Otis Redding's lonely lament, and why it matters to people aged from 20 up to 80.  From 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.

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.

Soul Music: Series 29

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact.

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Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay

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