(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding

> Im just sittin' on the dock of the bay, watchin' the tide roll away.

(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay, **Otis Redding**s all-time best-selling single, needs no introductionit is one of the half-dozen best performances he left us with. History has only burnished that truth. Released in January 1968 on Volt Records, this bittersweet masterpiece hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in March, a gold-certified triumph that rolled in like a tidejust weeks after Reddings life was cut short at 26 in a plane crash on December 10, 1967. Its a song that lingers like morning fog over the bay, a haunting echo of a voice too soon silenced.

Redding laid down the track on November 22, 1967, at Stax Studios in Memphis, co-writing it with guitarist-producer **Steve Cropper**. He returned on December 7 to add overdubswhistling that now feels like a ghostly signatureonly three days before fate took him. Cropper, left to mix the song alone, called it the hardest task of his life, his grief poured into every groove. What emerged was a bluesy, meditative ballad, a departure from Reddings usual fire, yet it carried his soul deep as ever. Billboards January 20, 1968, spotlight pegged it right: a solid, bluesy rhythm ballad... should prove one of his strongest sales items for both pop and r&b markets. It did more than thatit became a universal anthem.

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**Transpose by -5**
**Tempo: 104 BPM**

8 -- [8os] - w - [os] - w - [os] - 8 -- [8os] - w - [os] - w - [os] - 8 -- [8os] - w - [os] - w - [os] - 8 -- [8os] - w - [os] - w - [os] - [8p] - s - [wus] - s - [8d] - 9 - [(s] - [O0af] - 3 -- 7 - H[3k]x - [Z7] - D - [3f] - [4psg] - g - [8g] - g - [qpg] - [O0f] - [(Do] - [I9d] - 2 -- 6 - [Iyp] - 2 - $ - 5 -- [8p] - [us] - w - s - [8d] - 9 - [(s] - [O0af] - 3 -- 7 -- [O3f] - [7o] - [Of] - [3f] - [4psg] - g - [8g] - g - [qpsh] - 0 - [(f] - [I9pf] - [2d] -- 6 - f - [I2pd] - 6 - 2 - [5p] - [8us] - s - s - p - [1s] - [3s] - [5s] - [6upd] - s p -- 3 - [6d] - f - f - j - [8h] - f d s -- [1f] - [3d] - [5s] - [6ud] s p -- [3j] h [6f] - d - d -- [1up] - s - s - [1p] - [5s] - s - [5s] - d - [I2s] p -- 2 - [6d] - s - [6p] - [us] - 1 -- [1d] f [5d] - s - 5 -- [T6p] -- [pj] - 6 p j -- p - [8us] - s - w - f d [8s] - 9 - [(s] - [O0af] - 3 - f - 7 - f [3x] - [7f] -- [3psg] - 4 - g - [8g] - d - [qpg] - [O0f] - [(Do] - [I9d] - 2 -- 6 - p s [G2] - 6 - 9 - [*p] - [8us] - s - w -- [8d] - [9s] - [(s] - [O0af] - 3 - f d [7s] p - 3 - [7a] - f - [3f] - [4psg] - g - [8g] - g - [qpg] - [O0f] - [(Do] - [I9d] - 2 -- 6 - f D [2d] - [6s] - [2s] - [!p] - [1us] -- s - p - [1s] - [3s] - [5s] - [6upd] - s p -- 3 - [6d] - f - f - j - [8h] - f d s -- [1f] - [3d] - [5s] - [6ud] s p -- [3j] - [6h] - D d s - p - [1us] - s - s - [1p] - [5s] - s - [5s] - d - [I2s] p -- 2 - [6d] - s - [6p] - [us] - 1 -- [1d]fd[5s] -- 5 - [Tp] - 6 -- 6 - [Sj] --- [8tid] [of] -- [sl] - [5waj] -- [4qsgl] - j - j - h - d - [4s] - [6f] - ^ i [7d] - [8of] -- [8j] - [5ad] - h - h - 4 - [ipd] -- s - f - [4d] - [6s] - ^ i [7d] - [8of] -- [8l] - [5aj] - j -- h - [4sgl] - j - h - [4j] - [8h] - f - d - [8s] - [^Pif] d - j - [Eyij] - j - j - h - J j [5wh] - f - J j [wryh] -- w - 9 - [8p] - s - [wus] -- [8d] - [9s] - [(s] - [O0af] - 3 -- 7 - [Hx] - 3 - [7s] - f - [3psg] - 4 - g - [8g] - g - [qpg] - [O0f] - [(Do] - [I9d] - 2 -- 6 - [Iyp] - 2 - 6 - ^ - 7 - [8p] - [us] - 5 - s - [8d] - 9 - [(s] - [O0af] - 3 -- 7 - [Hx] - 3 - 7 - [Of] - [3f] - [4psg] -- [8g] -- [qpg] - [O0f] - [(Do] - [I9d] - 2 -- 6 - f D [I2d] - [6s] - [2s] - p - [1us] -- s - p - [1s] - [3s] - [5s] - [6upd] - s p -- 3 - [6d] - f - f - j - [8h] - f d s -- [1f] - [3d] - [5s] - [6ud] s p -- [3j] - [6h] - D d s - p - [1us] - s - s - [1p] - [5s] - s - [5s] - d - [I2s] p -- 2 - [6d] - s - [6p] - [us] - 1 -- [1d]fd[5s] -- 5 - [Tp] - 6 -- 6 - [Sj] -- b - [8m] -- b - 8 - [wv] - x - w - z - [8x] - z - x - [8z] - [wz] - l - w - z - [8x] - z - x - [8z] - [wz] - l - [wz] - Z - [6x] - v - v - 6 - [0x] Z z - 0 - b - [8m] -- b - 8 - [wv] - x - w - z - [8x] - z - x - [8z] - [wz] - l - w - z - [8x] - z - x - [8z] - [wz] - l - [wz] - Z - [6x] - v - v - 6 - [0x] Z z - 0 - b - x[8m]

Piano cover by [**Montechait**](https://youtu.be/r56epg3N2Gg "")

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The album _The Dock of the Bay_, released February 23, 1968, cemented Reddings legacy. Debuting March 23 in Billboards Album Reviews, beyond the title track, it showcased Reddings range: the aching soul of [I Love You More Than Words Can Say](https://youtu.be/nvebPaZfN3I ""), the rocking strut of [Dont Mess With Cupid](https://youtu.be/u0VF2BxLAgE ""), the raw duet [Tramp](https://youtu.be/YtRjoZ0jPig "") with **Carla Thomas**, and the eerily prophetic [Ole Man Trouble](https://youtu.be/TgMWrQg9ido ""). **Jon Landau** from Rolling Stone magazine called it the entire range of Reddings enormous and varied talents, a testament to a man whod already conquered Europecrowned its most popular star by _Melody Maker_ magazineand was poised to fill the void left by **Sam Cooke**.

Redding dreamed of making soul music the worlds heartbeat, and in death, he did. (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay speaks across borders and decades, a million-selling cry of resilience and reflection. He never saw the crown, but as Landau wrote, the people who knew Reddings music best will tell you that he was truly the King of them all. Today, we still sit by that dock, listening.