(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay

Lore & Background

Redding started writing the lyrics in August 1967 while staying on a rented houseboat in Sausalito, California, after rock concert impresario Bill Graham offered him a respite from fans. On the houseboat, Redding listened obsessively to the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album and found inspiration to develop a new sound. He completed the song in Memphis with Cropper, a Stax producer and guitarist for Booker T. & the M.G.'s.

Redding recorded the song on November 22, 1967, with additional overdubs on December 7. The song is somewhat different in style from most of Redding's recordings; he wanted it to "be a little different" and to "change his style." There were concerns that the song had too much of a pop feel, and discussions of contracting the Staple Singers for backing vocals were never carried out. Redding considered the song unfinished and planned to record a final version but never got the chance.

The song features a whistled melody; it is unclear who performed it. Some sources claim Sam Taylor overdubbed Redding's original, weaker whistle, but Cropper insists Redding's original whistle was used. After Redding's death, Cropper mixed the song and added the sound of seagulls and crashing waves, as Redding had requested, recalling the sounds from the houseboat.

Reader's Guide

Released in January 1968 shortly after Redding's death, the song quickly topped R&B charts and spent four weeks at number 1 on the pop charts. The album of the same name became Redding's largest-selling to date, peaking at number 4 on the pop album chart. The song sold more than four million copies worldwide and won two Grammy Awards in 1969: Best R&B Song and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. In 1998 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

BMI named the song the sixth-most performed song of the twentieth century, with about six million performances. Rolling Stone ranked it twenty-sixth on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song has been covered by many artists, including Michael Bolton, whose version peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was praised by Redding's widow as her all-time favorite version. The song has been featured in films such as Top Gun, The Witches, and Perfect Days.

Did You Know?

• The song features a whistled melody; it is unclear whether the whistle was performed by Redding or guitarist Sam Taylor, as sources disagree.
• Redding considered the song unfinished and planned to record a final version, but died in a plane crash three days after the last recording session.
• The song became the first posthumous number 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and won two Grammy Awards in 1969.