Music Notes

(Sitting on) The Dock of the Bay

My first track is (Sitting on) The Dock of the Bay, by Otis Redding, a Motown singer-songwriter who died in 1968.

The gloomy lyrics are roughly autobiographical, as Otis was struggling in his career after having moved to California to join the music industry. I remember hearing an NPR report detailing it several years ago and became closer to it after knowing the backstory.

I hear this song every so often in a particular shop in my area, and I've debated adding it to my personal playlist. Finally, as part of this writing project, I did.

For me, there is a vast difference between hearing a song in public and bringing it into my life, mind and heart by downloading it. I chose the 2020 remastered version, and was delighted to hear the added sound effects of the tide washing away.

The song quickly became my own. Otis Redding's words of hopelessness and lonely escapism resonate deeply with me as I deal with the confusion and stagnation of my life. I am as much of a lost wanderer as he was, wasting time watching the world passing me by because I haven't the foggiest idea what else to do with myself.

Words: 202.