The five best covers of Otis Redding song ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay’
The hallmarks of any good soul song can be found in Otis Redding’s ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay’. Across just two minutes, Redding paints a picture of loneliness as he watches ships roll in every morning and wastes time. Redding might have the definitive of the song trademarked, but it’s all about how different singers put their stamp on it.
Ever since its release in 1967, several legends have tried their hand at the soul song, bringing their own emotion to their track. Although Redding’s version might be hard to beat, there are just as many singers who have felt that same loneliness and tried their hand at making something incredible.
While the inclination might be to play the song fairly straight, some of the best covers are where artists take it in a different direction. Not everyone is meant to be a soul singer, and reimagining these songs in genres like country, rock and roll, and easy listening help listeners see the song in a completely different light.
Instead of hearing the song in Redding’s bluesy growl, each of these singers gets to know the song more intimately once they’ve tried to do Redding’s masterpiece justice. Cover songs might be hard to pull off effectively, but every artist shares a different take on Redding’s words in these performances.
The best covers of ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay’:
Glen Campbell
Redding’s original take on ‘Bay’ always had a bit of a twang to it. Redding’s upbringing in the American south gave birth to the soul sound that would follow as artists like Al Green followed in his footsteps. Given the southern slant, it was only a matter of time before an actual country artist got ahold of the tune.
While Redding’s original opens with a slick bass line and groove from the horns, Glen Campbell’s take on the song starts with a lush acoustic guitar. Though the horns still have a heavy presence, they often take a back seat to Campbell’s voice, playing off each vocal line he’s singing and bringing an added sense of drama.
The production behind the song adds some interesting elements, including some clicking sounds buried in the mix. That clicking sound practically sets the scene without needing any image as Campbell sits on the dock and is watching the buoys in the water float just offshore.
Steve Cropper
The old adage goes that no one can play a song like its composer. Even though artists can try to sing a song with the same power as the original, it takes the grit of the composer to inject life into the song. Although Redding might not be here to play ‘Bay’ anymore, listening to Steve Cropper’s version might be the closest thing fans can get to an original take on it.
Years before his death, Cropper had been a session musician and was good friends with Redding when cutting some of his biggest hits. When working on material for his appearance on Austin City Limits, Cropper threw in this song as a tribute to his fallen friend, which became a cathartic experience when seeing it live.
Despite being played straight, Cropper’s take on the song is more felt than heard, almost like he’s trying to talk to his old friend from beyond the grave as he’s singing. Cropper might not be able to see Redding anymore, but he’s satisfied knowing he will see him on the other side, where they can watch the ships together again.
Little Richard
Much of ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay’ tends to clash with Little Richard’s aesthetic. Although Mr. Pennimen has made his fair share of rock classics, his approach to rock and roll was never designed for the laid-back sounds of what Redding was going for. One should never judge a book by its cover, and Richard can bring his signature soul to just about anything.
While Richard’s take on the ‘Bay’ starts fairly subdued, it’s only a matter of time before he’s back to his hollering self, going for broke on the verses, making it sound like it’s blaring out of a rundown bar in the middle of Mississippi.
Since ‘Bay’ was always known as a slow song, Richard’s choice to bring up the tempo was a work of brilliance, taking the bare bones of what Redding had done and putting his traditional sound around it. Although a good cover might need to keep faithful to the work, it’s also about the power of musical arrangement, and there’s a good chance that Little Richard could turn anything into gold.
Tom Jones
If there’s one thing that brings Redding’s take on ‘(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay’ over the top, it’s the power in his voice. Although the melody isn’t that demanding, Redding’s gusto when singing the song gives fans the picture of a man waiting on that dock and casually watching the sunset day after day. If there were one artist who could match Redding’s intensity, Tom Jones could be it.
With a simple guitar figure behind him, Jones approaches this song like an actor, pouring his soul into every word as he makes his way through the chorus. Despite some of the cheesy string sections in the background, Jones’ superpower is his adlibs, where he interjects lines like ‘yes I did’ into some of the phrases for maximum bombast.
As the song climaxes in the bridge, Jones absolutely wails, crying out that he can’t be what ten people want him to be. Redding’s dock has always been reserved for the lonely, and when they’ve been done wrong one too many times, it’s people like Jones who can give a voice to that pain.
Black Pumas
Much of the covers on this list have to do with putting bigger arrangements around Redding’s simple song. Although the ‘60s production kept things primitive, most covers give artists an opportunity to make it sound modern for the time. Then again, any good song can get the job done without any added help from production.
Although Black Pumas’ cover is the most recent version of this list, Eric Burton sticks to just one electric guitar on his version of ‘Bay’, carrying the rest of the song with his voice. While it might have worked to have a dash of piano here and there, this version emphasises the loneliness in the song, with Burton playing in an empty room as the listener hears it from afar.
Black Pumas’ version may have just been to pay tribute to one of their heroes, but inside this version is a lesson to all future songwriters. The bells and whistles of a song are what good production is all about, but this is the litmus test to prove whether the track is worth having any arrangements behind it.
