3 Songs Written by Steve Cropper That Should Be Universally Known

It’s difficult to beat the influence of Steve Cropper in music. A musician and singer, Cropper was also a prolific songwriter, penning some of the most iconic songs in music. Cropper’s list of songwriting credits is too long to mention. Still, these are three of the best songs written by Cropper, which should be universally known today.

“Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay” by Otis Redding

Unquestionably one of Otis Redding’s biggest hits, “Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay” first came out in 1968. Written by Redding and Cropper, the song was tragically Redding’s first posthumous release. It came out less than a month after Redding was killed in a plane crash. 

The success of “Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay” is in part due to the unique whistling at the end.

“If you’re an Otis Redding fan, you’d know that he’s probably the world’s greatest at ad-libbing at the end of a song,” Cropper says. “Sometimes you could go another minute or two with Otis Redding’s ad-libs—they were so spontaneous and felt so great. And this particular song I think baffled Otis a little bit because of the tempo and the mood. So when we got down to the end of it, he really didn’t have anything to ad-lib with, and he just started whistling.”

“Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay” begins with “Sittin’ in the morning sun / I’ll be sittin’ when the evening comes / Watching the ships roll in / Then I watch them roll away again, yeah.”

“Knock On Wood” by Eddie Floyd

In 1966, Eddie Floyd released “Knock On Wood”.  His first and only No.1 single, “Knock On Wood” is the title track of Floyd’s debut album.

Written by Floyd and Cropper, “Knock On Wood” says, “I’m not superstitious about you / But I can’t take no chance / Got me spinnin’, baby / Baby, I’m in a trance. ‘Cause your love is better / Than any love I know / It’s like thunder, lightning / The way you love me is frightening / I better knock on wood, baby.”

“Knock On Wood”  has since been covered by multiple artists. Redding and Carla Thomas released a duet version in 1967. Other artists who put their spin on “Knock On Wood” include David Bowie, Cher, and Michael Bolton, among others.

“In The Midnight Hour” by Wilson Pickett

In 1965, Wilson Pickett enjoyed his first chart-topping single with “In The Midnight Hour”. The title track of his sophomore record, Pickett and Cropper wrote “In The Midnight Hour” together.

“In The Midnight Hour” says, “I’m gonna wait till the stars come out / And see them twinkle in your eyes / I’m gonna wait ’till the midnight hour / That’s when my love begins to shine / You’re the only girl I know / That can really love me so in the midnight hour / Oh yeah, in the midnight hour / Yeah, alright, play it for me one time now.“

Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images

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