On Dec. 10, 1967, the legendary singer Otis Redding died tragically in a plane crash. A year and some change later (and exactly 48 years ago today), his seminal hit “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” was released. The song quickly rose to No. 1, making it the first ever posthumous single to top the charts.
Redding’s musical legacy is undeniable—referenced and covered by artists as disparate as The Doors, Kanye West, and Cat Power. Even the Beatles were inspired by Otis Redding’s “Respect” while they were recording their Rubber Soul opener “Drive My Car.”
“(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” remains one of the most important songs in music history, ranked 26th on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. A simple YouTube search of “Dock of the Bay cover” yields endless results—including performances by Justin Timberlake and Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.
Perhaps less known, though, are the instances in which the song has been sampled. Genius presses rewind and cues up five of our favorite (and somewhat surprising) tracks that sample “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.”
De La Soul’s 1989 single “Eye Know” is full of samples from some of music history’s greatest performers. There are drums from Sly & The Family Stone, vocals and keyboards from Steely Dan, and horns from The Mad Lads. Most obvious, though, are those unmistakable whistles from “Dock of the Bay” that appear throughout the song.
Interestingly enough, Otis recorded the whistles featured in his timeless hit as a placeholder for the last verse. He planned to return to Memphis to finish the song but passed away before he had the chance. Redding’s producer Steve Cropper left the whistles in and they became the most recognizable and beloved part of the song.
“6 Minutes of Funk,” Armand Van Heiden
Boston-based DJ and producer Armand Van Helden is best known for “Barbra Streisand,” his electronic hit single with A-Trak released under the moniker Duck Sauce. But more than a decade earlier Van Helden released Enter The Meatmarket, a hip-hop leaning album with frequent samplings of funk, soul, and R&B. At the 1:40 minute mark of “6 Minutes of Funk,” Van Helden slows down the tempo of Redding’s whistles.
Blackalicious’ 1994 debut EP Melodica features “Swan Lake,” a downtempo track full of 70’s soul samples. The track opens with an interpolation of Redding’s vocals as Gift of Gab raps “Sittin’ on top of the bay, watchin’ the tide.”
“Shimmy Shimmy Ya,” Ol' Dirty Bastard
Ol’ Dirty Bastard, a hip-hop legend in his own right, often cited soul music as a major influence. It is not surprising, then, that you can hear ODB groaning the words “sittin’ on the dock of the bay” in the background, at about 1:56 minutes into his 1995 classic “Shimmy Shimmy Ya.”
“Same Ol' Thang (Everyday),” Yo-Yo
Yo-Yo’s 1996 single “Same Ol’ Thang (Everyday)” is about the importance of finding a man who works hard and treats you well. The first verse opens cheekily: “Mr. Big Spender wanna buy me a shot/Could it be Hennessey or Rémy on the rocks?” Then comes the kicker, “Sittin’ on the dock of the bay…/Watchin’ this fool throw his money away, hey”—all sung to Redding’s melody.
