"You Left the Water Running" is a

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...

song written by Dan Penn, Rick Hall and Oscar Franks.

Otis Redding recording

Redding's connection to the song is documented by music journalist

Dave Marsh Dave Marsh (born March 1, 1950) is an American music critic, and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of ''Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as ''Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone (magazine), ...

in his 1989 book '' The Heart of Rock and Soul''. In 1966, Redding was visiting

FAME Studios FAME (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) Studios is a recording studio located at 603 East Avalon Avenue in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, an area of northern Alabama known as the Shoals. Though small and distant from the main recording locations of the ...

Muscle Shoals, Alabama Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the populati ...

, when studio owner Rick Hall requested Redding help them with an upcoming session. Wilson Pickett was to record "You Left the Water Running", and Hall wished for Redding to record a demo to assist with the production. A simple recording was made and Redding made some overdub additions, and Pickett made his recording similar to Redding's version. Ten years later, Marsh was mailed a promo copy of "You Left the Water Running" by Redding on Stone Records (the flipside was an instrumental called "The Otis Jam", which was produced by John Fred, of " Judy in Disguise (with Glasses)" fame). Marsh was fascinated by the song, and mentioned the new single to several friends, including his attorney, who also happened to represent the Redding estate. He soon found out that Stone Records had not obtained the Redding family's permission to release the long-lost demo recording, and demanded the single be pulled from circulation. When Marsh asked the label's distributor what was to become of the single, he was informed that they were to be destroyed. Instead, Marsh purchased the copies that remained, and gave them out as gifts, with the attorney's permission. As a result, the single (Stone 209) is now highly valuable.

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

released "You Left the Water Running" for the first time legally on the compilation album '' The Otis Redding Story'' in 1987. Though that box set is no longer available, the song has appeared in similar collections in the years that have followed.

Cover versions

Barbara Lynn's 1966 version of "You Left the Water Running" reached #42 on

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

's Top Selling R&B Singles chart. The song has been recorded by many other artists, including

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the ''Bill ...

Don Varner Don Wilson Varner (25 June 1943 – 7 October 2002) was an American soul singer. Varner was a baritone who sang both uptempo soul in the northern soul style as well as ballads. Career Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Varner grew up in the same n ...

(1967), Billy Young, Maurice & Mac, Armazing Rhythm Aces, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Bobby Hatfield,

James & Bobby Purify James & Bobby Purify were an R&B singing duo, whose biggest hits were "I'm Your Puppet" in 1966, which reached number six in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and in a re-recorded version number 12 in the UK Singles Chart (in May 1976), and ...

Ken Boothe Kenneth George Boothe OD (born 22 March 1948) is a Jamaican vocalist known for his distinctive vibrato and timbre. Boothe achieved an international reputation as one of Jamaica's finest vocalists through a series of crossover hits that appeal ...

and Huey Lewis and the News (on Four Chords & Several Years Ago (1994)), Billy Price & The Keystone Rhythm Band (1980) .

Bibliography

*Marsh, Dave. ''The Heart of Rock and Soul''. New York; Plume, 1989.,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:You Left The Water Running 1966 songs 1976 singles Songs written by Dan Penn Songs written by Rick Hall Otis Redding songs James & Bobby Purify songs