(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay

"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" is a song co-written by the soul singer Otis Redding and the guitarist Steve Cropper. Redding recorded it twice in 1967, including just three days before his death in a plane crash on December 10, 1967. It was released on Stax Records' Volt label in 1968, becoming the first posthumous number 1 single in the US. It reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart. Redding started writing the lyrics in August 1967 while staying on a rented houseboat in Sausalito, California.