Otis Redding Popular Song Rankings [2026]

I Want To Thank YouOtis Redding8rank/position

I Want to Thank You

This song is bursting with that unmistakable Otis Redding vibe, and just listening to it feels like time travel.

He ranked 8th on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

With his distinctive vocal style, he had a profound impact on soul music.

A wildly talented artist, he tragically passed away at the young age of 26.

Merry Christmas BabyOtis Redding9rank/position

Otis Redding – Merry Christmas Baby

A soulful Christmas song sung by Otis Redding, the ‘King of Soul.’ It’s a classic that’s sure to make you smile from the Christmas-packed intro alone.

Covering Otis’s vocals is undoubtedly challenging, but if you nail the break in the middle, it would be seriously cool, don’t you think?

Sittin’ On the Dock of the BayOtis Redding10rank/position

Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay

Mr.

Redding died in a plane crash on December 10, 1967, one month before the song was released on January 8, 1968.

It was three days after he recorded the track.

This became his biggest hit and the first posthumous No.

1 hit in the United States.

The song was also very popular among U.S.

soldiers during the Vietnam War.

Try A Little TendernessOtis Redding11rank/position

Otis Redding – Try A Little Tenderness

A track that has been recorded by many artists, including Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.

This version by Otis Redding was released in 1966.

It was used in a McDonald’s commercial and sampled in Jay-Z and Kanye West’s 2011 track “Otis.”