Al Green, “Lay It Down” | After Dark 🕛 🌃

In the 46^th edition of After Dark (2022), we explore the sexy vibes behind, “Lay It Down” by soul icon, Al Green.  

Innuendo? More like full-on sexual vibes! Welcome to After Dark 🕛 🌃, a column featuring songs that are best suited for nighttime, specifically, the bedroom.  Many of the records featured here raise eyebrows, as well as the temperature! These After Dark tunes focus on the universal three-letter word:  SEX. The dark records gracing After Dark are old and new alike, with all genres of music welcome.  In the 46^th  edition of After Dark (2022), we explore the sexy vibes behind, 🎵 “Lay It Down” by 🎙 Al Green. 

Theme & Lyrics ✍

“Hey, lay it down, let it go, fall in love.” Honestly, I feel sort of bad talking about 🎙 Al Green in a sexy sort of way. Furthermore, have you seen the cover art I use for After Dark 🕛 🌃??? I think the soul icon, who is a pastor, might blush (in spirit 😏)! in the 1980s, he shifted his focus from secular to gospel music – singing for the glory of JESUS! In the 00s, however, Green released three secular albums, with 2008’s 💿 Lay It Down being the best.  The album stands out because it’s the truest he’s sounded like his pre-gospel music phase in years. The best representation of sexy Al Green, hence, is the title track, 🎵 “Lay It Down”.

Don’t worry you saved and sanctified church folk, the pastor doesn’t ‘do’ anything too crazy in “Lay It Down.” He doesn’t dare mention the universal three-letter word (sex).  Honestly, the focus is on love and not the fun associated with it in the bedroom.  It’s monogamous and chivalrous:

“I just met you, just the other day

Everythin’ started flowin’ my way, more an’ more

I just love you, really, I just love you for yourself

I don’t want no, no, no, no, no, no, nobody else.”

I LOVE that! Still, with a to-die-for soulful backdrop – those keys, horns, strings, and old-school, lush, Memphis soul cues – it’s hard not to associate making love with the Rev.  It’s amazing honestly, how sexy “Lay It Down” is without being sexual.  I see what you did there, pastor!

Final Thoughts 💭

I guess this edition of After Dark 🕛 🌃 is incredibly tame compared to others. Still, I have no doubt if you turn on Green’s 🎵 “Lay It Down” while, um, ‘doing it,’ it’ll still successfully get the job done.  No, I’m not speaking from any freaky experiences either 😈!

🎙 Al Green • 💿 Lay It Down • 🏷 Blue Note • 🗓 2008

Al Green, “Lay It Down”: After Dark 🕛 🌃 No. 46 (2022) [📷: Blue Note, Brent Faulkner, cottonbro, Darkmoon_Art, JJ Whitley, Keep Cool, Ketut Subiyanto, KoolShooters, Luan Queiros, The Musical Hype, Pexels, Pixabay, RCA, Tazz Vaughn]