On December 11, 1964, Cooke was allegedly shot to death by the manager of the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, California at the age of 33. At the time, the courts ruled that Cooke was drunk and distressed, and the manager killed Cooke in what was later ruled a justifiable homicide. Since that time, the circumstances of his death have been widely questioned.
Sam Cooke (he added an "e" onto the end of his name because he thought it added a touch of class) was one of eight children of Rev. Charles and Mrs. Annie Mae Cook. The family moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1933.
Cooke began his musical career as a member of a quartet with his siblings, the Singing Children, followed by a turn as a teenager as a member of the Highway QCs, a gospel group. In 1950, at the age of 19, he joined The Soul Stirrers and achieved significant success and fame within the gospel community.
His first pop single, "Lovable" (1956) was released under the alias of "Dale Cooke," in order to not alienate his fan base; there was a considerable taboo against gospel singers performing secular music. However, the alias failed to hide Cooke's unique and distinctive vocals. No one was fooled. Art Rupe, head of Specialty Records, the label of the Soul Stirrers, gave his blessing for Cooke to record secular music under his real name, but was unhappy about the type of music Cooke and Bumps Blackwell, Cooke's pop producer, were making. Rupe expected Cooke's secular music to be similar to that of another Specialty Records artist, Little Richard. When Rupe walked in on a recording session and heard Cooke covering Gershwin, he was quite upset. After an argument between Rupe and Blackwell, Cooke and Blackwell left the label, and Cooke signed with Keen Records in 1957. His first release was "You Send Me", which spent six weeks at #1 on the Billboard R&B chart but which also had massive mainstream success, spending three weeks at #1 on the Billboard pop chart.
As if a R&B performer writing his own songs and achieving mainstream fame was not innovative enough, Cooke continued to astonish the music business in the 1960s with the founding of his own label, SAR Records, which soon included The Simms Twins, The Valentinos, Bobby Womack, and Johnnie Taylor. Cooke then created a publishing imprint and management firm, then left Keen to sign with RCA. One of his first RCA singles was the hit "Chain Gang." It reached #2 on the Billboard pop chart. This was followed by more hits, including "Sad Mood", "Bring it on Home to Me" (with Lou Rawls on backing vocals), "Another Saturday Night" and "Twistin' the Night Away".
Like most R&B artists of his time, Cooke focused on singles; in all he had 29 top 40 hits on the pop charts, and more on the R&B charts. In spite of this, he released a critically acclaimed blues-inflected LP in 1963, Night Beat. He was known for having written many of the most popular songs of all time in the genre, and is often uncredited for many of them by the general public.
Cooke died at the age of 33 under mysterious circumstances on December 11, 1964 in Los Angeles, California. Though the details of the case are still in dispute (see below), it seems he was shot to death by Bertha Franklin, manager of the Hacienda Motel in South Los Angeles, who claimed that he had threatened her, and that she killed him in self-defense. The verdict was justifiable homicide, though many believe that crucial details did not come out in court, or were buried afterward. Cooke was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, California.
Some posthumous releases followed, many of which became hits, including "A Change Is Gonna Come", an early protest song which is generally regarded as his greatest composition.
After Cooke's death, his widow, Barbara, married Bobby Womack. Cooke's daughter, Linda, later married Bobby's brother, Cecil.
The song "A Change Is Gonna Come" was played upon the death of Malcolm X, and was memorably featured in Spike Lee's film Malcolm X. Barack Obama's presidential victory speech paraphrased the song: "It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America."
Rapper Tupac Shakur references Cooke in a line of the song "Thugz Mansion", and Nas references him in the song "We Major" with Kanye West. The Roots song "Stay Cool" suggests, "I got the soul of a young Sam Cooke". Mike Doughty's song "Sweet Lord in Heaven" evokes the memory of Cooke, as does the Wallflowers 2000 song "Sleepwalker": "Cupid don't draw back your bow, Sam Cooke didn't know what I know". The Irish rock-group Jetplane Landing have a song named "Sam Cooke".
A fictional version of Cooke (portrayed by Paul Mooney) appeared briefly in the 1978 film, The Buddy Holly Story, leaving the stage at the Apollo Theater before Buddy and The Crickets got on. After being featured prominently in the 1985 film Witness, the song "Wonderful World" gained further exposure. "Wonderful World" was featured in one of two concurrently running Levi's Jeans commercials in 1985 and became a hit in the United Kingdom because of this, reaching #2 in re-release. Other notable movies that featured his music are Animal House ("Wonderful World" and "Twistin' the Night Away"), American Werewolf in London, and Cadence ("Chain Gang").
Cooke's songs "Bring It on Home to Me" and "Change is Gonna Come" were both featured in the movie Ali. The opening scene of the movie consisted of a live reenactment of "Bring It on Home to Me".
Posthumous honors
Shortly following his passing, Motown Records released We Remember Sam Cooke, a collection of Cooke covers recorded by The Supremes.
In 1986, Cooke was inducted as a charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 1999, Cooke was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine ranked him #16 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
In 2008, Cooke was named the fourth "Greatest Singer of All Time" by Rolling Stone magazine."
Covers
John Lennon included a medley of two Cooke songs, "Bring It On Home to Me" and "Send Me Some Lovin'," on his 1975 oldies album, Rock 'n' Roll.
Cooke's songs are covered in a tour-available EP from Decemberists frontman, Colin Meloy. It is the third installment of his solo-tour Colin Meloy Sings...!
Johnny Nash covered the song "Cupid" in 1969 with chart success in the US and UK, and it was included as the B-side on some versions of his 1972 hit single I Can See Clearly Now.
The Animals covered the song "Bring It On Home To Me" in 1965.
Amy Winehouse also covered the song "Cupid" for the BBC Radio 1 album Radio 1 Established 1967.
British soul singer Adele covered the song "That's It, I Quit, I'm Movin' On" as B-side to her single "Chasing Pavements" a bonus track for the Asian release of her studio album 19.
Richard Marx covered "Bring It On Home To Me" and "Wonderful World" during his earlier concerts.
"A Change Is Gonna Come" has been covered several times. Solo, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, The Fifth Dimension, The Neville Brothers, Otis Redding, The Fugees, Cold War Kids, Seal, Bill Frisell, and The Band featuring the vocals of Rick Danko have all recorded versions of the song. Seal's version debuted on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart (Billboard, Nov. 2008) shortly after the election of Obama-Biden.
Gene Vincent, who was a big fan and a close personal friend of Sam Cooke's, recorded "Another Saturday Night" in 1964 and "Bring It On Home to Me" shortly before his own death in 1971.
Cat Stevens released his Greatest Hits album (1975) with a cover of Sam Cooke's "Another Saturday Night", only the second song he released that he didn't write himself. He had also released it as a single (July 12, 1974) which reached No.4 in the U.S.
Cooke was an influence on punk vocalist Mia Zapata of The Gits, who honored him with a cover of "A Change Is Gonna Come" on their album Enter: The Conquering Chicken.
In spring 1965 the British group Herman's Hermits reached no. 5 in the US charts and no.7 in the UK charts with their version of "Wonderful World".
In 1978, Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon, and James Taylor sang "Wonderful World" which hit the Top 40 in the US charts.
In 1966, the now cult 60s British pop show Ready Steady Goes Live, the live version of Ready Steady Go!, devoted a whole programme to a live performance of Soul singer Otis Redding, who regularly covered many of Cooke's songs. One of the highlights was a rousing version of "Shake" on which Redding was joined by British Soul legends Eric Burdon, lead singer of The Animals, and chart topper Chris Farlowe.
Jimmy Buffett covered "Another Saturday Night" on his album Margaritaville Cafe Late Night Menu, in 1993.
for Sentimental Reasons
Sam Cooke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
I love you for sentimental reasons
I hope you do believe me
I've given you my, my, my, my, my, my
Given you my heart
And you alone were meant for me
Please give your loving heart to me
And say we'll never part
I think of you every morning
I dream of you every, every, every, every night
And I know I'm never lonely
Whenever you are in sight
I know, I know, I know,
I love, love, love, love, love you
And you alone were meant for me
Please give your loving, loving, loving, loving, loving, loving heart to me
And tell me we'll never part
I think of you every morning
Can I help it if I dream of you every night
No, no, no, no I'm never lonely
Whenever, whenever, whenever, whenever, whenever you are in sight
I know that I love, love, love, love, love you
And you alone were meant for me
Please give your loving, loving, loving, loving, loving, loving heart to me
And tell we'll never, never, never, never part
My darling
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
The lyrics of Sam Cooke's "For Sentimental Reasons" express a deep love for someone. Throughout the song, the singer repeats the phrase "I love you" many times, emphasizing the depth and sincerity of their feelings. The opening stanza alone features the phrase "I love you" twelve times. The singer explains that they love the person "for sentimental reasons," and implores them to believe in their love. The person has already been given the singer's heart, and they request that the person reciprocate their feelings and promise never to part.
The chorus highlights the singer's devotion to the person, declaring that they think of them every morning and dream of them every night. The singer is never lonely when the person is around, and the lyrics suggest that they were meant to be together. Despite the repetition of the same phrase, the song does not feel repetitive, but rather emphasizes the singer's strong emotions. The final stanza brings everything together with the repetition of "I love you" 28 times, creating an unforgettable melody and driving home the point of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
The singer repeatedly professes their love for the listener, emphasizing the strength and depth of their feelings.
I love you for sentimental reasons
The singer's love for the listener is rooted in nostalgia and emotional attachment rather than any practical or logical reason.
I hope you do believe me
The singer acknowledges that their intense expressions of love might not be easy to believe, but wishes for the listener to trust in them.
I've given you my, my, my, my, my, my
The artist emphasizes the extent to which they have already given themselves to the listener, with the repetition of 'my' implying a complete surrender of self.
Given you my heart
The artist has entrusted the listener with their heart, a symbol of their deepest emotions and affections.
Because I mmm mmm you
The singer's love is so intense that words cannot fully express it, indicated by the 'mmm mmm' sound.
And you alone were meant for me
The singer believes that fate has brought them and the listener together, and that they are meant to be together exclusively.
Please give your loving heart to me
The artist requests that the listener reciprocate their love completely by giving them their whole heart and affection.
And say we'll never part
The artist desires a commitment from the listener that they will stay together and not allow anything to separate them.
I think of you every morning
The artist continuously thinks about the listener with devotion and fondness, especially at the start of each new day.
I dream of you every, every, every, every night
The singer's love for the listener is so strong that they dream of them every night, with the repetition of 'every' underscoring the frequency and intensity of these dreams.
And I know I'm never lonely
The artist feels fulfilled and never alone because the listener occupies a central place in their thoughts and emotions.
Whenever you are in sight
The singer's feelings of joy and contentment are only possible when the listener is present or even just visible to them.
I know, I know, I know, I love, love, love, love, love you
The singer expresses their love again, emphasizing their deep and unwavering feelings for the listener.
Please give your loving, loving, loving, loving, loving, loving heart to me
The singer repeats their previous request, underscoring the importance of the listener's love and affection to them.
And tell me we'll never part
The artist desires verbal assurance that the listener will stay with them, indicating their deep need for commitment and stability in the relationship.
Can I help it if I dream of you every night
The artist reflects on the intensity of their feelings, implying that their love is so strong that they cannot help but dream of the listener every night.
No, no, no, no I'm never lonely
The singer reiterates their feelings of fulfillment and contentment, attributing them to the listener's presence in their life.
Whenever, whenever, whenever, whenever, whenever you are in sight
The singer repeats their earlier sentiment of joy and contentment, emphasizing that it only ever occurs when the listener is present or visible to them.
My darling
The artist addresses the listener affectionately, highlighting the depth of their love and emotional attachment.
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
The artist reiterates their love for the listener, indicating that it is a constant and unchanging aspect of their emotional landscape.
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
The artist repeats their declaration of love, underscoring its power and importance to them.
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
The singer repeats their expression of love once more, indicating that it is a fundamental and all-encompassing aspect of their emotional life.
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
The artist repeats their declaration of love, suggesting that there is no limit to the depth of their emotional attachment to the listener.
Lyrics © CONSALAD CO., Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: William Best, Deek Watson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Phil David
on Goin' Home
The lyric is not “Nothing loss of days...”
It is “Nothing’s lost, all is gain...”
You will notice this actually supports the rhyme.