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.
Cupid
Sam Cooke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And let your arrow go
Straight to my lover's heart for me, for me
Cupid please hear my cry
And let your arrow fly
Straight to my lover's heart for me
Now I don't mean to bother you but I'm in distress
There's danger of me losing all of my happiness
For I love a girl who doesn't know I exist
And this you can fix, so
Cupid draw back your bow
And let your arrow go
Straight to my lover's heart for me
Nobody but me
Cupid please hear my cry
And let your arrow fly
Straight to my lover's heart for me
Now, Cupid if your arrow make a love storm for me
I promise I will love her until eternity
I know between the two of us her heart we can steal
Help me if you will, so
Cupid draw back your bow
And let your arrow go
Straight to my lover's heart for me
Nobody but me
Cupid please hear my cry
And let your arrow fly
Straight to my lover's heart for me
Now, Cupid, don't you hear me
Calling you? I need ya
Cupid help me, I need ya
In Sam Cooke's song Cupid, the singer is addressing Cupid, the god of love, asking for his help in winning over a girl he loves. The singer pleads for Cupid to draw back his bow and let his arrow fly straight to his lover's heart, as he fears he may lose his chance at happiness with her. He acknowledges that the girl he loves does not even know he exists, but he implores Cupid to intervene and make her fall in love with him.
The singer promises to love the girl until eternity if Cupid's arrow can make a "love storm" for him. He believes that together, he and Cupid can steal her heart. The chorus repeats twice with the same plea for Cupid's assistance, and the song ends with the singer calling out to Cupid again, emphasizing his desperation for help.
The song is a classic example of the soulful love songs that Sam Cooke was known for. Its simple melody and upbeat tempo contrast with the singer's anxious and pleading lyrics. It is a song that relays an age-old idea that Cupid has the power to make love happen.
Line by Line Meaning
Cupid draw back your bow
Oh, Cupid, please pull back your bow and get ready to shoot an arrow
And let your arrow go
And now, release the arrow towards the intended target, my beloved's heart
Straight to my lover's heart for me, for me
Aim for my lover's heart and hit it right on target, so that I may win her love forever
Cupid please hear my cry
Oh, Cupid, listen to my plea and help me win the heart of the girl I love
And let your arrow fly
Please shoot your arrow towards the girl I love and make her fall in love with me
Now I don't mean to bother you but I'm in distress
I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I'm really worried because the girl I love doesn't even know I exist
There's danger of me losing all of my happiness
If I don't win her love, I'll lose all hope of being happy in life
For I love a girl who doesn't know I exist
I'm in love with a girl who isn't aware of my existence
And this you can fix, so
But I trust you, Cupid. You can make everything better for me
Now, Cupid if your arrow make a love storm for me
Cupid, if your arrow results in a storm of passionate love for me
I promise I will love her until eternity
I vow to love the girl I love for all eternity if you help me win her heart
I know between the two of us her heart we can steal
I'm sure that between myself and you, Cupid, we can capture and win her heart
Help me if you will, so
Please help me achieve this, Cupid, if you're willing to do so
Now, Cupid don't you hear me
Cupid, can you hear me calling you?
Calling you? I need ya
Please help me, Cupid, I really need your help
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Sam Cooke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-ip9yu7lp1q
[Chorus]Cupid, draw back your bow
And let your arrow go
Straight to my lover's heart for me, nobody but me
Cupid, please hear my cry
And let your arrow fly
Straight to my lover's heart for me
[Verse 1]Now, I don't mean to bother you
But I'm in distress
There's danger of me losing all of my happiness
For I love a girl who doesn't know I exist
And this you can fix
So
[Verse 2]Now, Cupid, if your arrow make her love strong for me
I promise I will love her until eternity
I know between the two of us, her heart we can steal
Help me if you will
So
[Outro]
Now, Cupid
Don't you hear me?
Calling you
I need you
Help me!
I need you
Don't fail me
'Cause I need you
@BaitFaceRyy
No auto tune, no reverb, no major studio vocal editing……just raw talent !
@blakemcnamara9105
There is definitely reverb in this. In fact there was a lot of natural reverb used on records from this time.
@Victoria-fl3oq
The reverb is from the bathroom they used in the attic at Motown - Pioneer before any other studio y’all should hit the Motor Museum at least once in your life.
@shuelahmed9392
Yeah , I don't think you know much about studio recording process
@seanm7539
@@Victoria-fl3oqWhere is it located
@rone801
I heard that the reverb on this was a room in the recording studio called an "echo chamber". Definitely not digital reverb! But you are so right about raw talent and no auto tune. What a voice!
@beaudare4717
Sam Cooke has a quality in his voice that is difficult to describe.. It's as if it's from another world.. Absolutely beautiful..
@laurastinson7325
Love your comment ❤
@beaudare4717
Dear Laura, Many thanks for your thoughtful note. Sam was indeed a remarkabe singer. All best wishes, Beau
@MaryAnneRosato
Melancholy and wistful