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.
Love Will Find a Way
Sam Cooke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love will find a way
I tell you, no, no mountain is too high
And no peak too high to climb
And no, no place is too remote
For true love to find
No matter what people say
Lord, if love wants to travel to your heart
Love will find a way
Oh, the mountains, oh the valleys
Oh, the streams, love would climb
Seeking a place in your heart
If there are two people love wants to combine
Nothing can keep them apart
I know that no, no river is too wide
No matter what people say
No matter what they say
If love wants to travel to your heart
Love will find a way
I know that if love wants to travel to your heart
Love will find a way
The lyrics of Sam Cooke's Love Will Find a Way are an ode to the power of love. They speak to the idea that love is a force that cannot be stopped or contained, and that it will always find a way to reach the hearts of those who believe in it. The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song by making it clear that no obstacle, be it a mountain or a remote location, can prevent love from reaching its destination. This is reiterated in the second verse, where Cooke states that even a wide river cannot stop love from finding a way.
The chorus is the most powerful part of the song, as it serves as a reminder that love is a two-way street. It takes two people to create a connection, and nothing can keep them apart if they are truly meant to be together. The third verse drives this point home by speaking directly to the listener, telling them that if love wants to travel to their heart, it will find a way. The repetition of this phrase throughout the song emphasizes the idea that love is not just a feeling, but a force that can overcome anything.
Overall, Sam Cooke's Love Will Find a Way is a beautiful and uplifting song that celebrates the power and resilience of love. Its lyrics speak to the idea that no matter what life throws at us, love will always find a way to guide us through.
Line by Line Meaning
If love wants to travel to your heart
Love can find a path to reach your heart if it truly desires to be there.
Love will find a way
Nothing can stop love from uniting two hearts if it is meant to be.
I tell you, no, no mountain is too high
Obstacles cannot prevent love from reaching its destination.
And no peak too high to climb
Love will conquer any challenge to get where it needs to go.
And no, no place is too remote
Distance cannot deter the power of true love.
For true love to find
Love will always find a way to reach its desired location.
I know no, no river is too wide
Even the most significant obstacle cannot stand in the way of love.
No matter what people say
Love is not bound by the opinions of others.
Lord, if love wants to travel to your heart
Love can penetrate your heart if it truly desires to be within you.
Oh, the mountains, oh the valleys
Love will travel through valleys and over mountains to reach its destination.
Oh, the streams, love would climb
Love will overcome any obstacle, even if it means climbing a stream.
Seeking a place in your heart
Love is persistent in its quest for a place within your heart.
If there are two people love wants to combine
Love will always bring two people together if it is meant to happen.
Nothing can keep them apart
Love will overcome any obstacle that tries to separate two people who are destined to be together.
No matter what they say
The opinions of others cannot stop true love from uniting two people.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: SAM COOKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@richardlevert5772
The Greatest; Mr. Sam Cooke...
@armettamcglothen4089
My parents loved playing his songs when me and my siblings were children now that my parents are now deceased I play Sam Cook songs a lot, I miss my parents especially mom!
@bellestarr4040
Your parents know good music love will find away
@skaf9587
One of the greatest love songs ever by one of the best vocalists of all time
@bellestarr4040
So glad you said one of the best cause Sam Cooke got so many
@robertchatman5898
My older sister loved Sam cooke and played his music when I was six years old. I,ve loved his songs and voice ever since. I,m 72 years old, I still play Sam cooke songs, and my kids love dam cooke also. I tell you, the man was simply the greatest.
@doowoppyify
@@robertchatman5898 The greastest along with Elvis, sir.
@larrycancooke2
The most Amazing voice ever placed in a human...
@doowoppyify
Yes, along with elvis.
@ECO473
A true genius at work...