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.
Sad Mood
Sam Cooke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, I'm in a sad mood
I'm in a sad mood tonight
Oh, my baby done gone away and left me,
My baby done gone, yeah,
My baby done gone away and left me,
My baby done gone
I don't know where she's gone
But all I know is I'll never be happy
Until my baby comes back home, yeah, because,
I'm in a sad mood tonight
Oh, my baby done gone away and left me,
My baby done gone,
Oh, I don't know why she left me
But this one thing I know,
I know that if my baby tells me that she'll come back home
I'll never, never do it no more, yeah, because,
I'm in a sad mood tonight
Oh, I'm in a sad mood
I'm in a sad mood tonight
Oh, my baby done gone away and left me,
My baby done gone, yeah,
My baby done gone away and left me,
My baby done gone
I'm in a sad mood tonight
Oh, I'm in a sad mood tonight
She got me in a sad mood tonight
And with her gone I'm in a sad mood tonight
Whoa I'm in a sad mood tonight mmm mmm
The lyrics of Sam Cooke's song Sad Mood express the feeling of heartbreak and helplessness that follows when someone you love dearly leaves. The song's narrator is in a sad mood because his baby has gone away and left him without any explanation of why or where she has gone. He is consumed by thoughts of her absence and is unable to shake off the feeling until she returns.
The lyrics convey a sense of vulnerability and longing that are common emotions experienced during a breakup. The singer does not know why his baby left him or where she has gone, which further adds to his sorrow. The line "I'll never be happy until my baby comes back home" emphasizes how much the singer needs his love interest to come back and make him feel whole again. The song's emotional depth is further amplified by Cooke's soulful delivery that captures the agony of heartbreak perfectly.
Overall, the song Sad Mood tells a universal story of heartbreak and loss that many can relate to. It portrays the raw emotions of someone who has been left without a reason and desperately wants their lover back. The song is a timeless classic that continues to resonate with people today.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm in a sad mood tonight
The singer is currently experiencing sadness.
Oh, I'm in a sad mood
The singer restates that they are feeling sad.
I'm in a sad mood tonight
The singer reiterates their state of mind.
Oh, my baby done gone away and left me,
The artist is upset because their partner has left them.
My baby done gone, yeah,
The artist repeats that their partner has left them.
My baby done gone away and left me,
The singer once again laments the departure of their partner.
I don't know why she left me,
The singer is unsure of the reason behind their partner's departure.
I don't know where she's gone
The artist does not know where their partner has gone.
But all I know is I'll never be happy
The artist knows that they cannot be happy without their partner.
Until my baby comes back home, yeah, because,
The artist states that their happiness is dependent on their partner's return.
I'm in a sad mood tonight
The singer reminds listeners of their current emotional state.
Oh, my baby done gone away and left me,
The artist again expresses that their partner has left them.
My baby done gone,
The singer repeats that their partner has departed.
Oh, I don't know why she left me
The singer still does not know why their partner has left them.
But this one thing I know,
The singer has certainty about one thing.
I know that if my baby tells me that she'll come back home
The artist knows that if their partner promises to return, they will believe it.
I'll never, never do it no more, yeah, because,
The artist will change their behavior if their partner comes back.
I'm in a sad mood tonight
The singer repeats their current emotional state again.
Oh, I'm in a sad mood
The singer reaffirms that they are feeling sad.
I'm in a sad mood tonight
The artist reemphasizes their state of mind.
Oh, my baby done gone away and left me,
The artist once more expresses their pain over their partner leaving them.
My baby done gone, yeah,
The artist repeats that their partner has left them.
My baby done gone away and left me,
The singer again laments the departure of their partner.
I'm in a sad mood tonight
The artist restates their current emotional state.
Oh, I'm in a sad mood tonight
The singer reaffirms their sadness.
She got me in a sad mood tonight
The singer acknowledges that their partner's departure has caused their sadness.
And with her gone I'm in a sad mood tonight
The singer notes that their partner's absence is the cause of their sadness.
Whoa I'm in a sad mood tonight mmm mmm
The artist concludes the song by once more expressing their current emotional state.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: Sam Cooke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kavi ross
Sam is really a legend, the greatest singer ever live.
Wymell
I could not disagree with you
Kelly Delaney
I always listen to this when I'm sad or upset, and it always lifts my spirits.
deezy duffus
That's mad but true a sad song that could lift
Barbara Richmond
Kelly, I hope it uplifts me.
I'm sad and lonely, crying all evening Those song came to my mind.
Tiffany Renee
I thought I was the only one who instantly smiles when singing this song lol good to know im not alone.
Isa Shakur
😇
Fix 456
Facts its feel good music. But sometimes you can be so low it can keep you in your sorrow. But sam cooke is the greatest vocalist of all time.
TeleWorld
Sam Cooke's voice can wake up the dead, just gorgeous. Bless him
Wymell
Hey girl I'm in your corner I agree