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.
South Of The Border
Sam Cooke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Ai-ai-ai-ai
Oh-oh-oh-oh
South of the border
Down Mexico way
That's where I fell in love
And now as I wonder
My thoughts ever stray
South of the border
Down Mexico way
She was the picture
In old Spanish lace
Just for a tender while
I kissed the smile
Upon her face
For it was siesta
And we were so gay
South of the border
Down Mexico way
Then she sighed as she whispered manana
Never dreaming that we were parting
And I lied as I whisperd manana
For our tomorrow never came
South of the border
I rode back one day
There in a veil of white by candlelight
She kneeled to pray
The missionbells told me
That I musn't stay
South of the border
Down mexico way
Ai-ai-ai-ai
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Sam Cooke's song "South of the Border" was written in 1939 by Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr. The song depicts a love story that takes place in Mexico. The lyrics mention a man who falls in love with a woman he meets in Mexico - "That's where I fell in love / When stars above came out to play." He remembers the time they spent together by stating, "And now as I wonder / My thoughts ever stray / South of the border / Down Mexico way." The woman he falls in love with is described as "the picture in old Spanish lace," and the man describes the moment of their love as "for a tender while / I kissed the smile upon her face."
A significant part of the song is the mention of "manana," which means "tomorrow" in Spanish. The woman he falls in love with says "manana" to him, implying that their relationship can wait for another day. However, the man lied when he says "manana" to her, stating that they will reunite the following day. But the reunion never happens, as the man rides back to Mexico one day to find the woman he loves kneeling by the mission bells in a veil of white, praying. The song ends with the lyrics "South of the border / Down Mexico way."
Line by Line Meaning
Ai-ai-ai-ai
Expressing strong emotions, possibly pain or disappointment
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Expression of sadness or melancholy
South of the border
In a specific location, south of the border between the US and Mexico
Down Mexico way
In Mexico, specifically
That's where I fell in love
Sam Cooke fell in love in Mexico
When stars above came out to play
The night sky was clear and full of stars, creating a romantic atmosphere
And now as I wonder
Thinking back on this experience
My thoughts ever stray
His thoughts often wander back to this memory
She was the picture
Describing the girl he fell in love with
In old Spanish lace
Wearing a traditional Spanish dress or clothing made of lace
Just for a tender while
For a brief moment in time
I kissed the smile
Kissing the girl's smile, which he found attractive
Upon her face
On her face
For it was siesta
During the siesta time, a traditional nap or rest period in Mexico
And we were so gay
They were happy and carefree in this moment
Then she sighed as she whispered manana
She sighed and said 'tomorrow', perhaps indicating uncertainty about their future together
Never dreaming that we were parting
Not realizing that this would be the last time they would be together
And I lied as I whispered manana
Sam Cooke also said 'tomorrow', but knowing that they would not be together again
For our tomorrow never came
They never saw each other again and did not have a future together
I rode back one day
Sam Cooke returned to Mexico at some point after their separation
There in a veil of white by candlelight
He saw the girl again, perhaps on her wedding day, dressed in white and surrounded by candles
She kneeled to pray
She was in the midst of a prayer or religious ceremony
The mission bells told me
The bells of the church, or 'mission', signaled that Sam Cooke had to leave and could not stay
That I musn't stay
He had to leave, possibly due to other commitments or because their time had passed
Contributed by Hunter Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
catherine murphy
Ai-ai-ai-ai
oh-oh-oh-oh
ai-ai-ai-ai
oh-oh-oh-oh
South of the border
down Mexico way
that's where I fell in love
when stars above came out to play
and now as I wander
my thoughts ever stray
south of the border
down Mexico way
She was a picture
in old Spanish lace
just for a tender while
I kissed the smile
upon her face
for it was siesta
and we were so gay
south of the border
down Mexico way
Then she sighed as she whispered manana
never dreaming that we were parting
and I lied as I whisperd manana
for our tomorrow never came
South of the border
I rode back one day
there in a veil of white by candlelight
she kneeled to pray
the mission bells told me
that I musn't stay
south of the border
down Mexico way
Ai-ai-ai-ai
oh-oh-oh-oh
ch0701 da
Sam Cooke perfects every genre. God gave Sam a voice that is the envy of every singer.
Imani M
So so beautiful 🎶 I love Sam Cooke to bits and pieces! His voice and music are so good it don't make no sense! 😂 lol
Timothy Hughes
Cooke transcends categories and his is one of the best versions of "South of the Border." Patsy Cline also did a fine job on this number.
Edward Wheeler
Sam Cooke was simply the best and the greatest singer of all with the smoothest voice I'm still waiting for another sam cooke to come along there will never be another sam cooke
casullen
I like hearing how Sam used his voice in different songs. Thanks for posting this and please post more.
Travelin Man
A genius. Smooth this brother sing anything. Legend
Francis Alan Wormald
ONE OF A KIND &MIGHTY ,MIGHTY FANTASTIC!!
Wilbur Walker
It is my honest belief that Sam was most valuable in his times. But as times go by, I think his work and image continue to enlarge more and more each day. They dont make them like him anymore. Dr. Wilbur Walker.
Robert Chatman
I love this song because it,s song by the greatest singer of all times. The great Sam Cooke.....chain lover.6.
Milton Levant
Sam sings for everybody