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.
That's Where It's At
Sam Cooke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And music soft and slow
With someone you love so
That's where it's at, yeah
Your world turned upside down
You're making not a sound
No one else around
Let me tell you
Your heart, beating fast
You're knowing that time will pass
But hoping that it lasts
That's where it's at, oh yeah
That's where it's at
Pretty baby
That's where it's at
Whoa, yes it is
That's where it's at
Pretty baby, mmm
That's where it's at, oh yeah
Oh yeah, and oh yeah, and oh yeah
Let me tell you this one thing
To say, "It's time to go"
And she says, "Yes, I know, but just stay one minute more"
That's where it's at
Oh, let me say it one more time
That's where it's at
Pretty baby
That's where it's at
I know that's where it's at
That's where it's at
Pretty baby
That's where it's at
In this song, Sam Cooke describes the perfect moment of intimacy and connection with a loved one. He explains that it's not about where you are physically, but about the emotional and physical presence of the person you're with. The lights are turned down low, the music is soft and slow, and there's nobody else around -- just the two of them sharing a moment together. Cooke describes the feeling of your heart beating fast, knowing that time will pass but hoping that the moment lasts forever. He ends the song with the image of someone knowing it's time to go, but asking just to stay one more minute in that perfect moment.
Overall, the song is about the power of connection and intimacy between two people. It doesn't matter where they are, as long as they're together and experiencing a moment of pure love and connection. Cooke's smooth vocals and the gentle instrumentation create a sense of warmth and ease, making the listener feel as if they're experiencing that perfect moment themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Lights turned way down low
The dimming of the lights creates an atmosphere of intimacy and sets the perfect mood.
And music soft and slow
The quiet melody playing in the background enhances the romantic ambiance, making it a special moment to cherish.
With someone you love so
Being with your beloved makes the moment even more special and fills your heart with genuine happiness.
That's where it's at, yeah
This is the perfect place to be, and you wouldn't want to be anywhere else but here.
Your world turned upside down
Being in a moment like this will turn your world upside down in the most delightful way possible.
You're making not a sound
In such a peaceful moment, all that's left to do is be silent and enjoy each other's company.
No one else around
It's just the two of you, and you feel grateful for having each other's company.
That's where it's at, yeah
This unique moment is something to be cherished and remembered.
Your heart, beating fast
The excitement you're feeling is beyond compare, and your heart is racing with joy.
You're knowing that time will pass
You're aware that this moment will come to an end, but you're enjoying every bit of it while it lasts.
But hoping that it lasts
At the same time, you hope it doesn't end any time soon, for you couldn't be any happier.
That's where it's at, oh yeah
This is the quintessence of happiness, and there's no way you could get any happier.
That's where it's at
Pretty baby
That's where it's at
Whoa, yes it is
That's where it's at
Pretty baby, mmm
The joy and happiness found in this unique moment are beyond compare, and that is where it's at.
Oh yeah, and oh yeah, and oh yeah
The moment is so intense that you can't help but repeat it over and over again, feeling happy all along.
Let me tell you this one thing
This feeling of pure joy is something that you can't keep to yourself, and you have to share it with others.
To say, "It's time to go"
And she says, "Yes, I know, but just stay one minute more"
That's where it's at
Even though the moment is coming to an end, you both wish it would last just a little bit more. That's where it's really at.
Oh, let me say it one more time
That's where it's at
Pretty baby
That's where it's at
I know that's where it's at
That's where it's at
Pretty baby
That's where it's at
This special moment with your beloved is the perfect place to be, and you could never find a better place to be really happy.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: James W Alexander, Sam Cooke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kailyn Brooks
(Verse 1)
Lights turned way down low
And music soft and slow
With someone you love so
That's where it's at
Yeah
Your whole world upside down
You're making not a sound
With no one else around
That's where it's at
Yeah, let me tell you
Your heart beating fast
You're knowing that time will pass
But hoping that it last
That's where it's at
Oh, yeah
That's where it's at
Pretty baby
Ha, ha!
That's where it's at
Whoa, yes it is
That's where it's at
Pretty baby
Mmm
That's where it's at
Oh, yeah (Oh, yeah)
And oh, yeah (Oh, yeah)
Let me tell you this one thing
To say "It's time to go"
And she says "Yes, I know"
Just stay one minute more
That's where it's at
Yeah, let me say it one more time
That's where it's at
Pretty baby
That's where it's at
I know that's where it's at
That's where it's at
Pretty baby
Ha, ha!
That's where it's at
Jaut-76
I’m 18 and found Sam Cooke through collecting records. First time I played this track I was blown away. Sam Cooke, buddy holly and Otis redding are my favourites. I’m going to keep collecting till I have them all. A artist who was taken too soon
Edward Williams
Very good song
Karen H
This song has SO MUCH SOUL!
I love Sam Cooke! ❤️
Mukundanghri
I was probably eight years old back in the sixty's when my dad was playing Sam's records on the record player. This song, in particular, captured my attention, more than among the many others. This man had a set of golden pipes.
Glynda Blackledge
I remember my dad listening to this song coming home on leave from the military 💞 These kids now don't know what good music is.
Rose Welton
You got that right..good looks,and a voice outta this world..left so soon.
bodymagic32
You are so right
Rose Welton
Ohh yes he had it all together,born with a gift,his family from Clarksdale Ms,we’re from Leland Ms.
xkillerwolfx
So weird same here. About 3 years ago I heard Sam for the first time i just instantly felt a connection with his music. I just needed more and haven't ever gone a day without listening to his music. And im only 25 so a lot of people find it crazy I love Sam's music. The man's voice was a gift that im depressed I never once got to hear.
Sara Dallmayr
Sam's voice is a space I move into when I need to be soothed...that's where it's at.