He began his adult life as a young preacher in Philadelphia, where he hosted a gospel radio show. In the 1960s, he signed with Atlantic Records and began moving towards more secular music. His first hit was Just Out Of Reach Of My Open Arms, a cover of a country song. Though well-received by both peers and critics, and attaining a few moderate pop and several major R&B hits, Burke never could quite break through into the mainstream as did his contemporaries like Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin.
Nevertheless, his emotive delivery, polished production, as well as the touches of country and pop sensibility in his music won him admirers and imitators. In 1964 he wrote and recorded Everybody Needs Somebody To Love his most prominent bid for an enduring soul standard. Covered by the Rolling Stones the same year, other well-known versions include one by Wilson Pickett and another a decade and a half later in the 1980 feature film by The Blues Brothers. Burke's biggest hit was a 1969 cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Proud Mary.
His career was to some degree revived in 2002, with the release of the album Don't Give Up On Me, produced by Joe Henry, where he sang songs written specifically for the album by a roster of top-rank artists, including Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Tom Waits and Joe Henry himself.
He is featured in the 2004 movie Lightning in a Bottle singing Turn on Your Love Light and Down in the Valley.
As of October 2002 Burke was the father of 14 daughters and 7 sons with 64 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. Several of his children and grandchildren have had successful careers in various facets of the music industry, though none as much so as their patriarch.
Burke died, arriving at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam where he was supposed to perform with Dutch band De Dijk with whom he recorded an album, entitled Hold on Tight.
Rock icon Mick Jagger performed a tribute to Burke at the 2011 Grammy Awards, laying down Burke's classic hit "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love".
A cover of Everybody Needs Somebody To Love received huge exposure as the music for Amazon's 2019 Christmas commercial.
After All These Years
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where would I go tell the lady
If I didn't have you, baby
Right here standing by my side
How would I get by, oh baby
How I would I make it through the night
Oh lady this old world would conquer
They say dreams don't always come true
But I'm here to tell you my dreams came true
The first day I laid eyes on you
So how would I get by, baby
How would I make it through
The night precious lady
I could not live without you, baby
Standing right by my side
Where would I go, baby
Now that the kids are all grown up lady
It's just you and me, baby
You mean the world the world to me
They say dreams don't always come true
But my dreams came true the
Moment the night the day
That I laid eyes on you
How would I get by, baby
I'd just lay down without you and die, baby
You are my precious sweet lady
You mean the world to me
After all these years, my baby
All the things we've been through
Just you and I together
The good times, the bad times, the sad times
You're still the dream come true for me
Don't make me cry, baby
Who would hold me, kiss me, console me, baby
To me you're like steak and gravy
And you're everything, everything to me
After all these years
The joy, the sorrow, the love, the tears
The children and the precious
Things and memories after all these years
In Solomon Burke's song "After All These Years," the singer expresses his deep gratitude and love for his partner, musing on what his life would be like without her. He asks where he would go and what he would do if he didn't have her by his side. He acknowledges that the world can be harsh, but with her support, he can overcome anything. He declares that his dreams came true when he met her, and he couldn't imagine living without her.
The song is a touching tribute to long-term love and partnership, acknowledging the ups and downs that come with time but ultimately affirming the enduring power of love. It highlights the importance of having someone who is always there for you and shares your memories and history. Through his lyrics, Burke paints a vivid picture of the deep appreciation and affection he feels for his partner.
Line by Line Meaning
What would I do, sweet baby
If I didn't have you, my sweet baby, what would I do?
Where would I go tell the lady
Without you, my love, where could I go to find comfort?
If I didn't have you, baby Right here standing by my side
Without you here by my side, I would be lost and alone.
How would I get by, oh baby
Without you, my dear, how could I possibly survive?
How I would I make it through the night
Nighttime would be unbearable without you with me.
Oh lady this old world would conquer
Without you, the harsh realities of the world would overpower me.
All of my dreams
All of my hopes and aspirations.
They say dreams don't always come true
It's commonly thought that dreams don't often become reality.
But I'm here to tell you my dreams came true
However, in my case, it's quite the opposite. My dreams became a reality when I met you.
The first day I laid eyes on you
The day I met you was the day my life changed for the better.
So how would I get by, baby
Living life without you seems impossible, my love.
How would I make it through The night precious lady
Getting through each night without you would be a challenge, my darling.
I could not live without you, baby Standing right by my side
Being by your side is essential to my survival, my sweet baby.
Where would I go, baby Now that the kids are all grown up lady
Now that our children are grown, where would I go without you, my love?
It's just you and me, baby You mean the world the world to me
Now it's just us two, my love, and you truly mean everything to me.
Don't make me cry, baby
Please don't make me emotional, my darling.
Who would hold me, kiss me, console me, baby
If not for you, who could comfort me with affection when I need it?
To me you're like steak and gravy
You are my everything - as essential to my existence as food.
And you're everything, everything to me
You mean the world to me - everything I could ever want or need in this life.
After all these years
Even after all the years we've spent together.
The joy, the sorrow, the love, the tears
Despite all the ups and downs - happiness, sadness, love, and pain.
The children and the precious Things and memories
The time spent raising our children and the other invaluable experiences and memories we've shared.
After all these years, my baby All the things we've been through
Despite the countless trials and tribulations we've endured.
Just you and I together
It's only been you and me, side by side, through it all.
The good times, the bad times, the sad times
From the best moments to the worst and most difficult times.
You're still the dream come true for me
And even today, even after all these years, you remain my greatest dream come true.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EDDIE TOWNS, Solomon Burke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind