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.
Ain't Got You
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know it's just a matter of time
You've found somebody new
And our romance is through
Yes it is
Gonna throw your picture away
You didn't want my love, any old way
And our romance is through
Yes it is
Some folks love is hard and strong
That's the kind of love that lingers on
Some folks love is swift and fast
That's the kind of love that'll never last
We had a love that was in between
And to me it was like a dream
If we had stayed together till June
Not a problem, bride and groom
That's why
Got to get you off of my mind
I know it's just a matter of time
You've found somebody new
And our romance is through
Listen to me
Got to get you off of my mind
I know it's just a matter of time
Got to get you off of my mind
I know it's just a matter of time
Solomon Burke's song "Got To Get You Off My Mind" is a powerful ode to lost love and heartache. The singer of the song is going through a difficult period in his life. He has just lost the love of his life to someone else, and the pain is too much for him to bear. Despite his sadness, he is determined to move on and get over his ex-lover. He throws away her picture and resolves to get her out of his mind, but he knows it won't be easy. He acknowledges that some people's love is strong enough to last a lifetime, while others burn out quickly. His love for his ex was somewhere in between, and he thought it was perfect. If they had stayed together until June, they would have been a happy couple.
The song is a window into the complexity of love and relationships. The singer's pain is palpable, but he knows he has to move on. He recognizes that his love for his ex was not meant to last forever, and that he needs to find happiness elsewhere. The song is also a lesson in the different types of love and how they affect us. Some love is strong and enduring, while others are fleeting, meant to burn bright and then die out.
Line by Line Meaning
Got to get you off of my mind
I need to stop thinking about you and move on from our past romance.
I know it's just a matter of time
I understand that it will take some time to get over you, but I am willing to do so.
You've found somebody new
You are now with someone else, and it's time for me to accept that our relationship is over.
And our romance is through
Our romantic relationship has come to an end, and I need to let it go.
Gonna throw your picture away
I am going to get rid of any physical reminders of you, including pictures.
You didn't want my love, any old way
You didn't appreciate or value my love, regardless of how it was given to you.
Some folks love is hard and strong
Some people have a love that is powerful and enduring.
That's the kind of love that lingers on
This kind of love lasts a long time and is difficult to forget or move on from.
Some folks love is swift and fast
Some people have a love that is intense and passionate, but short-lived.
That's the kind of love that'll never last
This kind of love fizzles out quickly and is not sustainable in the long run.
We had a love that was in between
Our love was not extremely strong or weak, but somewhere in the middle.
And to me it was like a dream
Our relationship seemed perfect to me, like a dream come true.
If we had stayed together till June
If we had continued to date until June, it would not have been a problem for us to get married.
Not a problem, bride and groom
We could have easily gotten married if we had stayed together a little longer.
Listen to me
Pay attention to what I am saying and take it seriously.
Got to get you off of my mind
I need to stop thinking about you and move on from our past romance.
I know it's just a matter of time
I understand that it will take some time to get over you, but I am willing to do so.
Got to get you off of my mind
I need to stop thinking about you and move on from our past romance.
I know it's just a matter of time
I understand that it will take some time to get over you, but I am willing to do so.
Lyrics Β© Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DOLORES BURKE, JOHN MOORE, SOLOMON BURKE, SOLOMON V. BURKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Margaret Kerr
Love it π π π π no one sings like this guy... π π β€οΈ Great tune πΆ πΆ πΆ πΆ πΆ πΆ πΆ πΆ πΆ πΆ
jeffery thomas
Reba McIntyre needs to sing this.