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.
Down in the Valley
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Late in the evenin', hear the train blow.
Hear the train blow, dear, hear the train blow,
Late in the evenin', hear the train blow.
The train won't stay, love, it goes right through.
It will be gone, love, and so will you!
Know I love you, dear, know I love you,
The train is gone, love, and out of sight;
Goodnight my darlin', darlin' goodnight!
Goodnight my darlin', darlin' goodnight!
The lyrics of Solomon Burke's song "Down in the Valley" tell a heartbreaking love story. The singer of the song is saying goodbye to his lover, who is leaving on a train. He watches the train go by in the valley as evening sets in, and he knows that when the train has gone, his love will be gone too. He reassures her that he loves her, and even the angels in heaven know it. But he knows that she has to go, and all he can do is bid her a sad and final goodbye.
The lyrics of "Down in the Valley" are a poignant reminder of the sense of loss and sadness that comes with saying goodbye to someone you love. The train, in this case, is a symbol of the passing of time and the inevitability of change. The singer knows that his love is leaving on that train, and he will never see her again.
Interestingly, the song has been recorded by a variety of artists across different genres, including Otis Redding, Little Esther, and The Drifters. The song is considered a classic in American folk music and has been recorded numerous times over the decades.
Line by Line Meaning
Down in the valley, the valley so low,
In a low-lying land, surrounded by hills, resides my love
Late in the evenin', hear the train blow.
During the late hours of the day, one can hear the train's whistle
Hear the train blow, dear, hear the train blow,
My love, do you hear the sound of the train's whistle?
Late in the evenin', hear the train blow.
Once again, in the late hours of the day, the train's whistle can be heard
The train won't stay, love, it goes right through.
My love, the train will not remain here, it will continue on its journey
It will be gone, love, and so will you!
As the train leaves, so will you, my love
Know I love you, dear, know I love you,
Please know that I love you, my dear
Angels in heaven know I love you!
Even the angels in heaven are aware of my deep love for you
The train is gone, love, and out of sight;
The train has left and is no longer visible
Goodnight my darlin', darlin' goodnight!
I bid you goodnight, my beloved
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SOLOMON BURKE, MARVIN CHIVIAN, JOSEPH C. MARTIN, BERT BERNS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dombat61
Solomon Burke, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke... Their music was so sensational!
@markharrisllb
They'll all be jamming together, along with Duck, waiting for The Colonel. I ain’t wishing him away, but the older we get the more sure we are of the inevitable.
@jackluteijn
he is and was one of the very best!!!!
@mohamedsalemsalecmohamed8722
Sencillamente MAGISTRAL.
@stuartrxhodgsonhodgson4765
RIP Mr music man you left a great memories
@donnaflorence5673
Rest in Peace Mr Burke. You were a true gift
@nucciamaiorana1539
😊😊
@lalinera8279
I am jealous of that generation. I feel like we missed out a lot of live amazing soul shows.
@alextucciarone6081
It was a truly amazing time of incredible music,
@mariamaliszewski2768
PHENOMENAL, GENIUS, UNIQUE. BRILLIANT. Thanks a lot. Regards.💓🌞