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.
How Many Times
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Call you on the telephone
Tell me how many times
Must I come knocking?
To only find you′re never home
How must how must I comb my hair?
Is it too short or too long
We don't go steady anymore
Have I been the foolish one?
Tell me am I the one to blame
Should I walk around with tears in my eyes?
And hang my head in shame
How many times must I write you?
Write you each and every day
Only to wait for an answer
How that never comes my way
Tell me that I wanna know my darling
And I the one to blame
I got to know the reason
Tell me we don′t go steady anymore
I gotta know my darling
Tell me am I the one to blame
I got to know, know my darling
The reason why we don't go steady
One more time
We don't go steady anymore
The lyrics to Solomon Burke's "How Many Times" are a sincere expression of a person's confusion and heartbreak over a failed relationship. The singer wants to know how many attempts he needs to make before he can connect with his lover again. He has tried calling her on the phone, coming to her house, writing letters, and waiting for her responses, but nothing happens. The singer is desperate to know the reason why he can't seem to reconcile with his former lover.
The singer also wonders if the way he looks, specifically his hair's length, has anything to do with their issues. The song implies that he is willing to make necessary changes to win her back, but he needs to understand why they aren't together. He fears that he may be the "foolish one" and doesn't want to accept blame without reason. He questions if he should hang his head in shame or cry for her.
The lyrics are meaningful as they explore the feelings of a person struggling to understand the reason behind the failure of their love. It shows the singer's willingness to take accountability and make changes but also that love takes a partnership, and they need to go at each other's pace. This song stands out as a timeless, relatable song about love and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
How many times must I call you?
I wonder how many times I have to call you on the telephone to get your attention.
Call you on the telephone
I keep trying to reach you on the phone.
Tell me how many times
Please, I need to know how many times I need to bother you before you take me seriously.
Must I come knocking?
Do I need to show up at your doorstep for you to talk to me?
To only find you're never home
I always come asking for you, but you're never there.
How, how must I comb my hair?
I'm not sure whether my hair length is okay or not. Can you let me know?
Is it too short or too long?
Please give me a clue about how you prefer my hair length.
I got to know, know the reason
I need to understand what is causing you to lose interest in me.
We don't go steady anymore
I feel the distance between us growing, and I worry that we're falling apart.
Have I been the foolish one?
Did I do something to push you away? Am I to blame for our problems?
Tell me am I the one to blame
It's been confusing for me, help me understand if I'm making mistakes.
Should I walk around with tears in my eyes?
I question whether I should hide my emotions from others or show the hurt that I feel.
And hang my head in shame
I don't want to be embarrassed in front of others.
How many times must I write you?
I'm wondering how often I should express my feelings to you on paper.
Write you each and every day
I find myself compelled to write to you often, to share my thoughts.
Only to wait for an answer
But I often feel neglected as I wait for your response.
How that never comes my way
Your silence always leaves me feeling rejected and ignored.
We don't go steady anymore
We're growing apart, and I feel helpless to stop it.
Tell me that I wanna know, my darling
Would you please give me an honest explanation, my love? I'm desperate to understand.
I gotta know, know the reason
It's my priority to find the reason for our struggles.
The reason why we don't go steady
I yearn to know what is causing the rift in our relationship.
One more time
Please, one more time, give me a chance to have a real conversation with you about our future.
Writer(s): Vince Clarke, Andy Bell
Contributed by Brayden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Pancho Mozó
Excelente tema por el gran Solomon Burke.
marcosprado vilela
Where can I find the lyrics