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.
Just Out Of Reach
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dreams that just won't let me be
Blues that keeps on bothering me
Chains that just won't set me free
So far away from you and all your charm
Just out of reach of my two empty arms
Each night in dreams I see your face
Then I awake and find you're gone
Then I'm so blue and all alone
So far away from you so sweet and warm
Just out of reach of my two empty arms
That lonesome feeling all the time
Knowing you could not be mine
Dreams that hurt me in my sleep
Vows that we could never keep
So far away from you and all your charm
Just out of reach of my two empty arms, Empty arms
The lyrics of Solomon Burke's "Just Out of Reach" express the feeling of being unable to attain what one desires the most. The singer is in love with someone who seems to be unattainable ("a love that runs away from me") and the dreams of being with that person haunt him ("dreams that just won't let me be"). The blues mentioned in the lyrics represent the emotional pain and sadness that the singer feels. The chains that won't set him free represent his inability to move on from this unrequited love.
The second stanza continues to reveal the intimate feelings of the singer. In his dreams, he sees the face of his love and those memories remain with him when he wakes up, but the reality of the situation is that she is not with him ("then I awake and find you're gone"). This line portrays a sense of hopelessness and despair. The singer feels unable to reach out to the one he loves and his arms are empty without her.
The third and final stanza reveals that this unattainable love includes a mutual feeling between the two of them. They have made vows that they couldn't keep, which adds another layer to the sadness expressed in the song. The lyrics convey a sense of deep pain, sadness, and heartbreak throughout the song.
Line by Line Meaning
A love that runs away from me
The love I seek always seems to elude me and slip through my fingers.
Dreams that just won't let me be
Thoughts of love fill my every dream, but I am never able to catch it in reality.
Blues that keeps on bothering me
The sadness of not having the love I seek still affects me deeply and constantly.
Chains that just won't set me free
I am unable to break free from my desire for love and the devastating effects of not having it.
So far away from you and all your charm
Distance separates me from the person I long for and who possesses all the qualities I desire.
Just out of reach of my two empty arms
Despite my longing and yearning for love, it remains unattainable and out of my grasp.
Each night in dreams I see your face
In the realm of dreams, the person I long for appears to me, but only as a figment of my imagination.
Memories and time cannot erase
No amount of time can make me forget the love that I seek and the pain caused by not having it.
Then I awake and find you're gone
The cruel reality of waking up to find the love I seek is not within my grasp is a harsh reminder of my loneliness.
Then I'm so blue and all alone
The sadness and emptiness I feel when I am alone without the love I desire is overwhelming.
That lonesome feeling all the time
The constant yearning for love and the lack thereof creates a deep sense of loneliness within me.
Knowing you could not be mine
The painful knowledge that the person I seek is unattainable makes my longing for love all the more agonizing.
Dreams that hurt me in my sleep
Even in my dreams, the love I seek torments me with its unattainability and the pain it causes me.
Vows that we could never keep
The promises of love and commitment we made can never be fulfilled due to the unattainability of the love we seek.
Empty arms
The physical emptiness of not having the love I seek is a constant reminder of my loneliness and longing.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Virgil Stewart
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jerry Griffies
One of my all time favorites,still is & I’m 78 years old. Had the supreme pleasure of seeing him perform at the Macon City Auditorium @ 1962. He brought the house down!
Brenda Boyiddle
We are the same age. Love that song too
Brenda Daniels
Love Solomon Burks music...such passion he puts in his music.
Mark Gilchrist
I'm not that age, yet. I do think he's one of the greats. Love his music.
Tracy Kingston
@Brenda Daniels His voice similar to Brook Benton.
Donna Paquette
@Tracy Kingston yes, I thought that too.
Linda Lee
beautiful song with a beautiful voice, thank you for your beautiful music you left us.RIP Solomon
ana smith
Love this ❤️ song
Noel Schweitzer
A beautiful song...what emotion, what a voice!
Karen Cephas
Still as beautiful today 2023