Solomon Burke (born March 21, 1940 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, died… Read Full Bio ↴Solomon Burke (born March 21, 1940 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, died October 10, 2010 at Schiphol Airport, The Netherlands) was a soul music pioneer and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Despite releasing numerous rnb chart hits in the 1960s, he never had a Top 20 hit on the pop charts. Burke's influence, however, has outstripped his mainstream commercial success. He is considered a legend of American music.

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.

Love Buys Love
Solomon Burke Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm so happy to be here tonight
So glad to be here in your wonderful city
And I have a little message for you
And I want to tell every woman and every man tonight
That's ever needed someone to love
That's ever had somebody to love them
That ever had somebody's understanding
That's ever had someone to need your love all the time

Someone that's with them when they're up
Somebody that's with them when they're down
If you had yourself somebody like this you better hold onto 'em
Let me tell you something
Sometimes you get what you want
And you lose what you have
There's a song I sing
And I believe that if everybody would sing this song you can save the whole world
Listen to me

Everybody needs somebody
Everybody wants somebody to love
Honey to hug, yeah
Sugar to kiss
Baby to miss now, yeah
Baby to tease
Sometimes to please, yeah
And I need you you you
And I need you you you
In the morning baby you you you
When the sun goes down you you you
Ain't no nobody around you you you

Whoa listen to me, sometimes I feel like
I feel a little sad inside
When my baby mistreats me
And I can't get a little little mad
But I need you you you
Just to see me through children
Somebody to hold my hand
When I feel a little lonely, oh but I want to hear you say yeah
Oh baby say yeah, I want to hear you say yeah

I say yeah yeah
Yeah
Somebody
I just want my woman to stand up and say I love you
I want someone to be a witness tonight

I just want to say I love you, I wanna hear you say I love you ohhh
I just want somebody to squeeze tonight yeah

Overall Meaning

Solomon Burke's "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" is a song that emphasizes the importance of love and companionship. Burke acknowledges the need to have someone to rely on and cherish during the good times and the bad. He starts the song by expressing his gratitude to be in the city and takes the opportunity to deliver a message to the audience. He highlights the value of someone who loves, understands, and stands by you through thick and thin.

Burke emphasizes that having someone to love is a basic human need that everyone craves. He sings about the various aspects of love, from hugs to kisses, someone to miss, tease and please. The chorus repeats the phrase, "Everybody needs somebody to love," which conveys the message that such love is vital for everyone. The lyrics depict a yearning for the presence of a loved one, someone to hold hands with, and someone who will say, "I love you." Burke concludes with a poignant plea for someone to hold and squeezes tight.

In summary, the song highlights the importance of love and the need for human connection. From the heartfelt vocals to the joyous rhythm, the song captures the essence of love and sings to the human soul.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm so happy to be here tonight
I am elated to be present at this event

So glad to be here in your wonderful city
I am grateful to be in this beautiful city

And I have a little message for you
I have a brief message for you

And I want to tell every woman and every man tonight
I want to address all women and men in the audience tonight

That's ever needed someone to love
Everyone who has felt the need to love someone

That's ever had somebody to love them
Those who have had the pleasure of being loved by someone

That ever had somebody's understanding
Those who have received empathy from someone

That's ever had someone to need your love all the time
Those who have had someone who constantly craves their affection

Someone that's with them when they're up
Someone who stands by them in times of joy

Somebody that's with them when they're down
Someone who supports them through rough times

If you had yourself somebody like this you better hold onto 'em
If you have someone like this, don't let them go

Let me tell you something
Allow me to share some advice

Sometimes you get what you want
Occasionally, you achieve your desires

And you lose what you have
At times, you may lose what you already possess

There's a song I sing
I have a song that I perform

And I believe that if everybody would sing this song you can save the whole world
I firmly believe that if everyone sings this song, it can change the world

Listen to me
Pay attention to my words

Everybody needs somebody
Every person requires emotional support

Everybody wants somebody to love
Everyone desires to be loved by someone

Honey to hug, yeah
Someone to embrace warmly

Sugar to kiss
Someone to kiss sweetly

Baby to miss now, yeah
Someone to long for when they are away

Baby to tease
Someone to playfully tease

Sometimes to please, yeah
Occasionally, someone to satisfy their needs

And I need you you you
I require your presence in my life

In the morning baby you you you
At morning's light, I desire you

When the sun goes down you you you
As night falls, I still long for you

Ain't no nobody around you you you
When there's no one else, I still have you in my mind

Whoa listen to me, sometimes I feel like
Listen closely, sometimes I feel

I feel a little sad inside
I experience melancholy emotions

When my baby mistreats me
When my significant other causes me emotional pain

And I can't get a little little mad
I cannot help but get a bit angry

But I need you you you
I still require your presence in my life

Just to see me through children
Just to get me through difficult times

Somebody to hold my hand
Someone to hold tightly when I am struggling

When I feel a little lonely, oh but I want to hear you say yeah
When I'm alone, I yearn for you to express affection

Oh baby say yeah, I want to hear you say yeah
I need to hear you verbalize your love for me

I say yeah yeah
I affirm my agreement

Yeah
Yes

Somebody
Everyone requires someone

I just want my woman to stand up and say I love you
I want my partner to declare their love publicly

I want someone to be a witness tonight
I desire an audience for this expression of affection

I just want to say I love you, I wanna hear you say I love you ohhh
I simply want to express my love to you and receive reciprocation

I just want somebody to squeeze tonight yeah
I wish to hold someone closely tonight

Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerry Wexler, Solomon V, Sr Burke, Bert Berns

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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