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.
Maggie's Farm
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
Well, I wake up in the morning, fold my hands and pray for rain
Got a head full of ideas that's driving me insane
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub those floors
You see, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
Well, he puts his cigars out in your face for kicks
His bedroom window is all made out of bricks
The sheriff and the National Guard stand around his doors
Let me tell ya, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
Well, I try my best to be just like I am
But everybody wants me to be just like them
They sing while I slave and I get bored
You see, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
You better believe it
Ain't gonna do nothing, yeah
...
The lyrics of Solomon Burke's song "Maggie's Farm" tell a story of a protagonist who has reached a breaking point in their personal and working life. The first two lines declare their departure from working on a farm, specifically Maggie's farm. The singer then describes the monotony of their daily routine, waking up in the morning and praying for rain while being driven insane by a head full of ideas. The shame comes from having to scrub the floors under Maggie's rule. The next verse is a direct address to Maggie's pa. The singer's refusal to work for him anymore comes from the abusive and violent actions inflicted as a form of entertainment. His bedroom window is made of bricks and both the sheriff and National Guard stand guard outside his door. The final verse speaks to the singer's struggle for personal identity. People want him to conform to their expectations, and he finds the singing and slaving over tedious work.
The lyrics of "Maggie's Farm" are a commentary on the idea of freedom and rebellion. Dylan wrote the song in response to the expectations of being a folk artist and the pressures that come with it. Instead of conforming to the expectations, the song is a declaration of independence. In 1965, Bob Dylan famously played an electric version of "Maggie's Farm" at the Newport Folk Festival, causing a divide between the tradition of folk music and the emerging sound of rock and roll.
Line by Line Meaning
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
The singer refuses to work on Maggie's farm anymore.
No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
The singer repeats that he will not work on Maggie's farm.
Well, I wake up in the morning, fold my hands and pray for rain
The singer wakes up and prays for rain, hoping to avoid working on Maggie's farm.
Got a head full of ideas that's driving me insane
The singer has many ideas but is frustrated that he can't pursue them while working on Maggie's farm.
It's a shame the way she makes me scrub those floors
The singer is unhappy about having to clean floors for Maggie.
You see, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
The singer reiterates that he won't work on Maggie's farm anymore.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
The singer also refuses to work for Maggie's father.
Well, he puts his cigars out in your face for kicks
Maggie's father is abusive, putting out his cigars in people's faces for fun.
His bedroom window is all made out of bricks
Maggie's father has a fortified bedroom, showing off his power over others.
The sheriff and the National Guard stand around his doors
Maggie's father has powerful allies that help protect him from consequences of his actions.
Let me tell ya, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more
The singer reiterates his refusal to work for Maggie's father.
Well, I try my best to be just like I am
The singer wants to be true to himself and not conform to others' expectations.
But everybody wants me to be just like them
Others pressure the singer to be like them, limiting his freedom and individuality.
They sing while I slave and I get bored
Others enjoy themselves while the singer works hard and feels unfulfilled.
You see, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more
The singer repeats his refusal to work on Maggie's farm.
You better believe it
The singer wants to emphasize that he is serious about not working on Maggie's farm.
Ain't gonna do nothing, yeah
The singer is committed to not working on Maggie's farm, no matter what.
Contributed by Bentley Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Vince Modica
This is the best version of this song that I have heard.The wonderful Solomon Burke creating musical magic with his magical voice.
MikeBlitzMag
A solid #1 on 1440 WCHB (Inskter, Michigan AM radio station) in the Spring of 1965. For my money, it's the better version.
pinchold pinch
would nicely match "Barefooting"
Laurence J. Kosofsky
Nice find...can't say I love the horns, but terrific vocals...
Marcus Illanes
Gotta be honest and say i looove the horns;)
eldeeves
Bob who?