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.
My Babe
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh yeah she don't stand no cheatin', my babe
Oh yeah she don't stand no cheatin',
She don't stand none of that midnight creepin'
My babe, true little baby, my babe
My babe, I know she love me, my babe
Oh yes, I know she love me, my babe
She don't do nothin' but kiss and hug me
My babe, true little baby, my babe
My baby don't stand no cheatin', my babe
Oh no, she don't stand no cheatin', my babe
Oh no, she don't stand no cheatin',
Ev'rything she do she do so pleasin'
My babe, true little baby, my babe
My baby don't stand no foolin', my babe
Oh yeah, she don't stand no foolin', my babe
Oh yeah, she don't stand no foolin',
When she's hot there ain't no coolin'
My babe, true little baby, my babe
She's my baby (true little baby)
The lyrics to Solomon Burke's "My Babe" portray a man's immense love and respect for his partner. He asserts that she won't tolerate any dishonest behavior in their relationship, stating that she doesn't stand any cheating or "midnight creepin'". The singer emphasizes the point that his woman only loves him, kissing and hugging him with great tenderness. He further mentions that his babe is someone who won't tolerate being fooled or played with; when she's passionate, there's no stopping her.
Burke's message in "My Babe" is clear and unwavering. He loves his woman, and she is his top priority. He expresses his appreciation for her good qualities and strength of character, assuring that she will not put up with any foul play. As such, the song is often interpreted as a celebration of a healthy, loving, and faithful relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
My baby don't stand no cheatin', my babe
My significant other refuses to accept any form of cheating.
Oh yeah she don't stand no cheatin', my babe
My significant other really doesn't tolerate any cheating whatsoever.
Oh yeah she don't stand no cheatin',
My significant other clearly does not stand up for, or tolerate, any form of cheating or deceit.
She don't stand none of that midnight creepin'
My significant other doesn't tolerate my absence/ lack of communication at night.
My babe, true little baby, my babe
My significant other is my true little sweetheart.
My babe, I know she love me, my babe
I am certain that my significant other loves me.
Oh yes, I know she love me, my babe
I am very confident that my significant other loves me deeply.
Oh yes, I know she love me,
I am sure that my significant other loves me, without a doubt.
She don't do nothin' but kiss and hug me
My significant other only does things that show love and affection towards me, such as kissing and hugging.
My babe, true little baby, my babe
My significant other is my true little sweetheart.
My baby don't stand no cheatin', my babe
My significant other is very strict when it comes to supporting or condoning cheating.
Oh no, she don't stand no cheatin', my babe
My significant other doesn't tolerate cheating and will not hesitate to let me know.
Oh no, she don't stand no cheatin',
My significant other doesn't approve of cheating and won't stand for it.
Ev'rything she do she do so pleasin'
My significant other goes out of her way to please me in everything she does.
My babe, true little baby, my babe
My significant other is my true little sweetheart.
My baby don't stand no foolin', my babe
My significant other doesn't tolerate any kind of lies or deception.
Oh yeah, she don't stand no foolin', my babe
My significant other takes lying and deception very seriously and doesn't tolerate any sort of dishonesty.
Oh yeah, she don't stand no foolin',
My significant other has no patience for any kind of lying or deceitful behavior.
When she's hot there ain't no coolin'
When my significant other gets worked up and agitated, there's nothing that can calm her down.
My babe, true little baby, my babe
My significant other is my true little sweetheart.
She's my baby (true little baby)
My significant other is my one and only love (true little baby).
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Willie Dixon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Colgan-Davis
what a great re-arrangement!
Lance Turner
Thank you for uploading this.