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.
Please Come Back Home to Me
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know it's just a matter of time
You've found somebody new
And our romance is through
Yes it is
Gonna throw your picture away
You didn't want my love, any old way
And our romance is through
Yes it is
Some folks love is hard and strong
That's the kind of love that lingers on
Some folks love is swift and fast
That's the kind of love that'll never last
We had a love that was in between
And to me it was like a dream
If we had stayed together till June
Not a problem, bride and groom
That's why
Got to get you off of my mind
I know it's just a matter of time
You've found somebody new
And our romance is through
Listen to me
Got to get you off of my mind
I know it's just a matter of time
Got to get you off of my mind
I know it's just a matter of time
In Solomon Burke's "Please Come Back Home to Me," the singer is coming to terms with the end of his romance with someone who has found somebody new. He repeats the phrase "Got to get you off of my mind" throughout the song, indicating his struggle to move on. He knows that it's just a matter of time before he can let go of the past, but it's not easy to do.
The singer decides to throw away the picture of his former love because he realizes that person doesn't want his love. He contrasts their relationship with other types of love: hard and strong or swift and fast, both of which have more defined ends than their love that was "in between." He laments that if they had stayed together until June, they could have been bride and groom, but now he knows it's time to move on.
Overall, the song is a classic tale of lost love and accepting that sometimes relationships come to an end, even if it's difficult to let go. The repetition of the "Got to get you off of my mind" line highlights the singer's struggle to move past the relationship and the hope that eventually, he will be able to.
Line by Line Meaning
Got to get you off of my mind
I need to stop thinking about you constantly
I know it's just a matter of time
I realize that eventually, I will stop thinking about you so much
You've found somebody new
You have entered into a relationship with someone else
And our romance is through
Our love affair has come to an end
Yes it is
This is a fact that I must accept
Gonna throw your picture away
I plan to discard any photos I have of you
You didn't want my love, any old way
You did not appreciate my love or affection, no matter how I showed it
Some folks love is hard and strong
For some people, love has a powerful, enduring quality
That's the kind of love that lingers on
It is the kind of love that persists long after a relationship has ended
Some folks love is swift and fast
For others, love is quick and fleeting
That's the kind of love that'll never last
This type of love does not endure, it fades quickly
We had a love that was in between
Our love affair was neither exceedingly long-lasting nor fleeting, but rather somewhere in the middle
And to me it was like a dream
Our relationship felt like a wonderful, romantic experience to me
If we had stayed together till June
If our relationship had lasted until June
Not a problem, bride and groom
We could have been married by that point without issue
Listen to me
Pay attention to what I am saying
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: AMADEE JR. CASTENELL, DWIGHT RICHARDS, ERNEST DABON, FRANK J. RICHARD, JOSEPH III SMITH, KENNETH J. WILLIAMS, LLOYD JR. HARRIS, MARIO G TIO, ROBERT DABON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sergio Flores
Excelente melodía Thank you very much Bye