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.
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.
Presents for Christmas
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Oh this is gonna be a groove for me
It's gonna be a little something different
But we're gonna give it to 'em anyway
Are you ready? Come on, ha!
We want to give out a present to everybody this Christmas
All around the world for every man, woman, boy and girl
Are you ready right now, come on here we go
Aaa I like it like that, come on that's it
Alright come on
Christmas presents around the world
Is something mighty sweet to see
If only I just had a present for everyone
Under one great big Christmas tree
For every boy that wants a brand new toy
For every Johnny that wants a car
For every junior that wants a mobile bike that
Rides and a rides and rides
Now my little daughter
She wants a doll that cries
One that walks and wipes it's eyes
And I see there someone
That wants somebody home
Just to mere have in their arms
What a Christmas present mmm this Christmas
Oh what a gift you could be
You know if I could just give out
Christmas presents to every one
Under one great big Christmas tree
You know I'm even fat enough to be
The world's biggest Santa Claus
And everybody could just
Just stand around and just say
Ooh is that for me?
Ha, come on
A Christmas present for everybody this year
And we want to give it to 'em are you ready?
Come on everybody, come on one more time together
Merry Christmas baby
A present for you Christmas directly from me
For all the disc jokeys around the world Merry Christmas
All the policeman and all the pretty girls ha!
Oh la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la ha ha!
That's for my old friend y'all and all the soul friends
Christmas brothers baby, here we go
Come on let me hear you, come on
Alright now listen to me
Somewhere in this big wide world
There's some little girl and boy
Who's wishing for a great big Christmas
Maybe one, two, or three toys
But sadly enough believe me as it seems
They won't get these things we know
But the best thing that we can do
Is wish a Merry Christmas to you
And hope next year
Things will have a lot of joy
Christmas presents for every one
Ha ha ooh what a gift it could be
If I could just have a great big
It's gonna be a little something different
But we're gonna give it to 'em anyway
Are you ready? Come on, ha!
We want to give out a present to everybody this Christmas
All around the world for every man, woman, boy and girl
Are you ready right now, come on here we go
Alright come on
Christmas presents around the world
Is something mighty sweet to see
If only I just had a present for everyone
Under one great big Christmas tree
For every boy that wants a brand new toy
For every Johnny that wants a car
For every junior that wants a mobile bike that
Rides and a rides and rides
Now my little daughter
She wants a doll that cries
One that walks and wipes it's eyes
And I see there someone
That wants somebody home
Just to mere have in their arms
What a Christmas present mmm this Christmas
Oh what a gift you could be
You know if I could just give out
Christmas presents to every one
Under one great big Christmas tree
You know I'm even fat enough to be
The world's biggest Santa Claus
And everybody could just
Just stand around and just say
Ooh is that for me?
Ha, come on
A Christmas present for everybody this year
And we want to give it to 'em are you ready?
Come on everybody, come on one more time together
Merry Christmas baby
A present for you Christmas directly from me
For all the disc jokeys around the world Merry Christmas
All the policeman and all the pretty girls ha!
Oh la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la ha ha!
That's for my old friend y'all and all the soul friends
Christmas brothers baby, here we go
Come on let me hear you, come on
Alright now listen to me
Somewhere in this big wide world
There's some little girl and boy
Who's wishing for a great big Christmas
Maybe one, two, or three toys
But sadly enough believe me as it seems
They won't get these things we know
But the best thing that we can do
Is wish a Merry Christmas to you
And hope next year
Things will have a lot of joy
Christmas presents for every one
Ha ha ooh what a gift it could be
If I could just have a great big
The song "Presents for Christmas" by Solomon Burke is meant to spread cheer and goodwill during the holiday season. The song is essentially a call to action for people to be more generous towards others, regardless of their social or economic status. Burke sings about wanting to give gifts to everyone around the world, from men, women, boys, and girls, to disc jockeys, police officers, and pretty girls. He also mentions specific gifts that children might desire, such as brand new toys, cars, bicycles, and dolls that cry and walk.
The lyrics also acknowledge that not every child will receive the gifts they desire, and instead, Burke advocates for wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and hoping for a better year ahead. The upbeat tempo of the song and the lively instrumentation, including horns, piano, and guitar, enhance the overall festive vibe of the track.
Interestingly, although "Presents for Christmas" was released in 1966, it did not become a Christmas standard until decades later. In the late 1980s, the song gained popularity in the UK's Northern Soul scene, a subculture that emerged in the 1970s and centered around rare soul tracks from the US. Since then, "Presents for Christmas" has been covered by various artists, including The O'Jays and The Mavericks.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Solomon Burke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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B.L. Frazer
This song is so DOPE! I feel like a little boy on Christmas Morning whenever I hear this. It always takes me back.
GoldenSunlight
Merry Christmas! 🎄🎁 🎉
Zscott Davis
Me too!
Belle Starr
Cry to me is a good one take me back
Dimitri Jackson
Word up.... Harlem all day!!!!
F P
I recall awesome memories of my mom two stepping to this song.
That was when I was 5 yrs old, now I do the same dance. This song will be carried into generations with my family.
VideoVault2029
Love this song. One of my favorite Christmas songs of all time.
Alyn Syms
Wonderful song. So soulful and hopeful. Makes you feel like hugging someone you don't like:)
Weldon Mebane
Yeah!! Brought Tears To My Eyes When He Gave Respect To Sam!😁👍
Ms. V.J. B.
One of my favorite Christmas song. R.I.P. Solomon Burke