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.
That
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's how I got to Memphis, that's how I got to Memphis
If you love somebody enough you'll go where your heart wants to go
That's how I got to Memphis, that's how I got to Memphis
I know if you'd seen her you'd tell me 'cause you are my friend
I've got to find her and find out the trouble she's in
If you tell me that she's not here I'll follow the trail of her tears
She would get mad and she used to say
That she'd come back to Memphis someday
That's how I got to Memphis, that's how I got to Memphis
I haven't eaten a bite or slept for three days and nights
That's how I got to Memphis, that's how I got to Memphis
I've got to find her and tell her that I love her so
I'll never rest 'til I find out why she had to go
Thank you for your precious time, forgive me if I start to cry and
That's how I got to Memphis, that's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis, that's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis, that's how I got to Memphis
That's how I got to Memphis
Solomon Burke's song "That's How I Got to Memphis" is a poignant ballad about love, loss, and the lengths to which one will go to be reunited with the object of their affection. In the song, the singer sings about how he followed his lover to Memphis, driven by the power of his love for her. He believes that if he loves somebody enough, he will follow wherever they go, and that is precisely how he ended up in Memphis.
The singer is desperate to find his lover and determine what trouble she's in, and he believes that following the trail of her tears will lead him to her. He hasn't eaten or slept for three days and nights, consumed by the need to be reunited with her. He remembers how she used to get mad and say that she'd come back to Memphis someday, which is why he believes she's there. He pledges to never rest until he finds her and tells her how much he loves her.
The song captures the intensity of romantic love, the sense of longing and loss that can arise when two people are separated. It also speaks to the idea of how far we are willing to go for the people we love. Whether it's traveling across the country or simply empathizing with their struggles, true love demands a willingness to follow wherever it leads.
Line by Line Meaning
If you love somebody enough you'll follow wherever they go
Love can drive a person to go anywhere their loved one goes
That's how I got to Memphis, that's how I got to Memphis
The singer's love for someone brought them to Memphis
If you love somebody enough you'll go where your heart wants to go
True love takes you wherever your heart desires
I know if you'd seen her you'd tell me 'cause you are my friend
The artist trusts their friend to tell them if they've seen the person they love
I've got to find her and find out the trouble she's in
The artist is determined to find and help the person they love
If you tell me that she's not here I'll follow the trail of her tears
The singer will follow any clue to find the person they love
She would get mad and she used to say that she'd come back to Memphis someday
The person the singer loves had a history with Memphis and expressed a desire to return
I haven't eaten a bite or slept for three days and nights
The artist is so consumed by their love that they've neglected their basic needs
I've got to find her and tell her that I love her so
The artist's ultimate goal is to express their love to the person they are searching for
I'll never rest 'til I find out why she had to go
The artist needs closure and answers for the person they love leaving
Thank you for your precious time, forgive me if I start to cry and That's how I got to Memphis, that's how I got to Memphis
The singer expresses gratitude to anyone who may help them while maintaining their heartbroken state
That's how I got to Memphis, that's how I got to Memphis
The artist reiterates that love brought them to Memphis
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tom T. Hall
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@4rowsee174
To Willow Bean
You too lol! Recently I stumbled upon this epic song by accident😯 I was listening to an old Sam Cooke song "Bring It On Home To Me"...one thing led to another and Solomon Burke's name came up as one of the many great Blues/Soul masters that joined the likes of Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, BB and Benny King, and others before them...I watched Solomon's performance and was blown away! His voice, style, stage presence, was magical! I wondered how the hell had I missed knowing of him!? Everyone's heard of the late great Otis Redding even though he tragically died at the tender age of 26, so not able to be around for decades of hits, but still is way famous and known world wide.
I then searched for more songs of Solomon's, especially wanting to see vids actually showing his performance, not some lyrics with a a few pics in the background.
I finally found one video of a young Solomon Burke singing the highly addictive Cry To Me"😍😵💫😯 After I kept having to replay this epic masterpiece, I set it to Loop! That wasn't enough, because everyday I keep coming back to watch and listen to this:
"When your baby leaves you all alone..
And nobody call you on the phone...
Doncha feel like crying
Doncha feel like crying
Well, here I am, my honey c'mon baby, cry to me...
Doncha feel like crying (cry to me)
Don't you feel like cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-cry (cry to me) cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-crying? (cry to me)
Don't you feel like cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-cry (cry to me) cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-crying?"
Wow! To me, Solomon Burke is the epitome of coolness, a real King, the master of soul and blues, and no future generations can compare to his talent, nor the other masters from that magical era that created these masters from the past. In many ways I wished I had been a teenager, young adult back in the 1960's that for me, had the best epic songs, singers, groups, etc...who can top the "Blue eyed soul" of the Righteous Brothers & Elvis. Then there's Dion, and other hot smooth voiced ones like him...the there's the unrivaled mega Masters of groups like The Stones,Beatles, CCR, Led Zeppelin, Small Faces {Itchicoo(?sp) Park} the Eagles, ...the epic hit White Rabbit by Grace Slick..
Then solo artists like Rod Stewart, Van Morrison, Tina (the legs) Turner...
then there's Janis Joplin and Joe Cocker, who are in a league of their own, just for their sheer unbridled performances and never forgotten uniqueness!
I could go on and on with how mind blowing the 🎶🎵 songs and singers that era produced.
Damn, I need to stop lol. Anywho, if I had been old enough in that era, I most likely be deceased by now, or too damn old to discover and realize just how amazing those many masters the 60s had, and jazzed and pleased how technology has advanced decades later that allow us to see, watch, and hear so many of them right from our homes, even though the majority have been long gone.
@voyeurette1
I'm 73 year old woman living alone. I play this and slow dance with my dish towel. What a sight to envision but this man's version is the BEST! Can't get enough. Not too old to wish I had a man my age to dance for in a fringy dress!
@kathrynralli4557
He's out there. Go dancing. My mother is 87 looking for Mr. Right, dancing 3 days a week!
@dtschuor459
I vote with the gal whose 87 year old mother still goes out.
If there isn’t anything in your area, maybe it’s gonna be up to you to find a senior gathering place and put on a sock hop?
But, I always have a gratitude for the fact that my legs still allow me to dance💝
@elizabethbeauchamp6580
Try dancing with the broom... it's fun😂!
@mrfreeland123
You dont have to be alone, your dance partner is out there doing the same thing and waiting for you
@yagsmoodley6654
Stay strong, sister.❤
@treborrenrac
73 years old, can't breathe with emphysema, can barely talk and still find myself trying to sing alone with Solomon Burke. Crazy
@chevychelios4672
Jesus loves you
@dianagreen5700
God bless you ❤️
@lizzrobb2313
Aww God love u 😥😥, I was born mid 70s, but grew up loving all the 50s, 60, 70, & now my teenageers are doing the same, can't beat the oldies