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.
Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hold me each evening at your side.
Tell me you love me for a million years,
Then if it don't work out
Then if it don't work out
Then you can tell me goodbye...
Sweeten my coffee with a morning kiss
Soften my dreams with your sighs
Then if it don't work out
Then if it don't work out
Then you can tell me goodbye.
If you must go oh no I won't grieve
If you wait a life time before you leave.
But if you must go, Oooo I won't tell you no.
Just so that we can say we tried.
Tell me you love me for a million years...
Then if it don't work out
Then if it don't work out
Then you can tell me goodbye...
(Acuff Rose)
The song "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" by Solomon Burke is a classic ballad about a love that is meant to last a million years, but the singer is aware that sometimes things don't always work out. The lyrics express the desire to be loved and held by the one who makes their coffee sweet with a morning kiss and softens their dreams with their sighs. The singer asks to be told that they will be loved for a million years, with the hope that this love will last forever.
However, the singer is also realistic and knows that sometimes relationships don't last, and if that happens, then they can say goodbye. The verse "If you must go oh no, I won't grieve, If you wait a lifetime before you leave" shows the singer's maturity and understanding that sometimes people have to go their separate ways. The line "just so that we can say we tried" shows that the singer wants to have no regrets and wants to know that they did everything they could to make the relationship work.
Line by Line Meaning
Kiss me each morning for a million years,
Show me your love every day for eternity
Hold me each evening at your side.
Stay by my side every night and keep me safe
Tell me you love me for a million years,
Promise to love me forever
Then if it don't work out
If our love falls apart
Then if it don't work out
If we can't make it work
Then you can tell me goodbye...
You can leave me if you need to
Sweeten my coffee with a morning kiss
Give me love with my morning coffee
Soften my dreams with your sighs
Make my dreams sweeter with your loving sounds
If you must go oh no I won't grieve
I won't cry if you leave
If you wait a life time before you leave.
Take all the time you need to make the decision
But if you must go, Oooo I won't tell you no.
I won't stop you if you need to go
Just so that we can say we tried.
Let's not give up without giving our love a chance
Tell me you love me for a million years...
Make a promise of love that will never fade
Then if it don't work out
If our love falls apart
Then if it don't work out
If we can't make it work
Then you can tell me goodbye...
You can leave me if you need to
Writer(s): John D. Loudermilk
Contributed by Mateo F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Robert Miscandlon
Great music
Rachel
Good god his voice.
Jean Francis
Wonderful....
Tony Reilly
Bettye gets my vote! She lives and breathes that song.
Sophia Evans
They do not make music like before.
Audrey Hepburn
It annoys me that no one sings that song as well as Bettye wtf
tina davis
No one can sing this song as well as Johnny Nash did
Augustus White
ORIGINAL.
DONC HERRY ( original1961
JOHNNY NASH (1964
CASIONS (1967)
EDDIE ARNOLD (1968)
BETTY SWANN (1969)
PAT KELLY ( REGGAE VERSION 1969)
JOSH STONES .(2007_
THE LATEST ALONG WITH MANY MORE ..
PERRY COMO
JOHNNY MATTHIS
FRANKIE VALLI ETC
Audrey Hepburn
Its not that hard