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.
These Arms Of Mine
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They are lonely
Lonely and feeling blue
These arms of mine
They are yearning
Yearning from wanting you
And if you would let them hold you
Oh how grateful I will be
These arms of mine
They are burning
Burning from wanting you
These arms of mine
They are wanting
Wanting to hold you
And if you would let them hold you
Oh how grateful I will be
Come on, come on, baby
Just be my little woman
Just be my lover, oh
I need me somebody
Somebody to treat me right
I need your arms, loving arms
To hold me tight
And I need, I need your
I need your tender lips
The lyrics of Solomon Burke's "These Arms of Mine" express the emotional turmoil of a person who is deeply in love and yearning for the touch of their lover. The singer of the song is feeling lonely and sad, with their arms outstretched, longing for the love of their partner. The repeated refrain, "These arms of mine, they are wanting/wanting to hold you" amplifies the intensity of the longing the singer feels.
When the singer pleads with their lover to "just be my little woman/just be my lover", it is clear that they are looking for companionship and emotional support in addition to the physical affection they crave. The song is a passionate plea to be understood and loved, to have someone who will treat the singer with kindness and affection.
Overall, "These Arms of Mine" is a poignant and moving song that expresses the overwhelming emotions of love and longing. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, and the soulful singing of Solomon Burke gives voice to the deep emotions at the core of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
These arms of mine
My arms are the only thing I have to offer you
They are lonely
I am alone and have no one to hold
Lonely and feeling blue
Being alone makes me miserable and sad
They are yearning
My arms long for someone to hold
Yearning from wanting you
I am specifically yearning for you to fill the void in my life
And if you would let them hold you
If you would let me embrace you
Oh how grateful I will be
I will be immensely thankful if you let me hold you
They are burning
The longing inside of me is intense
Burning from wanting you
My desire for you is burning inside of me
They are wanting
My arms are empty and in great need
Wanting to hold you
I want to embrace you with all my heart
Come on, come on, baby
Please come to me, my dear
Just be my little woman
Be mine, my sweet love
Just be my lover, oh
Be my partner, my soulmate
I need me somebody
I am in dire need of a companion
Somebody to treat me right
I desire someone who will treat me with kindness and respect
I need your arms, loving arms
I need your embrace, your affectionate touch
To hold me tight
To tightly hold me in your arms
And I need, I need your
It's you I need, you I long for
I need your tender lips
I need the softness of your lips for a kiss
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Otis Redding
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Priscilla Nealy
he's singing from his heart, we need more of this type of music 12/26/2018
Sean Fitzpatrick
Such a underrated singer just like Brook Benton they both should be more famous
Paul Nash
God he sounds like Otis Redding and the the same soulful voice, so many great 60's memories.
Barbara Blonsky
I loved him....every song he did was a gem!
Mary Witten
Love Solomon Burke. He reminds me so much of Otis Redding. This song proves it!!
Mary Denise
Truly wonderful a great talent love him..
megacheryl62
I only ever listened to Otis sing this n it makes me cry n I have got to say Solomon version brought the tears too love it x
Anna De Bari
Brano stupendo!
Bravissimo ❤
Andreia Toledo
Muito bom 😍
Tom Cleary
My #1 candidate for "Unsung" without a doubt. This man had class AND soooooul!.