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.
Tomorrow Is Forever
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take my hand and run with me
Out of the past of yesterday
And walk with me into the future of tomorrow
Yesterday must be forgot
No looking back no matter what
There's nothing there but mem'ries that bring sorrow
Yesterday is gone, gone, but tomorrow is forever
No more crying tears leave tracks
And mem'ries find their way back
Tomorrow's waiting let's journey there together
Yesterday is gone, gone, but tomorrow is forever
I care not for yesterday I love you as you are today
Yesterday just helped to pass the time while waiting
We must forget the passing time
My love for you is the real kind
The kind that won't hurt you, oh never
Yesterday is gone, gone, but tomorrow is forever
Yesterday is gone, gone, but tomorrow is forever
The song "Tomorrow Is Forever" by Solomon Burke, featuring Dolly Parton, is about moving on and looking towards the future with hope and optimism. The song starts by encouraging the listener to forget about the past and walk towards the future hand in hand. The past is no longer something to dwell on as it only brings sorrowful memories. The song emphasizes the importance of letting go of the past, its pain and moving on to tomorrow where joy and happiness awaits.
The lyrics also exude a sense of love and the commitment to being present in the moment. Solomon Burke sings that his love for his special someone is not just based on the past, but it endures even in the present and will continue into the future. Yesterday's memories may have helped pass the time, but they can no longer compare to the present and future happiness with his loved one. Overall, the song is an excellent reminder to focus on the future with a positive outlook, allowing the past things to pass away with no regrets.
Line by Line Meaning
Take my hand and run with me
Let's embark on a journey together
Out of the past of yesterday
Let's leave behind the memories and pain of the past
And walk with me into the future of tomorrow
Let's face the future together, hand in hand
Yesterday must be forgot
We need to forget about yesterday and focus on the present and future
No looking back no matter what
We must not dwell on the past, no matter how difficult
There's nothing there but mem'ries that bring sorrow
The past is full of painful memories, and dwelling on it will only bring us more sorrow
Yesterday is gone, gone, but tomorrow is forever
We must forget about yesterday and focus on the endless possibilities of tomorrow
No more crying tears leave tracks
There is no point in crying, as it only leaves a trail of sadness behind
And mem'ries find their way back
Memories have a way of resurfacing and causing pain
Tomorrow's waiting let's journey there together
The future holds endless possibilities, and we should face it together
I care not for yesterday I love you as you are today
I don't care about your past, I love you for who you are today
Yesterday just helped to pass the time while waiting
The past is just a way to pass the time, while waiting for a new future
We must forget the passing time
We should not dwell on the past and let time pass us by
My love for you is the real kind
My love for you is genuine and will never hurt you
The kind that won't hurt you, oh never
I will love you forever, without causing you pain
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOLLY PARTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
nicemmali
Two amazing singers - wish there was more of Solomon and Dolly together, they're the best!!!
Makhosi Langa
Oh my God I love them they are amazing
jimmi angel
This is so good.
jimmi angel
Love both of them. Wonderful stuff! Thanks so much for this post misterjabs2008
richard duve
coincidentally i use this song when i have lectures in strategic total quality mgt to emphasize the futuristic of tqm
Solomon Burke Jr.
Much love wow salsoul amazing together
TheSaxonViolins
thanks