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.
Vicious Circle
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every day I die
Every day I feel your breath
Every day I'm born again
You give me joy, but my thanks are just pain
And out of fear I pull myself loose again
For you I die
You are everything I need, what I desire,
But will I ever understand?
Come on!
I die for you
Please forgive my faults, maybe one day I will realize what you mean (to me),
I hope it won't be too late
Every time I cry,
I feel your lies
Every time I die,
I see your eyes
Solomon Burke's song "Vicious Circle" deals with the struggle of an individual in a toxic relationship. The lyrics suggest that the singer is entangled in a cycle of love and pain, where every day he sees his lover's face and dies a little inside. He finds solace in his lover's presence, which gives him joy, but ultimately, he's consumed by his fears and pulls himself away. The song portrays a sense of longing, regret, and desperation for the singer, who is well aware of his lover's faults but is unable to move on.
The lyrics, "Every time I cry, I feel your lies, Every time I die, I see your eyes," reveal the singer's struggle with the toxic nature of the relationship, where every emotion evokes a sense of false hope, and every moment of separation is a painful reminder of the love he once had.
The song is powerful in its message, and Burke's soulful voice adds to the emotional impact of the lyrics. The lyrics are open to interpretation and can resonate with anyone who has been in a toxic relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Every day I see your face
I am constantly reminded of you and your presence in my life.
Every day I die
Your absence from me kills me slowly each day.
Every day I feel your breath
Your influence is inescapable, even in the most mundane moments.
Every day I'm born again
Despite your absence, your memory fills me with life and vitality.
You give me joy, but my thanks are just pain
The happiness you bring me is marred by the pain of your absence or mistreatment.
And out of fear I pull myself loose again
My fear of being hurt or rejected by you causes me to distance myself from you.
For you I die
My love for you is so strong that it feels like dying to be away from you.
You are everything I need, what I desire,
You fulfil all of my needs and desires, and I rely on you heavily.
But will I ever understand?
Despite my overwhelming love for you, I remain confused about your true intentions or feelings.
Come on!
An expression of frustration, as if urging the other person to reveal their true feelings.
I die for you
My love is so strong that it feels like dying to be away from you.
Please forgive my faults, maybe one day I will realize what you mean (to me),
I acknowledge my shortcomings, and hope that I can someday fully comprehend your significance in my life.
I hope it won't be too late
I fear that by the time I truly understand how I feel or how you feel, it will be too late for us to be together.
Every time I cry,
Your absence or mistreatment causes me emotional pain and makes me cry.
I feel your lies
I suspect that you are being dishonest or insincere with me, causing me emotional pain.
Every time I die,
Your absence or mistreatment causes me emotional pain as intense as death itself.
I see your eyes
Your gaze or expression is burned into my memory, intensifying my emotional pain.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREAS DOERNER, DENIS SCHMIDT, MARC GOERTZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind