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.
You Can Run
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like I'm loving you right now
'Cause they don't know how to love you like I do
And can't nobody talk to you, babe,
Like I'm talking to you right now.
I just don't know how to talk to you like I said I do.
I'm gonna love you in the morning,
And I won't stop loving you, baby,
'Cause this way everything's alright.
Can't nobody love you
Like I'm loving you right now.
They just don't know how to love you like I do.
And, oh love,
Can't nobody kiss you, baby,
Like I'm kissing you right now.
I just don't know how to kiss you like I said I do.
And can't nobody,
Oh, can't nobody love you,
Can't nobody squeeze you,
Can't nobody kiss you like I do,
I just don't know how to talk to you like I said I do.
Now some guys make eyes at you
But they don't do it all the time,
Believe me,
I'd never do it, baby,
But, you know,
No one's on my mind.
Can't nobody love you
Like I'm loving you right now
'Cause they don't know how to love you like I do.
Yeah,
Children speak to me,
Talk
I'm gonna love you in the morning, baby,
And I'm gonna love you through the night.
I won't stop,
I won't stop loving you, babe,
'Til everything's alright.
Can't nobody love you
Like I'm loving you right now
'Cause they don't know how to love you,
Don't know how to love you like I do.
Oh baby, yeah.
Yeah, 'cause they don;t know how,
They don't know how to love you
Like I said I'll do,
Oh yeah.
The song "Can't Nobody Love You" by Solomon Burke is a passionate declaration of love towards someone special. The singer asserts that no one else can love, talk to, kiss, hug, and caress the person as he does. He sings that others can't love the way he does because they don't understand the unique bond he shares with the person. The lyrics suggest that the connection between the singer and his love interest is something altogether special, and no one else can replicate it. The singer also promises to love and cherish the person throughout the day and night until everything is alright.
The chorus of the song suggests a sense of ownership and exclusivity. The singer insists that nobody else can love the person the way he does, which may indicate an intense emotional attachment. The repetition of 'like I'm loving you right now' and 'like I said I do' in the lyrics adds emphasis to the idea that the love between them is beyond compare. The singer portrays the love between them as the only thing that is alright in his life, indicating that the person holds immense importance in his life.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't nobody love you, baby,
No one else can love you the way that I do, my beloved
Like I'm loving you right now
I am loving you with all of my heart at this very moment
'Cause they don't know how to love you like I do
Others do not have the ability to love you the way I can because they lack the knowledge and understanding
And can't nobody talk to you, babe,
No one can communicate with you the way that I can, my dear
Like I'm talking to you right now.
I am presently, in this moment, talking to you in a unique and special way that no one else can imitate
I just don't know how to talk to you like I said I do.
I may have said that I can talk to you in a specific way, but the truth is that I may struggle at times to communicate effectively
I'm gonna love you in the morning,
I will shower you with love and affection in the morning
I'm gonna love you through the night
I pledge to love you all throughout the night
And I won't stop loving you, baby,
I will continue to love you, my sweet heart, without fail
'Cause this way everything's alright.
This love that I give ensures that everything is perfect, and there is no reason for concern
And, oh love,
Oh my love,
Can't nobody kiss you, baby,
No one else's kisses can compare to mine, my love
Like I'm kissing you right now.
The kisses I am showering you with at this moment are one-of-a-kind
I just don't know how to kiss you like I said I do.
While I may have promised a specific way of kissing, I may, at times, struggle to deliver it perfectly
And can't nobody,
No one at all
Oh, can't nobody love you,
No one can ever love you enough
Can't nobody squeeze you,
No one can embrace and hold you like I can
Can't nobody kiss you like I do,
None of the other kisses you may receive will equal the ones I shower on you
I just don't know how to talk to you like I said I do.
At times, I may not deliver the type of communication that I promised you initially
Now some guys make eyes at you
There are other men who try to catch your attention
But they don't do it all the time,
However, they may not maintain consistency in doing so
Believe me,
Trust what I say
I'd never do it, baby,
I would never do anything like that, my gorgeous one
But, you know,
You understand that, right?
No one's on my mind.
I have you in my thoughts all the time
Yeah,
Yes,
Children speak to me,
People of all ages talk to me
Talk
Converse
I'm gonna love you in the morning, baby,
I promise to show you love and affection in the morning, my beloved
And I'm gonna love you through the night.
I will continue to show you love throughout the night, my sweet one
I won't stop,
I promise not to cease
I won't stop loving you, babe,
I pledge to continuously love you, my darling
'Til everything's alright.
Until everything is perfect and attains complete satisfaction
Yeah,
Yes,
Don't know how to love you
Others may not know how to shower you with love
Like I said I'll do,
Unlike how I am capable of loving you
Oh yeah.
Oh yes.
'Cause they don;t know how,
Because they do not possess the ability to love you in the same way that I do,
They don't know how to love you
They are not aware of how to show you love the way I can
Like I said I'll do,
The way I have promised you
Oh yeah.
Oh yes.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN D. MITCHELL, KYMBERLI ANN ARMSTRONG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hardmod Al
Making history here! 🎶
Barbara Dreier
Always lovely --always true.
But is sure is dated.