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't love em all
Solomon Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the girls are all so pretty
And they smile "hello"
As they go breezin' by
As they glide by me swayin'
My poor heart is singin'
I should fall but I can't love 'em all
No you can't love 'em all
No you can't love 'em all no I can't
'Cause I'm only one guy
No you can't love 'em all
No you can't love 'em all no I can't
But I'm sure gonna try
There's a place on that street
Where those golden beauties meet
And it's plain to see
They got me in their eyes how thеy flirt
How they tease and I'd surе like to please
Tall and small but I can't love 'em all
How they flirt how they tease
And I'd sure like to please tall and small
But I know I can't love 'em all
No, you can't love 'em all
No, you can't love 'em all no I can't
Because I'm only one guy
No, you can't love 'em all
No, you can't love 'em all no I can't
But let me tell ya i'm sure gonna try
The lyrics of Solomon Burke's song "You Can't Love 'Em All" depict a scene in a bustling city where the singer is surrounded by beautiful women. The street he describes is filled with attractive girls who catch his attention with their smiles and elegance. As they pass him by, his heart is captivated by their grace and charm. Despite being drawn to each one of them, he acknowledges that he cannot love them all. The singer recognizes that he is just one person, incapable of giving his love to every woman he encounters. Nevertheless, he expresses his determination to try his best, indicating his willingness to experience love and connections with as many of them as he can.
This song explores the singer's fascination with the diverse array of women he encounters in the city. It captures the feeling of being overwhelmed by the abundance of beauty and the desire to connect with as many individuals as possible. However, it also acknowledges the reality of limited capacity - that it is impossible to fully love or pursue a romantic relationship with every person one is attracted to.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a street in my city
In the city where I live, there is a particular street
Where the girls are all so pretty
The girls on this street are incredibly attractive
And they smile 'hello'
They greet me with smiles and friendly gestures
As they go breezin' by
As they confidently walk past me
As they glide by me swayin'
As they move gracefully and rhythmically near me
My poor heart is singin'
My love-stricken heart is full of emotions and desires
I should fall but I can't love 'em all
I may be tempted to pursue romantic relationships with all of them, but it's not feasible to love everyone
No you can't love 'em all
It is impossible to love every single person you encounter
Because I'm only one guy
Since I am just one person
No you can't love 'em all
It is impossible to love every single person you encounter
But I'm sure gonna try
Nevertheless, I will make an effort to love as many as I can
There's a place on that street
In a specific location along that street
Where those golden beauties meet
Where these incredibly attractive women come together
And it's plain to see
It is clearly evident
They got me in their eyes how they flirt
They have caught my attention with their flirtatious gazes
How they tease and I'd sure like to please
I am enticed by their teasing nature and wish to satisfy their desires
Tall and small but I can't love 'em all
Regardless of their height or build, I am unable to love each and every one of them
How they flirt how they tease
Their flirtatious behavior and teasing nature
And I'd sure like to please tall and small
I am eager to fulfill their desires regardless of their height or build
But I know I can't love 'em all
However, I am aware that it is not possible to love every single one of them
No, you can't love 'em all
It is impossible to love every single person you encounter
Because I'm only one guy
Since I am just one person
No, you can't love 'em all
It is impossible to love every single person you encounter
But let me tell ya I'm sure gonna try
However, I want to emphasize that I will make a sincere effort to love as many as I can
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cameron Cole
An amazing song, now I'm sad I can't love them all.
Annetticato
No, I can't but I am so gonna try! Love it!
Pauline Williams
Solomon you can sing anything
christina nilsson
Sure you can! Just go för it. Nomore lonelyness 👍