THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

156-Sam Cooke-A Change Is Gonna Come.

1964-It has never charted in the UK.

Best Bit-At 2.29. The inspiration for this song my friend,’ is Blowin’ in the Wind.’

Samuel Cook was born on January 22nd, 1931, in Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States, he died from a shotgun wound that pieced his heart on December 11th, 1964, at the age of 33. Prior to starting his solo career in 1957, Cook had been a member of the Gospel group the ‘Soul Stirrers,’ which also included other future secular singers such as Johnnie Taylor, (1934-2000) and Lou Rawls (1933-2006) (see also best songs 322.) It was on pursuing a solo career that Cook added an ‘e’ to the end of his surname in order to signify a new start in his life. Such was the high esteem Cooke was held in during his short solo career for his distinctive vocals, that he was given the honorific nickname ‘King of Soul.’ Cooke was married twice, and had three children with his second wife Barbara Campbell, (1935-2021) one of which was Linda (see also best songs 494) Cooke also fathered at least three other children out of wedlock.

The discography of Sam Cooke consists of 14 studio Albums issued between 1958-1965, and 49 singles released between 1957-1986. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, 27 of his singles have reached the top 40, with his debut single ‘You Send Me’ making Number 1 in 1957. While in the UK, 10 of his songs have reached the top 40, with the 1986 re-issue of the double ‘A’ sided ‘Wonderful World,’ and ‘Chain Gang,’ peaking at Number 2.

On December 11th, 1964 Sam Cooke took a woman by the name of Elisa Boyer to the Hacienda Motel, in South Central Los Angeles. Later in court Boyer accused Cooke of trying to rape her, but associates of Cooke strongly denied that, saying that Boyer was actually trying to steal a large amount of money Cooke was carrying on him. As Boyer fled the hotel an inebriated, and almost naked Cooke (as Boyer had taken his clothes in her panic to escape) broke in to the office of Bertha Franklin the manager of the motel in an attempt to find Bower. Franklin said she shot Cooke in self defence after Cooke had grappled with her, with the two falling to the floor. The coroner’s jury ultimately accepted Franklin’s explanation and returned a verdict of justifiable homicide, with that verdict, authorities officially closed the case on Cooke’s death.

Sam Cooke wrote ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ as a protest song to support the ‘Civil Rights Movement.’ Up until that point Cooke’s songs were mainly middle of the road lighthearted uptempo tunes, or romantic ballads, but it was after hearing Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ (see also best songs 792-358-103-36 and 7) that he became inspired, as he couldn’t believe it wasn’t written by a black man. Some of ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’s’ lyrics were derived from an incident at a motel in Shreveport, Louisiana, where Cooke and some of his friends had been turned away for being black. Cooke felt it was time that he wrote a protest song, as he felt ashamed that he hadn’t done so already.

‘I was born by the river in a little tent, oh and just like the river I’ve been running ev’r since. It’s been a long time, a long time coming, but I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will.’