One of the most gifted, charismatic singers of all time, Sam Cooke was also an incredible songwriter and his soulful style and passionate, inventive re-workings of the classics made him the father of a whole genre of music to follow, fittingly referred to as "soul." At the height of the civil rights movement in the United States, Sam Cooke was murdered, but his music lived on, carrying messages that helped carry the movement. Between 1957 and 1964, he was one of the most prolific musicians in the world, and deep-diving into his catalog of songs and albums is something I recommend to anyone.
### 420 to 30: A Music Retrospective 60 Weeks to 30 Years-Old, with 420 Songs by 60 Different Artists
Here's 7 of my favorites from Sam Cooke. # Week 53: SAM COOKE ![SamCooke.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/jozefkrichards/23uFRq9qbQTAAKzqYLTAqMLkBfgZjtCKhg8bhW6DaiW416KVNNY2diLcAcqyXQu8RmPXL.png)

![60775593_10213644459097989_2602141051934212096_n.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/jozefkrichards/AKzETQekYrYGCFch6Toeb66ztcPKYpGSRfHPRQUWNTrNv77Bk7MvwZoqRELXzV7.jpg) ## #366/420 - Sam Cooke, “Cupid” (originally from 1961, “Cupid/Farewell My Darling”) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8lbd6IQGhQ Like drifting on a cloud. This song has been redone many times, but the original, both performed and written by Sam Cooke, easily remains my favorite version. It was not common for singers to write their own hits at this time, but Sam Cooke had talent enough to break convention with songs like this. The vocal delivery is great, and embellishments like the swish of an arrow on “straight to my lover’s heart” really make the song. A yet unproduced series I have written entitled “The Wing Man”, should it ever come to fruition, needs this track as a theme song. You really can’t do better than this.

![61090644_10213664288193704_8008228172799672320_n.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/jozefkrichards/AL7NjBQBhWby2vHmMaVE6C2QaMvjbXPb2o27Edi6gfbFZPsGjU3RsTV1sqr1wFJ.jpg) ## #367/420 - Sam Cooke, “Summertime” (originally from 1958, Sam Cooke) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDTI2Muqx68 With over 25,000 recordings of this song, this truly is a song that has been done again and again. While I haven’t heard them all, naturally, my favorite of those I have is definitely the Sam Cooke (album) rendition. It strikes just the right feeling with accents that strike like a match on a matchbox. “Summertime, and the living is easy.” Even the humming is sublime here, no easy feat. It has a dark edge to its instrumentation with its bass tones, but the result is no less relaxing, bringing out the deep greens, dark streams, and heavy beams of summer, instead the typical emphasis on bright, sunny feelings. It’s a song that’s been done thousands of time over for a reason, but Sam Cooke’s touch makes it a particularly special one for me that I can play again and again, Sam.

![60866081_10213670201541534_3737238120140111872_n.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/jozefkrichards/AKbDqXMVdY8SSHiuG5MyBSbAtnjZ21uKADbP6GmonFGH3mj8eF2YL2gJ5Ei5Bgb.jpg) ## #369/420 - Sam Cooke, “Wonderful World” (originally from 1960, "Wonderful World/Along the Navajo Trail") https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzlLi5jX_C4 The collaboration I never knew I wanted but so glad we got: this all-time classic was a joint writing effort between Sam Cooke and the very Herb Alpert of Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, with his writing partner Lou Adler. It’s a song that has permeated the cracks of pop culture many times over the decades for good reason. Its instrumentation is sweeping, light, and pleasant, and its lyrics are innocent, clever, and sung smoothly, sharply, and succinctly by Sam. The song of a simple man who is simply in love is one that many of us can relate to, and these simply relatable words are ones that transcend the time and place where they originated. “And I know that if you love me too, what a wonderful world this would be.”

![60958235_10213678810596755_8729622278679035904_n.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/jozefkrichards/AKxmdFdWHZxD3Z8iGMYCJzp1Rrvgw5khJEmKP4LGArvSmUm3JrbgsfLM3fvEeG1.jpg) ## #371/420 - Sam Cooke, “Bring It on Home to Me” (originally from 1962, "Having a Party/Bring It on Home to Me") https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE1hf2nhi0s A top song for me out of all songs there are, this is a really good one, simple, but everything it needs to be, with oh so much soul from vocals by not one, but two legends in Sam Cooke and Lou Rawls, backing him up. This song is like a precursor to so many styles of music to come, besides the obvious influence on future soul music, R&B, and even rock music, you can almost hear Run-DMC or the Beastie Boys in the way Lou fills in with Sam’s vocals and their back and forth. Although it quickly became common in the 60s and today for singers to back themselves up, which is of course impressive in its own right, it is so cool to have the low tones of Lou Rawls alongside the smooth tenor of Sam Cooke, two distinct voices in the mix. They are inimitable together. And believe me, I tried. I just did karaoke here in Japan and eventually got bold enough to give this one a crack, and, while very fun, crack indeed I did on those high notes. I am better sticking to Lou’s part on this one, but no love lost for one of my all-time favorites. I can still sing along fine when I have their voices in the track to drown mine out! It's a great song and you can hear them having fun in the recording as well. “I’ll bring you jewelry, and money too. That ain’t all, that ain’t all I’ll do for you. Oh, bring it to me, bring your sweet lovin’. Bring it on home to me. Yeah.” “Yeah.” “Yeah.”

![60927883_10213665271138277_8601055134207705088_n.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/jozefkrichards/AKAt2KFokkNzgmkDdpoLk8hRkWWXGoR4rAXBnHZegMvEgEUu22T6eXKunc3FhFf.jpg) ## #372/420 - Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come” (originally from 1963, Ain’t That Good News) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5zDRtEC0x0 From the opening notes, you know this is going to be a special song. This is a beautiful, profound, and exceptional composition, Sam Cooke’s best in my opinion, and my favorite. The instrumentation is emotional, and the singing is uplifting, sincere, and basically perfect. I love the words to this song from the very first line. “I was born by the river, in a little tent. Oh, and just like the river, I’ve been running ever since.” That opening line is burned in my memory. There is so much said there with so little. This was a meaningful and impactful piece during the Civil Rights era in the United States. More than any of his other songs, Sam Cooke pours out his emotions here in poetic form. It jumps between the specific and the universal. From “I go to the movie, and I go downtown. Somebody keep telling me, don’t hang around,” to “It’s been a long time coming but I know a change is gonna come. Oh, yes, it will.” Words that both bring us into his world and time, and timeless words that we can all relate and cling to. I have heard stories from my grandfather when he was drafted into the military during the Korean-American War and was sent to the South in the 50s for training. There he first experienced segregation. Different bathrooms. Different drinking fountains. Different bars. He couldn’t understand what made anyone any different based on their skin color. Sam Cooke expresses the other side of that here. “Go away,” people were told based on the color of their skin. This is still something real in many parts of the world, but significant progress has been made in the United States. A change was about to come, but Sam Cooke tragically would not live to see it. “It’s been too hard living, but I’m afraid to die.” These words stick with me like few others, knowing that he would be killed within a year of this song’s release. It was ruled as justified homicide, but was it? It is hard to believe knowing what we do today, but like many murders of high profile figures, especially from this era, we will never really know the full truth. Few people from this era who spoke out survived, but our world is a better place because they did, and voices like Sam Cooke’s live on to remind us of their story and their struggle. Sam Cooke is another musician whom we can only dream of what more they might have accomplished had they lived to old age, especially when this is where he left off, but what he did record during his lifetime is some of the best soul music there is; songs that have inspired and influenced countless others. He was a great songwriter, but his voice I consider to be in an elite tier. He’s one of my four favorite singers of all time, at a level even the most talented among us can only hope to even come close to touching. An all-timer for sure.

Next, my favorite rap group, and the only artists in the countdown I have had the privilege of not only meeting, but working with in some small capacity. They changed the game in the ‘90s forever with amazing album production on cinematic levels in audio and did it all outside of the established system. Their group contains and contained some of the best rappers and lyricists of all time, their iconic W logo is known the world round, and they are most certainly nothing to fuck with. I am talking of course about the one and only, Wu-Tang Clan. ### 420 to 30: A Music Retrospective 60 Weeks to 30 Years-Old, with 420 Songs by 60 Different Artists [Week 1: Johnny Cash](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-1-johnny-cash-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 2: The Jackson 5/The Jacksons](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-2-the-jackson-5-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 3: A Tribe Called Quest](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-3-a-tribe-called-quest-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 4: Weezer](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-4-weezer-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 5: Bob Dylan](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-5-bob-dylan-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 6: Led Zeppelin](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-6-led-zeppelin-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 7: 2Pac/Makaveli](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-7-2pac-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 8: Billy Joel](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-8-billy-joel-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 9: Electric Light Orchestra](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-9-electric-light-orchestra-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 10: Elvis Presley](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-10-elvis-presley-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 11: Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-11-dr-buzzard-s-original-savannah-band-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 12: The Jimi Hendrix Experience](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-12-the-jimi-hendrix-experience-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 13: Nirvana](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-13-nirvana-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 14: The Doors](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-14-the-doors-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 15: The Rolling Stones](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-15-the-rolling-stones-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 16: Gnarls Barkley](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-16-gnarls-barkley-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 17: Gábor Szabó](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-17-gabor-szabo-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 18: Galaxie 500](https://steemit.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-17-galaxie-500-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 19: Simon & Garfunkel](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-19-simon-and-garfunkel-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 20: Gorillaz](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-20-gorillaz-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 21: Ennio Morricone](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-21-ennio-morricone-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 22: The Moody Blues](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-22-the-moody-blues-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 23: Koji Kondo](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-23-koji-kondo-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 24: Rob Zombie/White Zombie](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-24-rob-zombie-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 25: Paul McCartney/Wings](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-25-paul-mccartney-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 26: George Harrison](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-26-george-harrison-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 27: Phil Spector](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-27-phil-spector-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 28: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-28-john-lennon-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 29: Public Enemy](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-29-public-enemy-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 30: The Love Language](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-30-the-love-language-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 31: Barry White](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-31-barry-white-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 32: Frank Sinatra](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-32-frank-sinatra-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 33: David Bowie](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-33-david-bowie-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 34: Queen](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-34-queen-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 35: The Offspring](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-35-the-offspring-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 36: Louis Prima](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-36-louis-prima-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 37: The Notorious B.I.G.](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-37-the-notorious-big-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 38: Nancy Sinatra](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-38-nancy-sinatra-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 39: Stevie Wonder](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-39-stevie-wonder-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 40: Roger Miller](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-40-roger-miller-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 41: Röyksopp](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-41-royksopp-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 42: N.W.A](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-42-nwa-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 43: Sly and the Family Stone](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-43-sly-and-the-family-stone-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 44: Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-44-herb-alpert-and-the-tijuanas-brass-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 45: Supertramp](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-45-supertramp-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 46: "Weird Al" Yankovic](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-46-weird-al-yankovic-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 47: The Kinks](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-47-the-kinks-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 48: Eminem](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-48-eminem-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 49: Mort Garson](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-49-mort-garson-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 50: Foster the People](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-50-foster-the-people-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 51: Pink Floyd](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-51-pink-floyd-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [Week 52: David Wise](https://peakd.com/music/@jozefkrichards/week-52-david-wise-420-to-30-a-music-retrospective) [FULL PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1BLyyxbF9s8dLZAzD7dgd9?si=6aa3783762404d0a) View the full list of "420 Songs" here: https://tinyurl.com/y8fboudu (Google spreadsheet link)