Everybody Needs Somebody To Love

by

Solomon Burke

Album: The Best Of Solomon Burke     Released: 1965

US Chart: 58     

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Solomon Burke wrote this with Bertrand Russell Berns and Jerry Wexler. Berns (aka Bert Russell or Bert Berns) was one of the great American songwriters and record producers of the 1960s. Burke is a Soul and Country music pioneer and member of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Wexler is a music journalist who became a highly influential music producer, and is regarded as one of the major record industry players behind 1960s Soul music.

A song about the virtues of the one you love, this was one of Burke's best-known tunes. Burke was one of the early Atlantic Records soul singers, paving the way for greats like Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding, though he never achieved their level of success.

The Rolling Stones are big fans of Burke, and recorded this song for their 1965 album The Rolling Stones Now!. Burke opened for The Stones and performed with them at a show in Los Angeles on November 4, 2002. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France, for all above)

Burke performed this on the Food Network show Emeril Live, where Burke also make his Turkey Delight sandwich.

Solomon Burke recalled to Mojo magazine August 2008 that he'd hired musicians from Charlotte, North Carolina, to play at a gig in Long Island and he drafted them in to play the instrumental riff on this. The riff was the money march he did at church where the congregation marches down the aisle to the front to make offerings. Burke continued: "Got the band cooking, get a bit of echo, we went through it, came back out, said to (record executive/producer) Jerry (Wexler), 'Whaddya think?' He said, 'Too fast. Doesn't have any meaning.' (Engineer) Tommy (Dowd) says, 'What can we lose? His band's here, let's just cut it.'"

The Blues Brothers covered this. Their version featured in the 1980 The Blues Brothers film. Nine years later, it was released as a single in the UK, backed by "Think" and it peaked at #12.

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Comments:

Solomon Burke is Fantastic!
- Reed , New Ulm, MN

Van Morrison gives a great "shout out" to Burke in his song from the early '90s, "Real Real Gone," when he sings " . . . Solomon Burke says 'if you need me why don't you call me . . . " Also, Burke does a fine recording of a Bob Dylan blues song called "Stepchild," a song which I don't believe Dylan himself ever recorded or sang in concert. It's a fairly recent recording, from the early 00s I believe.
- kevin , Reading , PA

Covered by The Blues Brothers in the film of the same title.
- James , Vidalia, GA

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