Friday, April 19, 2019

A Window Above: Cupid

Song: "Cupid"
Writer and Performer: Sam Cooke
Original Release: May 16, 1961



Originally, Sam Cooke's RCA Victor producers asked him to write a song for a woman they'd seen on TV.  Then they heard her sing and were less than impressed.  "Cupid" became Cooke's song after all.  Adding the "shoop" sound of the arrow flying was his idea.  While the song only rose to #17 on the pop chart at the time, history has been kinder.  Rolling Stone put "Cupid" at #452 on its all-time list in 2011.

Not surprisingly, there have been numerous interesting covers in the years since.  The Supremes, from their Sam Cooke tribute album following his death:



Johnny Nash's rocksteady/reggae version:



"Úsvit," a Czech translation performed by Pavel Bobek:



Otis Redding:



Want to hear all of the songs I have featured in a convenient playlist?

Enjoy: A Window Above

What are you listening to these days?

10 comments:

  1. It didn't come to mind when I saw the title, but my wife started singing along as soon as it came on.
    There you go.

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  2. Sam Cooke was one of a kind (I know everyone says that, but you always expect someone to fill those shoes...so where is that person? Marvin Gaye? Otis?).

    Lately, I'm hitting the oldies and using the "What's Playing?" app on my phone to figure out background songs in film...apparently, I'm slow to catch on to some tunes and I'm making up for lost time.

    Yep. That sounds about right.
    Cherdo
    Cherdo on the Flipside
    Blogging from A-to-Z April Challenge

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    Replies
    1. I agree. It's a shame, too, just as with Otis, we'll never know how his work would have evolved over time.

      Delete
  3. I like Otis....
    Thank you for sharing the videos...

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    Replies
    1. I do, too. I suppose I should do an Otis post sometime...

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  4. I am missing another comment in my befuddled mind I think I hit post and instead close ? Goodness.
    I remember that song and Sam Cook.
    Happy Easter

    cheers, parsnip

    ReplyDelete