Top 10 Sam Cooke Songs

Photo: RCA Victor Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Our Top 10 Sam Cooke Songs list looks back at one of the most important voices in the history of soul music. Cooke first became known as the lead singer of the Soul Stirrers before moving into secular music and breaking through nationally with “You Send Me” in 1957. Over the next several years, he placed 29 singles in the Billboard pop Top 40 while writing or co-writing much of his own material. His voice could move from gospel intensity to pop elegance, romantic ballads, dance records, blues, and eventually the social weight of “A Change Is Gonna Come.” Cooke also understood the business side of music unusually well for his era, partnering with J.W. Alexander in Kags Music and helping establish SAR Records in 1959. That combination of artistic control, songwriting, and vocal brilliance made him one of the architects of modern soul.

Cooke signed with RCA Victor in 1960 and continued his run with records such as “Chain Gang,” “Cupid,” “Twistin’ the Night Away,” “Bring It On Home to Me,” and “Another Saturday Night.” He used SAR Records to develop other artists while expanding his control over publishing and production at a time when Black performers were rarely given that kind of independence. Cooke also became increasingly engaged with the civil-rights struggle, and that growing awareness reached its greatest expression in “A Change Is Gonna Come.” His work showed that commercial success, artistic ownership, and social purpose did not have to exist separately. His life ended on December 11, 1964, when he was only 33 years old. The recordings left behind were enough to influence generations of singers, songwriters, producers, and performers. These ten songs only scratch the surface, but they show why Sam Cooke remains one of the defining artists in American music.

# 10 – That’s It, I Quit, I’m Movin’ On

“That’s It, I Quit, I’m Movin’ On” was recorded on January 30, 1961 at RCA Studio A in New York and released two weeks later. Roy Alfred and Del Serino wrote the song, while Hugo & Luigi produced the session and Sammy Lowe handled the arrangement. Cooke sings from the point of view of a man who has finally had enough of a relationship that keeps humiliating him. The record reached number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 25 on the R&B chart. Ernie Hayes’s piano and the light orchestral backing leave plenty of room for Cooke to move between frustration, humor, and complete resignation. It is a perfect opener because even when Cooke is saying goodbye, he makes the story swing.

# 9 – Ain’t That Good News

“Ain’t That Good News” was recorded on December 20, 1963 during Cooke’s return to the studio after the devastating death of his young son Vincent earlier that year. Cooke reshaped an older gospel idea into a secular song about the joy of hearing that a loved one is coming home. Hugo & Luigi produced the track, which became the title song of Cooke’s final studio album released during his lifetime.

The single reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped Cash Box’s R&B chart. Its bright horns, bouncing rhythm, and Cooke’s almost weightless vocal create a celebratory feel that sounds even more moving against the grief surrounding its creation. “Ain’t That Good News” shows how naturally Cooke could turn gospel language into a pop record without losing the spiritual lift underneath it.

# 8 – I’ll Come Running Back To You

“I’ll Come Running Back to You” was actually recorded on December 12, 1956 at Cosimo Matassa’s studio in New Orleans, before “You Send Me” made Sam Cooke a pop star. Specialty Records held the recording until Cooke’s Keen Records breakthrough, then added overdubs in 1957 and released the single on November 18. Bumps Blackwell produced the original session, with Earl Palmer on drums, Frank Fields on bass, and Lee Allen among the horn players.

The song reached number 18 on Billboard’s pop Best Sellers chart and number one on the Most Played R&B by Jockeys chart. Cooke’s promise to return whenever his former love calls already contains the tenderness and conversational phrasing that would become central to his secular recordings. Hearing it now is like hearing the future of soul music just before the rest of the world caught up.

# 7 – Twistin’ the Night Away

“Twistin’ the Night Away” was recorded on December 18, 1961 and released in January 1962 as the title track from one of Cooke’s most energetic albums. René Hall led a first-rate Los Angeles session band that included Earl Palmer on drums, Red Callender on bass, Tommy Tedesco and Clifton White on guitars, and Eddie Beal on piano. Cooke wrote the song as the Twist craze was exploding, but his record sounds far more relaxed and musical than a simple dance novelty. The single reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, number one on the R&B chart, and number six in the United Kingdom. Rod Stewart later gave the song a tougher rock treatment, but Cooke’s original remains the definitive version. Nobody ever made a crowded dance floor sound as smooth as Sam Cooke did here.

# 6 – Nothing Can Change This Love

“Nothing Can Change This Love” was recorded on August 23, 1962 at RCA Studio 1 in Hollywood and released on September 11. Hugo & Luigi produced the session, while René Hall arranged and conducted an unusually lush backing built around strings, piano, guitar, and Earl Palmer’s restrained drumming. The song reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the R&B chart before later appearing on the 1963 album Mr. Soul. Cooke turns the lyric into a declaration that distance, mistakes, and separation cannot break the bond he feels. His voice never needs to strain because every phrase sounds completely certain. “Nothing Can Change This Love” is one of the finest examples of Cooke making romantic devotion sound effortless instead of sentimental.

# 5 – Another Saturday Night

“Another Saturday Night” turns loneliness into one of the most cheerful records Sam Cooke ever made. Cooke wrote the song while touring in England after staying at a hotel that would not allow female guests, which gave him the central idea of having money to spend but nobody to spend it with. He recorded it on February 28, 1963, at RCA in Hollywood, with Hugo & Luigi producing and René Hall arranging.

Hal Blaine played drums, with Clifford Hills on bass and Hall and Clifton White among the guitarists. Released in April 1963, the single reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the R&B chart before later appearing on Ain’t That Good News. Cooke’s humor makes the frustration feel universal, and that contrast is exactly why the song has lasted.

# 4 – That’s Where It’s At

“That’s Where It’s At” is one of Sam Cooke’s most intimate late-career recordings. Cooke and J.W. Alexander wrote the song, and Cooke recorded it on August 20, 1964 at RCA Studios in Hollywood with Al Schmitt co-producing. René Hall and Bobby Womack played guitar, Harper Cosby handled bass, and June Gardner played drums as Cooke worked through 32 takes to get the performance he wanted.

Released in September 1964, the single reached only number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100, far below the chart peaks of his biggest hits. None of that matters once Cooke begins singing about low lights, slow music, and being exactly where you want to be with someone you love. “That’s Where It’s At” is proof that some of his deepest performances were hiding outside the biggest hits.

# 3 – Shake

“Shake” was recorded on November 16, 1964 during Sam Cooke’s final RCA studio session, less than a month before his death. Cooke produced the recording with Al Schmitt, while René Hall arranged and conducted a band that included Earl Palmer, Bobby Womack, Harper Cosby, and a large horn section. The song strips away almost everything except rhythm, movement, and Cooke’s ability to command a room with his voice.

Released posthumously in 1965, “Shake” reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and became another major hit after Cooke was gone. Otis Redding later turned it into a soul-rock burner, while Eric Burdon and The Animals, The Supremes, and Rod Stewart were among the many artists who also covered it. “Shake” remains pure Sam Cooke: direct, joyful, physical, and completely alive.

# 2 – A Change Is Gonna Come

“A Change Is Gonna Come” is Sam Cooke’s greatest composition and one of the most important songs ever written about the Black American experience. Cooke wrote it after a series of personal encounters with racism, including the October 1963 incident in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he and his party were turned away from a whites-only motel and later arrested for disturbing the peace. Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” also challenged Cooke to write something that addressed racial injustice with the same directness.

He recorded the song on January 30, 1964 at RCA in Hollywood, with René Hall creating the sweeping orchestral arrangement and Earl Palmer on drums. The song first appeared on Ain’t That Good News and was issued as a single after Cooke’s death, reaching number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the R&B chart. More important than any chart position, “A Change Is Gonna Come” became a civil-rights anthem whose power has only grown with time.

# 1 – You Send Me

“You Send Me” is the record that transformed Sam Cooke from a celebrated gospel singer into a national pop and R&B star. Cooke wrote the song but gave the publishing credit to his younger brother L.C. Cook, partly to keep the song away from obligations connected to his previous gospel business arrangements. The classic version was recorded in Los Angeles in June 1957 with Bumps Blackwell producing and René Hall arranging.

“Summertime” was originally intended as the stronger side of the Keen single, but radio programmers quickly discovered “You Send Me” and turned it into the hit. The record reached number one on Billboard’s pop and R&B charts and sold well over a million copies. Everything that made Cooke special is already present in those few minutes: warmth, control, intimacy, gospel phrasing, and the sense that he is singing directly to one person.