An Angel Heard On High

Sam Cooke's " A Change Is Gonna Come" is a song that transcends the trappings of genre and time. It is an unconquerable testament to the human spirit's ability to adapt and overcome. It still sounds every bit as epochal, inspirational, and breathtaking now as it did in upon its release in 1964. If Sam Cooke had never written and performed anything besides "A Change Is Gonna Come," his legendary status would still be set in stone.

Up until 1964, the majority of Sam Cooke's oeuvre consisted of spiritual, love, and dance songs. However, upon hearing Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin," Sam felt an urge to create something on par with Dylan's protest anthem. While Sam adored Dylan's song, he also felt that the song should have been written by a black man. Therefore, he composed a socially-conscious song with the urgency of "The Times They Are A-Changin," but, pitted in the shoes of a black man. Sam also committed his most passionate vocal performance to this song. It goes without saying that Sam Cooke had a voice of the ages - a rich, soaring, honey-thick tenor that could scrape the clouds.

As far as influence is concerned, Cooke's "protest anthem" ignited a new outlook among his peers like Otis Redding (whose cover of the song was a big hit). Marvin Gaye's socially-concerned masterpiece "What's Going On" would not have been possible without this song. And presently, Antony Hegarty (of Antony & the Johnsons) weaves his spell-binding voice into string-draped songs that owe a sizable debt to Sam Cooke.

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Lyrics to "A Change Is Gonna Come":

I was born by the river in a little tent

Oh and just like the river I been a runnin' ever since

It's been a long, a long time coming but I know

A change gon' come oh yes it will

It's been too hard living but I'm afraid to die

Cuz I don't know what's up there beyond the sky

It's been a long, a long time coming but I know

A change gon' come oh yes it will

I go to the movie, and I go downtown

Somebody keep tellin me "don't hang around"

It's been a long, a long time coming, but I know

A change gon' come oh yes it will

Then I go to my brother

And I say "brother, help me please"

But he winds up knocking me

Back down on my knees

There been times that I thought I wouldn't last for long

Now think I'm able to carry on

It's been a long, a long time coming but I know

A change gon' come, oh yes it will