Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

On April 26, 1962 Sam Cooke went into the studio to record a couple of tunes he wrote himself that would go on to become two of his best known songs. Fellow R&B singer Lou Rawls provided the backing vocals on both tracks which were released less than two weeks later on May 8, 1962. The A side of the record, “Having A Party”, became a Top 20 hit that year.

Today’s song was the B side & reached #13 that year as well. Two of The Beatles-John Lennon and Paul McCartney-covered it during their solo careers and so did nearly two dozen other artists including Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin & Otis Redding, amongst others. But Cooke’s original version, based on a 1959 gospel record, was a throw back to his group in the same genre, The Soul Stirrers.

“I know I laughed
When you left
But now I know
I only hurt myself”.

Sam Cooke circa 1960. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Sam Cooke: “Bring It On Home To Me” (1962, written by Sam Cooke).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.