Appreciating "A Change Is Gonna Come"

Sam Cooke

By the early 1960s the civil rights movement had spread beyond the courtroom to the streets of America. It inspired both white and black songwriters. One of the best songs of this era, and the de facto anthem of the civil rights movement, was Sam Cooke’s 1964 “A Change is Gonna Come.”

That year Sam Cooke turned 33 years old. His pure, soulful voice and good looks had won him a large crossover audience. Born in Clarksdale, MS, his large, musical family moved to Chicago two years later. His father was a black preacher. Cooke earned his musical chops in the world of gospel before finding success in pop music.

Sam Cooke knew, and I’m sure his record company reinforced, that overt participation in the civil rights movement risked alienating his white audience. By 1963 Cooke was prepared to test the consequences of breaking this economic leash. He was chagrined that a “white boy” named Bob Dylan had written the powerful “Blowin’ in the Wind,” itself borrowing from the Negro spiritual “No More Auction Block.” Then, that fall, touring in Shreveport, LA, Cooke had attempted to register at a Holiday Inn, made an uproar when refused, and was jailed for his efforts. Several months later he demo’d “A Change is Gonna Come” to friends.

Knowing Cooke’s background, it’s hard not to hear the gospel tradition in his song. But David Cantwell, writing in The New Yorker last year (March 17, 2015), argues that the song itself, as well as Rene Hall’s orchestral arrangement, may owe more to the American musical theater, especially Kern and Hammerstein’s “Ol’ Man River.” Cooke had recorded “Ol’ Man River” on his first album. His line “It’s been too hard livin’, but I’m afraid to die” is an obvious rework of Oscar Hammerstein’s “I’m tired of livin’ and scared of dyin’.”

Whatever its sources, “A Change is Gonna Come” works on every level. In five brief stanzas, it carries the audience from a dark place of suffering to a hopeful new day. Rolling Stone ranked it #12 in its list of greatest songs. Cooke said that he hoped the song would make his father proud.

Late in 1964, almost coincident with the song’s release as a single, Sam Cooke was shot and killed at an LA motel, silencing one of the great voices of the 20th century.