The Sixties Daily
Trivia
Sorry! "A Change Is
Gonna Come" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. It initially appeared on
Cooke's album Ain't That Good News, released mid-February 1964 by RCA Victor; a slightly edited version of the
recording was released as a single on December 22, 1964. Produced by Hugo & Luigi and arranged and conducted by
René Hall, the song was the B-side to "Shake". The song was inspired by various events in Cooke's
life, most prominently when he and his entourage were turned away from a whites-only motel in Louisiana. Cooke felt
compelled to write a song that spoke to his struggle and of those around him, and that pertained to the Civil
Rights Movement and African Americans.
Though only a
modest hit for Cooke in comparison with his previous singles, "A Change Is Gonna Come" is widely
considered one of Cooke's greatest and most influential compositions and has been voted among the greatest songs
ever recorded by various publications. In 2007, the song was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress
by the National Recording Registry, having been deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically
significant."
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