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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