"Bring It on Home to Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, released on May 8, 1962 by RCA Victor. Produced by Hugo & Luigi and arranged and conducted by René Hall, the song was the A-side to "Having a Party". The song peaked at number two on Billboard's Hot R&B Sides chart, and also charted at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song has become a pop standard, covered by numerous artists of different genres. It is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
Contents[]
[hide] *1 Background
Background[edit][]
"Bring It on Home to Me", like its B-side, "Having a Party", was written while Cooke was on tour for Henry Wynn. The song was initially offered to fellow singer Dee Clark, who turned it down.[1] While in Atlanta, Cooke called co-producer Luigi Creatore and pitched both numbers; he was sold and booked and immediate recording session inLos Angeles scheduled for two weeks later.[2] The session's mood "matched the title" of the song, according to biographer Peter Guralnick, as many friends had been invited. "It was a very happy session," recalled engineer Al Schmitt. "Everybody was just having a ball. We were getting people out there [on the floor], and some of the outtakes were hilarious, there was so much ad lib that went on."[2] René Hall assembled an eighteen-piece backing group, "composed of six violins, two violas, two cellos, and a sax, plus a seven-piece rhythm section that included two percussionists, two bassists, two guitars, and a piano."
The song is a significant reworking of Charles Brown's 1959 single "I Want to Go Home", and it retains the gospel flavor and call-and-response format; the song differs significantly in that its refrain ("Bring it to me, bring your sweet lovin', bring it on home to me") is overtly secular.[2] The song was the first serious nod to his gospel roots ("[He] felt that he needed more weight, that that light shit wouldn't sustain him," said J.W Alexander).[1]The song was aiming for a sound similar to Cooke’s former group, the Soul Stirrers.[2] The original, unreleased first take includes vocals from Lou Rawls, J.W. Alexander, former Keen assistant A&R rep Fred Smith, and "probably" the Sims Twins. A second, final take leaves Lou Rawls as the only echoing voice.[2]
Personnel[edit][]
"Having a Party" was recorded on April 26, 1962 at RCA Studio 1 in Hollywood, California.[1] The engineer present was Al Schmitt, and the session was conducted and arranged by René Hall. The musicians also recorded "Having a Party" the same day. Credits adapted from the liner notes to the 2003 compilation Portrait of a Legend: 1951–1964.[1]
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Cover versions[edit][]
"Bring It On Home to Me" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
[1] | ||||
Single by The Animals | ||||
from the album Animal Tracks (U.S. album) | ||||
B-side | For Miss Caulker | |||
Released | March 1965 | |||
Format | 7" single | |||
Recorded | March 1965 | |||
Genre | Rock, blues, pop, soul | |||
Length | 2:43 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Writer(s) | Sam Cooke | |||
Producer(s) | Mickie Most | |||
The Animals singles chronology | ||||
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The most significant cover versions of the song include the hit versions by
- The Animals, Eddie Floyd, and Ben Mills.
- Billy Joe Royal
- Lou Rawls, who sang background vocals on the original song, recorded his own charting version in 1970.
- Smokey Robinson and Bryan Adams dueted on "Bring It On Home To Me", live at the Apollo Theatre Hall of Fame, Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, in 1993.
- Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee released a version of the song in their 1973 album Sonny & Brownie.
- In 1976, Mickey Gilley hit number one on the country chart with his cover.[3]
- Tab Benoit sangs a blues rendition of this song on his album Brother To The Blues.
- In the United Kingdom, The Faces released this song as part of a medley with "You Send Me" and charted it on the UK Singles Chart at #7 as a double A-side with "Farewell". Rod Stewart later covered this song as a medley with Cooke's "You Send Me" on his solo album, Smiler.
- Wilson Pickett covered this song on 1968's I'm In Love.
- Otis Redding covered this song with Carla Thomas.
- Paul McCartney recorded this song twice: first in 1988 for his album Снова в СССР, and again in 2006 with George Benson and Al Jarreau for the album Givin It Up (For Love).
- John Lennon covered the song on his album Rock 'n' Roll in 1975.
- Van Morrison's 1974 live album, It's Too Late to Stop Now contained his version.[4]
- The Dixie Chicks performed it bluegrass style on their debut album, Thank Heavens for Dale Evans, and later recorded "You Send Me" for their second album, Little Ol' Cowgirl.
- Sonny & Cher recorded it as a B-side to "Little Man".
- Another cover was included as a hidden song on The Von Bondies album Lack of Communication, with Marcie Bolen on lead vocals.[5]
- Bon Jovi performed a live cover of this song with Steve Perry [6]
- Britt Daniel, recorded a cover of this song for the compilation Bridging the Distance.
- Eddie Floyd and Duffy performed it on Jools Holland's Hootenanny.
- Dave Mason covered the tune on his 1974 solo album Dave Mason.[7]
- Sister Hazel included a version on their debut self-titled album Sister Hazel in 1994 (remastered and re-released in 2005)
- M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel of the group She & Him regularly perform a cover of this song live at their concerts, including an in-studio session at KEXP-FM on June 29, 2007.[8]
- The New Standards included a version on their 2008 album Rock and Roll.
- Jimmy Barnes included a version of it on his album Soul Deep as a duet with Johnny Diesel.
- Aretha Franklin included a cover of the song on her 1969 album Soul '69.
- Michael Bolton covered the song on his 1992 album Timeless: The Classics.
- Rita MacNeil covered the song on her 1992 album Thinking of You. It was released as the album's first single and charted on the RPM pop and country charts.
- Delta Spirit cover the song live, as an intro to their song "Trashcan", from their album, Ode to Sunshine.[9]
- Robson & Jerome covered the song on their 1996 album, Take Two.
- Status Quo recorded the song for their 1991 album, Rock 'til You Drop.
- R. Kelly covered this song on Later...with Jools Holland.
- Grayson Hugh recorded his live version of this song, which he would often close his shows with, during his "Blind To Reason" North American Tour, 1988 - '89.
- The Roy Hargrove Quintet included a live version of the song on their album Εarfood (2008).
- Darren Criss performs the song at many of his live performances.
- Francis Cabrel, Beverly Jo Scott and M. Jones collaborated on the for the 2003 album, Autour du blues, volume 2.
Charts and certifications[edit][]
Original version[edit][]
Chart (1962) | Peak
position |
---|---|
US BillboardHot 100[10] | 13 |
US Hot R&B Sides (Billboard)[10] | 2 |
The Animals version[edit][]
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1965 | Pop Singles Chart | #32 |
1965 | UK Singles Chart | #7 |
1965 | Canada | #7 |
1965 | Netherlands | #3 |
1965 | Sweden | #1 |
Eddie Floyd version[edit][]
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1968 | Black Singles Chart | #4 |
1968 | Pop Singles Chart | #17 |
1968 | Canada | #24 |
Lou Rawls version[edit][]
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1970 | Black Singles Chart | #45 |
1970 | Pop Singles Chart | #96 |
Mickey Gilley version[edit][]
Chart (1976) | Peak
position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 | 1 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
Preceded by
"Say It Again" by Don Williams |
Billboard Hot Country Singles
number-one single August 21, 1976 |
Succeeded by |
Preceded by | RPM Country Tracks
number-one single September 11, 1976 |