I know, I know. It’s been a while… what can I say? It’s easy coming up with a new song every day… Finding time to write something meaningful to go along with the song isn’t always so easy…
Anyway, I thought I’d ease back into the swing of things with a weeks worth of songs celebrating Valentine’s Day. Ahh, cupid draw back your bow…
According to Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of erotic love and sex. His counterpart in Greek mythology is Eros. Typically depicted wearing nothing but an impish grin, the arrows from his bow inspire love and romance in the unsuspecting targets that they strike.
In 1964, the soulful pop crooner, 33-year old Sam Cooke, was at the peak of his career. He had enjoyed a string of hit records beginning in 1957 with “You Send Me” and continuing with “Wonderful World, “Chain Gang,” “Bring it On Home,” and, in 1961, “Cupid” —which reached #17 in the US charts. By 1964, Cooke had become a true “crossover” artist selling over ten million records that appealed to a broad fan base of all races who enjoyed both pop music and R&B. He seemed to have it all. Money. Fame. A beautiful wife. A red Ferrari convertible. A Hollywood mansion…
Anyway, I thought I’d ease back into the swing of things with a weeks worth of songs celebrating Valentine’s Day. Ahh, cupid draw back your bow…
According to Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of erotic love and sex. His counterpart in Greek mythology is Eros. Typically depicted wearing nothing but an impish grin, the arrows from his bow inspire love and romance in the unsuspecting targets that they strike.
In 1964, the soulful pop crooner, 33-year old Sam Cooke, was at the peak of his career. He had enjoyed a string of hit records beginning in 1957 with “You Send Me” and continuing with “Wonderful World, “Chain Gang,” “Bring it On Home,” and, in 1961, “Cupid” —which reached #17 in the US charts. By 1964, Cooke had become a true “crossover” artist selling over ten million records that appealed to a broad fan base of all races who enjoyed both pop music and R&B. He seemed to have it all. Money. Fame. A beautiful wife. A red Ferrari convertible. A Hollywood mansion…
But on December 10, 1964 Cupid’s arrows drew blood — not romance, when Cooke was shot to death by the manager of a motel in South L.A. The details of the sordid case are inconsistent and disputed to this day, but the incident involved a woman fleeing a seedy motel claiming to have been kidnapped and almost raped by Cooke, a drunken and enraged celebrity singer wearing nothing but one shoe and an overcoat, and the owner of a $3-a-night motel claiming she fired in self-defense. Murder. Mystery. Romance. They often seem to go hand-in-hand. Ahh Cupid, draw back your bow as we listen to the long-overdue Happy Medium Song of the Day and the superbly distinctive voice of Sam Cooke singing “Cupid.”
(Please use the comments box to share your thoughts.)
(Please use the comments box to share your thoughts.)