♫ Cupid ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, History, music

I was actually planning to play Africa by Toto tonight, but a couple of things changed my mind.  No worries, though … I’ll definitely be playing it soon, for it’s a song that … speaks to me, that I really like.  Instead, I figured some Sam Cooke would be just the thing to get me over the holiday weariness that seems to be stronger as we get older.  Nothin’ quite like Mr. Sam!

Who doesn’t love the voice of Sam Cooke?  Sam Cooke wrote this song, but the original intent wasn’t for him to sing it.  Cooke’s producers had asked him to write a song for a girl they had seen on a Perry Como TV show — but once they heard her sing, they kept “Cupid” for Cooke himself.  She must’ve really botched it!

It was Cooke’s idea to drop in the sound of an arrow being fired “straight to my lover’s heart.”  According to the folks over at SongFacts …

Sam Cooke’s producers had the idea for him to do a song for a girl they had seen on a Perry Como TV show. “She didn’t do anything but just look up at Perry Como in the most wistful-type manner,” said J.W. Alexander, Cooke’s business adviser. Cooke decided to drop in the sound of an arrow being fired “Straight to my lover’s heart” whenever the song called for it.

The arrow sounds were made by backing vocalists Kenneth Simms (leaving the bow) and Bobbie Simms (hitting the target). Kenneth and Bobbie were twins and it was the first time they ever recorded in a studio.

The song was covered by Johnny Nash, whose version topped Cooke’s in the UK, coming in at #6, Tony Orlando and Dawn, and the Spinners.  Cooke’s version charted at #7 in the UK and #17 in the U.S.

Cupid
Sam Cooke

Cupid, draw back your bow
And let your arrow go
Straight to my lover’s heart for me, for me
Cupid, please hear my cry
And let your arrow fly
Straight to my lover’s heart for me

Now, I don’t mean to bother you
But I’m in distress
There’s danger of me losing all of my happiness
For I love a girl who doesn’t know I exist
And this you can fix

So, Cupid, draw back your bow
And let your arrow go
Straight to my lover’s heart for me, nobody but me
Cupid, please hear my cry
And let your arrow fly
Straight to my lover’s heart for me

Now, Cupid, if your arrow make her love strong for me
I promise I wll love her until eternity
I know between the two of us her heart we can steal
Help me if you will

So, Cupid, draw back your bow
And let your arrow go
Straight to my lover’s heart for me, nobody but me
Cupid, please hear my cry
And let your arrow fly
Straight to my lover’s heart for me

Now, Cupid
Don’t you hear me
Calling you?
I need you
Cupid
Help me
I need you
Cupid
Don’t fail

Songwriters: Sam Cooke
Cupid lyrics © S.I.A.E. Direzione Generale, Abkco Music Inc., ABKCO MUSIC INC

27 thoughts on “♫ Cupid ♫”

  3. Jill, Sam Cooke exudes style as embodied in this song. It is one we all kind sing along to in the car at the beach. Beach music includes a lot of Cooke’s music. Keith

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  4. For this wonderful song i will need a veranda, a sundowner and temperatures over 25 degrees Celsius. Lol Thanks for sharing, Jill! Before i will forget let me send you best wishes for a wonderful start of 2023! May all your wishes be fullfilled, and we all will hopefully get a more peaceful situation. xx Michael

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    • Well, I provided the music, but since you’re halfway across the globe from me, somebody else will have to provide the veranda and the warmer temps. I can, however, manage the sundowner 🍷🍷. And best wishes for the coming year to you also, my dear friend. We can hope for a more peaceful situation … fingers crossed. xx

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  6. Nice song, of course, it’s Sam Cooke. But I heard no arrows flying. I listened as closely as I could, but it must be sounds I cannot hear. How disappointing. (But if you hadn’t told me they were there, I wouldn’t have missed them. Now I feel cheated.)

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    • Awwww … well, you know my hearing, so I didn’t even expect to hear the arrows flying! By the way … Chris got me a set of hearing aids for Christmas! I love that I can hear what the girls say, even with their backs turned to me! On the downside, I am offput somewhat by the fact that every little sound invades my head … someone setting down a cup, or the furnace coming on. But, they say that the brain learns to tune that out, so I’m wearing them as much of the time as possible to try to get used to them!

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      • Sound can be overwhelming. Earlier this year I wore my new aids every waking minute at first — until I found myself going somewhat crazy. My brain had gone into overdrive trying to make sense of the noise.
        I do hope this does not happen to you.
        I can wear them now, but for awhile I could not even put them in my ears

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        • I’m trying to wear mine most of the day, but admit that when I take them off at night, the break from constant noise is a bit of a relief. But the constant noise, while sometimes annoying and disturbing my ability to concentrate, is a small price to pay for the benefits of hearing what the girls say to me, and today I even heard my oven timer from 2 rooms away! Usually somebody has to tell me the timer is beeping. So, a small downside but overall I’m very pleased.

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    • That makes me feel better r.g. I didn’t hear the arrows either but just thought it was my on again off again hearing. More off again lately, so i just agree with whateer the people around me are saying and hope I haven’t just agreed to commit murder and mayhem!

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          • I never paid a penny because of being a senior under our healthcare program. But i think they were worth about $2500 CD each.
            But of course, companies charge the gov’t inflated prices because they can. No idea what they would be worth on the open market.

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          • From what I’ve heard from my brothers and aunt you got a bargain. They pay up to $6000 for theirs. I have a feeling I would have to pay the highest price, but am afraid to check. Have also heard how all the noise can be deafening and not sure I really want to hear it all that much. Maybe I’ll just look fot an ear trumpet and say “eh?” a lot.

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            • Heh heh … I can just picture you with an ear trumpet! Well, the noise can get annoying … I find it doesn’t much bother me until evening when the television is on, the girls sniffing or setting cups down, muttering about something, the cats scratching in the litter box, and even my own breathing/wheezing … all those things I didn’t even hear before. But the joy of being able to hear again far outweighs the annoyance. I take them out when I find it’s interfering with my ability to concentrate, but for the most part I keep them in and largely forget about them! The girls are so used to talking loudly that I keep having to remind them they don’t have to yell! 🤣

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              • My dad used to take his out frequently too. He got so confused by all the noise of our everyday life. I know for sure there are so many noises here that I would have to keep them turned down very low, or take them out completely. It would be good to hear what is being said on television but I usually have that on only for the background noise anyway. It’s low on my list of things I want though, so if I ever get them it will be after I get a large number of other things first.

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                • Having been near-deaf for most of my life, this is like a whole new world opening up! I still use the closed captioning on the tv when I watch it, though, for I still have trouble understanding what is said. The important thing, though, is that I can hear my girls talk without having to say, “Huh?” 15 times an hour!

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