♫ You Send Me ♫ (Redux)

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Sam Cooke wrote this song, but gave the writing credit to his younger brother L.C. because he did not want his own publisher to profit from the song.

According to Songfacts …

“Cooke was signed to Specialty Records, which was a gospel label. Cooke’s producer, Bumps Blackwell, brought this to Art Rupe, who owned the label. Rupe objected to the use of the choir on this track and was afraid it was too secular and would alienate the label’s gospel fans. He offered Cooke a release from his contract in exchange for outstanding royalties. The song was passed to the Keen label where it sold over 2 million copies.”

I did not know that Aretha Franklin released her own version of this as a B-side in 1968, but naturally I had to listen.  As much as I love Aretha Franklin, I preferred Sam Cooke’s version, but since mine is not the only opinion that counts, I am offering both tonight.

Tragically, at only 33 years of age, Cooke was shot in the chest by Bertha Franklin, the manager of the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, California on December 11, 1964. Franklin claimed that she acted in self-defense after he broke into her office residence and attacked her. Her account was immediately disputed by Cooke’s acquaintances. It’s a long and strange story, still an unsolved mystery

You Send Me was named as one of the 500 most important rock and roll recordings by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In April 2010, the song ranked No. 115 in Rolling Stone magazine’s The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.  The song reached #1 in the U.S. and #29 in the UK.

You Send Me
Sam Cooke

Darling, you send me
I know you send me
Darling, you send me
Honest, you do, honest, you do
Honest, you do, whoa

You thrill me
I know you, you, you thrill me
Darling, you, you, you, you thrill me
Honest, you do

At first I thought it was infatuation
But, woo, it’s lasted so long
Now I find myself wanting
To marry you and take you home, woah-woah

You, you, you, you send me
I know you send me
I know you send me
Honest you do

Whoa, oh, oh, whenever I’m with you
I know, I know, I know when I’m near you
Mm hmm, mmm hmm, honest, you do, honest, you do
Woah, oh, oh, I know oh, oh, oh

I know, I know, I know, when you hold me
Woah, whenever you kiss me
Mm, hmm, mm, hmm, honest you do

At first I thought it was infatuation
But, woo, it’s lasted so long
Now I find myself wanting
To marry you and take you home

I know, I know, I know you send me
I know you send me
Woah, oh, you, you, you, you send me
Honest you do.

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Sam Cooke
You Send Me lyrics © Burlington Music Co., Ltd

20 thoughts on “♫ You Send Me ♫ (Redux)”

  1. I prefer the Sam Cooke version – his voice is so very good. Did you know that Rod Stewart recorded this, both solo and as a duet with Chaka Khan. Both are awful, to my ears! If you want to go way leftfield, how about the version by the Dixie Chicks, as they were then? Released in 1992 on the second of three albums they made for a small indie label before they got their big deal and big hits. I think it’s rather nice 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    • Somehow I wasn’t sure that you would like either one, so I’m truly chuffed to find that you like the Sam Cooke version. Had I not heard it first, I probably would have loved Aretha’s, but … I was already in love with Sam’s voice by the time I heard hers! NO … I had no idea that Rod Stewart had covered this, though I’m sure I must have come across that tidbit in my research. The Dixie Chicks??? You’ve got to be kidding! That’s another that you’ll never see on my blog! Blech. But wait …. you’re saying … you … like the Dixie Chicks? Oh my! Have you taken your temperature today?

      Liked by 1 person

      • You may have noticed that I like a fair bit of country music and the Chicks are a favourite. I saw them in concert back in 2003, when they came back here a few months after Natalie Maines’ comments that got her death threats. This one was very early, before she joined the band.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Yes, and it usually surprises me, for most of my UK friends abhor country music. I can tolerate some of the milder stuff — Kenny Rogers, even Willie Nelson — but never took a shine to the Dixie Chicks.

          I had to go look that one up … turns out that all she said was that they were ashamed that the President (Bush) was from Texas … and that was enough to get her death threats!!! Sheesh. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

          Liked by 1 person

          • Some of us have sufficiently eclectic tastes! I’m not a big fan of the older stuff but a lot of what I listen to – and play in my posts – counts as country. The Chicks are great – you really should try them again.

            Natalie’s response to that, three years later, was the song ‘Not Ready To Make Nice.’ I recommend the video: it is one of the most powerful songs I know, and she almost spits the words out in response to the hatred they received.

            Liked by 1 person

            • Okay, admittedly my tastes are not as ‘eclectic’ as some. I got stuck in Motown mode years ago. I do try to broaden my horizons on occasion, and in that spirit, I will give the Dixie Chicks another listen … tomorrow. And I have bookmarked that video to watch tomorrow. For tonight, I’m just trying to finish up and get in bed, as this stupid cold is knocking me for a loop! Sorry I still haven’t managed Juice Newton — I have one picked out and started, but then ol’ Burt Bacharach up and died, so you know I had to pay tribute to him!

              Liked by 1 person

              • Nothing wrong with liking a particular style of music – much of my taste could be classed as folk, Americana with doses of rock and country mixed in. But that doesn’t stop us liking things outside our norm! Hope you enjoy the Chicks – it’s a powerful song.

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  2. I haven’t heard this song in ages. I love Sam Cooks’s version. It is the first time, I heard this song from Aretha Franklin. Not bad either at all. But I just love Sam Cook’s voice and performance 😍

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  5. It always amazes me when you post a redux from 2017 or later that I did not comment on. It makes me wonder where I was that day.
    Sam Cooke had a style all his own, which he gave to the world. His songs were not complicated, just putting his feelings out there and saying, “This is me!”
    So it was with You Send Me. The vernacular, send, is lost in time, but there is no doubt what he meant by it. This is Sam Cooke! (I would have used it the same way about a certain 14 year old girl, but I did not send her. I have forgotten her name, but we were sitting on swings just talking when I blurted it out. I never did that again!)
    (Sam probably asked for some sugar for his coffee, and Bertha misinterpreted him. However it happened, it was pure tragedy. And we will never know.) RIP, Sam Cooke!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Perhaps some of the ones you missed was from when you were in the hospital, or watching the horses race.

      Oh yeah, I remember that being a commonplace term, but it was short-lived. So, it didn’t work out so well for you, eh?

      I can’t remember exactly what Sam had asked the clerk, but you’re right — witnesses said he wasn’t doing anything to warrant what came next.

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