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Sweet Soul Music

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B-side
  
"Let's Go Steady"

Genre
  
Soul, rhythm and blues

Label
  
Atco

Released
  
1967 (1967)

Length
  
2:20

Recorded
  
FAME Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, January 1967

"Sweet Soul Music" is a soul song, first released by Arthur Conley in 1967. Written by Conley and Otis Redding, it is based on the Sam Cooke song "Yeah Man" from his posthumous album Shake; the opening riff is a quote from Elmer Bernstein's score for the 1960 movie The Magnificent Seven.

It reached the number two spot on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard R&B chart and number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. J. W. Alexander, Sam Cooke's business partner, sued both Redding and Conley for appropriating the melody. A settlement was reached in which Cooke's name was added to the writer credits, and Otis Redding agreed to record some songs in the future from Kags Music, a Cooke–Alexander enterprise.

Lyrics

The song is an homage to soul music. The following songs are mentioned in the lyrics:

  • "Going to a Go-Go", by the Miracles; the group is not explicitly mentioned.
  • "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing", by Lou Rawls
  • "Hold On, I'm Comin'", by Sam & Dave
  • "Mustang Sally", by Wilson Pickett
  • "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa", by Otis Redding. A brief instrumental version of the chorus for the song is quoted, after Conley says, "Hit it, Otis".

    • Additionally, James Brown is described as "the king of them all".

    At the end of the song, Arthur Conley sings, "Otis Redding got the feeling."

    References

    Sweet Soul Music Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA