Comments on: NEVILLE BROTHERS / “A Change Is Gonna Come”

By: Barry

Barry — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:54:55 +0000

A beautiful post! Thank you for sharing this!
I first heard the Cooke’s song when I was 10 years old, and it brought tears to my eyes… the lyrics were and still are powerful, but it carried a sense of death, yet hope at the same time.

I’m from London, but currently living in Japan (Jamaican/English), and when I found out about Obama’s victory… I hugged the closest person next to me. As soon as I got home, I played Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’, loudly… held me my wife, looked at my children and cried in absolute joy.

By: Dennis R

Dennis R — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:13:22 +0000

Man, after listening to Barack Obama’s awsome Iowa victory speech tonight, 1/3/08, I went immediately to the Neville Brothers’ recording of “A Change is Gonna Come” and played it over and over and over. This should be the theme song on Obama’s road to the White House!

By: Askhari

Askhari — Sun, 10 Jul 2005 18:19:44 +0000

Sunny Sumter’s version of “A Change is Gonna Come” makes me believe in god. i mean, there i was, looking for god in church and the mosque, and/or in the Movement. And, all his time, s/he was in my ear… dig?

By: Toby

Toby — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 21:09:54 +0000

First of all, thanks for the excellent blog! I liked reading about what “A change is gonna come” means to you. That really is one very moving piece of music. Otis Redding has recorded a superb take, which is to be found on “Otis Blue”. It is less heavily orchestrated than the one by Sam Cooke and has a rawer, less optimistic feel to it, which I find particularly compelling.

By: ekere

ekere — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 13:36:32 +0000

This goes back to having old eyes and young eyes: the Sam Cooke version has broguht tears to my eyes and the Fugees version rocks me. The way they are done speak to me in different ways but when you put them together, I feel like something in their sounds could sum up something about our generation. Maybe something about dealing with the gains Mtume wrote about and what would be done with them by us, the Post Civil Rights babies. Great music!

By: tamaso

tamaso — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 07:24:19 +0000

Much thanks for posting the interesting interview on “A Change…”. The opening lines of this song always grab me. Another great version, and my favorite besides the original is the Al Green live version which is done in a much more emotional and unrestrained fashion. Anyone who is a fan of Sam Cooke should see the movie Ali, which uses his songs as the catalyst for some of the films most striking scenes.

By: C.

C. — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 13:15:01 +0000

I’d only heard Sam Cooke’s version, and the Fugees.
But the Neville Brothers and Sunny Sumter are great also. I think I can listen to anybody sing this song. Thanks for putting them up.