(off 1964 sam cooke album “ain’t that good news”)
(“A Change Is Gonna Come” is a song by american recording artist ‘Sam Cooke;, released on 22 december 1964 by ‘RCA Victor’)
Produced by Hugo & Luigi and arranged and conducted by René Hall, the song was the B-side to “Shake”.
The song concerns African-Americans and contains the refrain, “It’s been a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come.”
(the song was inspired by various personal events in Cooke’s life, most prominently an event in which he and his entourage were turned away from a whites only motel in louisiana)
(cooke felt compelled to write a song that spoke to his struggle and of those around him, and he recorded the song for its first release on his final album, Ain’t That Good News)
Though only a modest hit for Cooke in comparison with his previous singles, “A Change Is Gonna Come” became an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement.
The song is widely considered Cooke’s best composition and has been voted among the best songs ever released by various publications.
(in 2007, the song was selected for preservation in the library of congress, with the national recording registry deeming the song “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important”)