For the month of January, I’m selecting some of the most memorable and influential songs of the 60’s. While they all hail from the same decade, these are some of my favorite songs of any era. They remind me that the 60’s were so much more than just Woodstock and psychedelic rock. It was a flourishing period for blues, folk, progressive and straight-ahead rock. #31DaysOf60sSongs
Otis Blue is considered by many to be one of the greatest albums ever recorded. A deep exploration of Redding’s bluesy, soulful demeanor, he sang some of his originals (including “Respect” before Aretha Franklin made it a household tune) as well as iconic standards like “Satisfaction”, “Rock Me Baby”, “My Girl” and “Down in the Valley”. There are also a handful of songs from fellow blues legend Sam Cooke who died a few months before the album was released. One of those Cooke treasures is the beautiful blues ballad “A Change is Gonna Come”.
The recording itself is quite a monumental listen. Redding holds nothing back, singing with conviction driven likely by his ability to relate to Cooke’s story, which is the most powerful aspect of the song. “A Change Is Gonna Come” isn’t just a catchy song. It’s a statement and a rant on the sad state of where things were back then in terms of racial equality. What makes the song even more meaningful is that the change hasn’t fully arrived yet. The emotions are still raw and very real more than 50 years later.
“There been times that I thought I couldn't last for long. But now I think I'm able to carry on. It's been a long, a long time coming. But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will.”