Soul Man (song)

"Soul Man" is a 1967 song written and composed by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, first successful as a number 2 hit single by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam & Dave,[1] which consisted of Samuel "Sam" Moore and David "Dave" Prater. In 2019, "Soul Man" was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress.[2]

"Soul Man"
Single by Sam & Dave
from the album Soul Men
B-side"May I Baby"
ReleasedSeptember 1967
Recorded1967
GenreSoul
Length2:40
LabelStax/Atlantic
S-231
Songwriter(s)Isaac Hayes
David Porter
Producer(s)Isaac Hayes
David Porter
Sam & Dave singles chronology
"Soothe Me"
(1967)		 "Soul Man"
(1967)		 "I Thank You"
(1968)

Song history and background

Co-author Isaac Hayes found the inspiration for "Soul Man" in the turmoil of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. In July 1967, watching a television newscast of the aftermath of the 12th Street riot in Detroit, Michigan, Hayes noted that black residents had marked buildings that had not been destroyed during the riots – mostly African-American owned and operated institutions – with the word "soul".[3] Relating this occurrence to the biblical story of the Passover,[4] Hayes and songwriting partner David Porter came up with the idea, in Hayes's words, of "a story about one's struggle to rise above his present conditions. It's almost a tune kind of like boasting, 'I'm a soul man.' It's a pride thing."[3]

Sam sings the first verse, with Dave joining in the chorus. Dave sings the second verse, with Sam joining in the chorus. Sam sings the third verse, with Dave joining in the chorus, followed by a brief bridge section by Dave and then a coda, in which both Sam and Dave repeat the title phrase a half-step up, before the song's fade.

The exclamation "Play it, Steve" heard in the song refers to guitarist Steve Cropper of Booker T. & the M.G.'s, the house band who provided the instrumentation for it and other Sam and Dave singles. Cropper provided guitar for both the original Sam and Dave recording as well as the live and studio covers by the Blues Brothers.

Issued on the Atlantic-distributed Stax label for which Hayes and Porter worked, Sam and Dave's "Soul Man" was the most successful Stax single to date upon its release.[3] The single peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart.[5] "Soul Man" went to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States during the autumn of 1967, kept from the top spot by To Sir With Love by Lulu.[6] Outside the US, it peaked at number two in Canada.[7] "Soul Man" was awarded the 1968 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental.[3]

Original and alternative recordings

During the same session, two versions of "Soul Man" were recorded, and both were subsequently released. The distinct difference between the two versions can be found within the first 30 seconds of the song. One version opens the tune with a more enthusiastic Sam Moore singing the words "Comin' to you...," whereas in the other version, the opening lyrical line is not as enthusiastic. The latter rendition is the more readily available version in all formats; the former rendition, on original 45-rpm vinyl pressings, tends to be harder to find but is the version most often played on the radio. The different versions were recorded for the mono (single) and stereo (album) releases of the song.

Personnel

Cover versions
"Soul Man"
Single by The Blues Brothers
from the album Briefcase Full of Blues
B-side"Excusez Moi Mon Cherie"
ReleasedDecember 1978
GenreBlue-eyed soul
Length2:55
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Isaac Hayes & David Porter
Producer(s)Bob Tischler
The Blues Brothers singles chronology
"Soul Man"
(1978)		 "Rubber Biscuit"
(1978)
  • Paul Revere & the Raiders covered "Soul Man" on their 1967 album Goin' to Memphis.
  • Los Quandos, a Spanish vocal group, released the first version with Spanish lyrics, written by Jose Manuel Vidal and included in a compilation, released by the Marfer Records label, titled Marfer Parade, published in 1968.
  • James Brown band member Sweet Charles Sherrell recorded the song for his 1974 debut solo album Sweet Charles: For Sweet People, on Brown's People Records label.
  • The Blues Brothers performed the song as the "cold opener" of the episode of the NBC comedy/variety show Saturday Night Live which Carrie Fisher hosted in late November 1978, and they later released the song as a single, which reached number 14 in February 1979 and number 19 in Canada in February 1979. It was also used as the theme for the late 1990s ABC sitcom Soul Man, which starred Dan Aykroyd.
  • The song was performed by Lou Reed and Sam Moore on the soundtrack to the 1986 comedy film Soul Man, supported by a music video. This version reached #30 in the UK Singles Chart.
  • In 1989, the reggae band Los Pericos from Argentina made their cover of the theme for his album Maxi Brites.
  • Howard Hewett covered "Soul Man" as a placeholder theme song for Season 2 of the ABC television series Hangin' with Mr. Cooper in 1993, starring Mark Curry. The song was a temporary replacement for the original theme song, which was performed by cast members Holly Robinson and Dawnn Lewis, who left the cast after the end of Season 1 and was ultimately a result of Lewis's departure.
  • Ted Nugent often performs "Soul Man" in his live shows, as did Prince during his 2004 Musicology tour.
  • In 2004, the song was performed by the comedy duo Drake Bell and Josh Peck on their sitcom, Drake & Josh, in the episode "Blues Brothers". The song appeared on the show's soundtrack, released in 2005.
  • In 2007, Australian singer Guy Sebastian covered the song for his fourth album, The Memphis Album, which featured Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn, both of whom had performed on the original recording of "Soul Man" 40 years earlier, and both of whom were also members of the Blues Brothers's band.
  • In 2012, Jermaine Paul, winner of the second season of The Voice, released it as a single in which he was joined by his mentor and winning coach Blake Shelton. The single reached number 108, appearing in the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.[8]

Chart history

Weekly charts
Sam & Dave
gollark: This nonsense AGAIN? No.
gollark: The memes here have a Meme Quality Index of -7.3, which is of course very not good.
gollark: It wouldn't be very useful.
gollark: No, you don't.
gollark: You don't have orbital bee strike access anyway.

References
  1. Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 51 - The Soul Reformation: Phase three, soul music at the summit. [Part 7] : UNT Digital Library" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
  2. Barnes, Mike (March 20, 2019). "Songs From Jay-Z, Cyndi Lauper, Neil Diamond Inducted Into National Recording Registry". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  3. Bowman, Rob (1997). Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records. New York: Schirmer Trade. ISBN 0-8256-7284-8. Pg. 128
  4. Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon, and Mark Crosby [directors, writers, producers] (2007). Great Performances - Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story (TV documentary). New York City: Tremolo Productions, Concord Music Group, Thirteen/WNET New York.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 510.
  6. "Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. November 4, 1967. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  7. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. November 18, 1967. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  8. "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Week of May 26, 2012". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  9. "Sam And Dave: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  10. "Sam Dave Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  11. "Sam Dave Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  12. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, November 11, 1967". Tropicalglen.com. November 11, 1967. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  13. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. February 24, 1979. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  14. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 17, 1979". Tropicalglen.com. February 17, 1979. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Soul Man". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  16. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. June 16, 1990. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  17. RPM Top 100 Singles of 1967
  18. "Top 100 Hits of 1967/Top 100 Songs of 1967". Music Outfitters. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  19. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 23, 1967". Tropicalglen.com. December 23, 1967. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  20. "Top 100 Singles (1979)". RPM. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  21. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1979". Tropicalglen.com. December 29, 1979. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
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