"Got to Get You Off My Mind" is a 1965 soul single written and performed by
Solomon Burke. The single was produced by
Jerry Wexler, and was the most successful of Burke's long career, becoming his highest-charting single on both the R&B and pop singles charts. "Got to Get You Off My Mind" was number one on
''Billboard'''s
R&B Singles
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
chart for three weeks and made the
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...
on the pop singles chart.
Background
Burke recorded the song, one of four, during a recording session on January 22, 1965.
[Red Kelly]
"Solomon Burke – What Am I Living For (Bell 783)"
(May 1, 2006) The song was written by Burke, his second wife Delores (by then mother of 11 of his children) and his mother Josephine Burke Moore. It was started on 11 December 1964, just hours after Burke heard that his friend
Sam Cooke had been murdered.
[David Cantwell]
"Solomon Burke: Pennies from Heaven: Thirteen Ways of Looking at the King of Rock 'n' Soul"
, , ''The Long Way Around'' 66 (November – December 2006) Burke explained the origin of "Got to Get You Off My Mind": “It was written in California the night of Sam Cooke’s death. I learned of Sam Cooke’s death after leaving him two hours prior to that. At the same time I learned about my wife wanting a divorce. A
special delivery letter was at the desk waiting for me in the hotel... so all of these things came about very quickly and very drastically.” Burke completed the song on the train back to
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, subdivision_name ...
for Cooke's funeral.
Chart positions
Personnel
*Producer:
Jerry Wexler,
Bert Berns
Bertrand Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 – December 30, 1967), also known as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. His songwriting credits include " Twist and Shout", " Piec ...
*Lead vocals:
Solomon Burke
*Vocal group:
The Sweet Inspirations
The Sweet Inspirations were an American R&B girl group mostly known for their work as backup singers on studio recordings for other R&B and rock artists. A founding member of the group was Dionne Warwick, who was later replaced by her aunt, Ciss ...
*Background vocals: Estelle Brown, Sylvia Shemwell,
Cissy Houston,
Dee Dee Warwick
Delia Juanita Warrick (September 25, 1942 – October 18, 2008), known professionally as Dee Dee Warwick, was an American soul singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she was the sister of singer Dionne Warwick, the niece of Cissy Houston, and a ...
*Bass: David Adams
*Drums:
Panama Francis
David Albert "Panama" Francis (December 21, 1918 – November 13, 2001) was an American swing jazz drummer who played on numerous hit recordings in the 1950s.
Early life
Francis was born in Miami, Florida, on December 21, 1918. His father was ...
*Guitar:
Bob Bushnell
Robert C. Bushnell (1926 – January 31, 2016) was an American bass player and guitarist who has appeared on dozens of albums and singles as a studio musician, including Bobby Lewis's hit " Tossin' and Turnin'" (1961), " My Boyfriend's Back" ...
, Bill Suyker,
Eric Gale
Eric Gale (September 20, 1938 – May 25, 1994) was an American jazz and R&B guitarist.
''Early life and career''
Born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, Gale grew up in a diverse household. His paternal grandfather was from Yorksh ...
*Piano: Ernie Hayes
*Trumpet:
Bill Berry,
Ernie Royal
*Bass trombone: Tony Studd
*Tenor saxophone: Charlie Brown,
Sam Taylor
*Baritone saxophone:
Seldon Powell
Seldon Powell (15 November 1928 – 25 January 1997) was an American soul jazz, swing, and R&B tenor saxophonist and flautist born in Lawrenceville, Virginia.
He worked with Tab Smith (1949), Lucky Millinder (1949–51), Neal Hefti, and L ...
*Arrangements:
Gene Page
Eugene Edgar Page Jr. (September 13, 1939 – August 24, 1998) was an American conductor, composer, arranger and record producer, most active from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s.
His sound can be heard in the arrangements he did for Jeffer ...
*Conductor: Gene Page
[Peter Grendysa and Robert Pruter, ''Atlantic Rhythm and Blues 1947-1974'' booklet notes (CD edition), Atlantic Records, 1991]
See also
*
List of number-one R&B singles of 1965 (U.S.)
References
External links
"Got To Get You Off My Mind / Peepin'"at discogs.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Got To Get You Off My Mind
1965 singles
Rhythm and blues songs
Solomon Burke songs
Song recordings produced by Jerry Wexler
Songs written by Solomon Burke
1965 songs
Atlantic Records singles