"Somebody Have Mercy" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred ...

, originally released in April 1962 on the album ''

Twistin' the Night Away "Twistin' the Night Away" is a song written and recorded by Sam Cooke. It was recorded on 18 December 1961 and released as a single in 1962. It became very popular, charting in the top ten of both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (#9) and Billboard's ...

''.

Background

One line in the song ("Tell me what is wrong with me") created speculation and rampant rumors that Cooke was suffering from

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

, which was false.Guralnick, Peter (2005). ''Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke''. New York:

Back Bay Books Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily D ...

, p. 419. First edition, 2005.

Personnel

"Somebody Have Mercy" was recorded on February 15, 1962 at RCA Studio 1 in Hollywood, California. The musicians also recorded much of the ''Twistin' the Night Away'' album the same day. The session was conducted and arranged by

René Hall René Joseph Hall (September 26, 1912 ‒ February 11, 1988) was an American guitarist and arranger. He was among the most important behind the scenes figures in early rock and roll, but his career spanned the period from the late 1920s to the ...

, producers were

Hugo & Luigi Hugo & Luigi were an American record producing team, made up of songwriters and producers Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, who shared an office in New York's Brill Building. Besides their working relationship, they were cousins. Background First ...

. Credits adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

to the 2003 compilation '' Portrait of a Legend: 1951–1964''. *Sam Cooke –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

*Edward Beal – piano

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

"Somebody Have Mercy" was later selected for the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of the single "

Nothing Can Change This Love "Nothing Can Change This Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. It was released as a single on September 11, 1962 by RCA Victor. The song peaked at No. 2 on ''Billboard'' Hot R&B Singles chart, and also charted at No. 12 on the H ...

", which was released on September 11, 1962. It received enough airplay to make the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' charts on its own, peaking at No. 3 R&B and No. 70 Pop.

References

{{Authority control 1962 singles Sam Cooke songs Songs written by Sam Cooke 1962 songs Song recordings produced by Hugo & Luigi Soul ballads RCA Victor singles