"Only Sixteen" 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 music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is common ...

, released in May 1959. The song was a top 15 hit on ''Billboard's'' Hot R&B Sides chart and also charted within the top 30 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. In the UK it was covered, and taken to No. 1, by

Craig Douglas Craig Douglas (born Terence Perkins, 13 August 1941) is an English pop singer, who was popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His sole UK chart-topper, " Only Sixteen" (1959), sold more copies in the UK than Sam Cooke's original version. C ...

Background

"Only Sixteen" was inspired by the sixteenth birthday of

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...

' stepsister, Eunice. The song was originally intended for actor Steve Rowland, who often hung around the Keen studio. Rowland asked Cooke to write a song for him, and Cooke borrowed the bridge from an earlier song of his, "Little Things You Do". Rowland's manager disliked the song, and Cooke re-recorded it for himself.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. 280-81. First edition, 2005.

Personnel

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 des ...

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 withou ...

*Clifton White – guitar *

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 ...

– guitar *Adolphus Asbrook – bass guitar *Charles Blackwell – drums

Chart performance

The Supremes version

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

recorded a version, first released on their

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

'' We Remember Sam Cooke'' (1965). In 1968, it was released as an A-side single in Scandinavia, as

Diana Ross & the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

, where it reached number three in Sweden. The B-side, "

Some Things You Never Get Used To "Some Things You Never Get Used To" is a song released in 1968 by Diana Ross & the Supremes on the Motown label. The single stalled for three weeks at number 30 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' pop chart in July 1968. It became the lowest-charting Supre ...

" was released elsewhere as an A-side, becoming a top 40 hit in the US, Canada and UK.

Charts

Dr. Hook version

Dr. Hook released a version of "Only Sixteen" in the winter of 1975. Their version was the most successful chart release of the song. It reached number six on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number five on the ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' Top 100. Dr. Hook's version spent 22 weeks on the charts and became a Gold record. The song was banned by the BBC.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other cover versions

Terry Black Terry Black (February 3, 1949 – June 28, 2009) was a Canadian pop singer and teen idol, born in Vancouver, British Columbia. Career Black's debut U.S. single, " Unless You Care", was released in 1964, when Black was 15. The song was wri ...

released a version of the song in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

in 1965 where it reached number 14. *

recorded it on their 1965 album '' We Remember Sam Cooke''. *

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

n artist

Cornell Campbell Cornel Campbell aka Don Cornel or Don Gorgon (born 23 November 1945 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae singer, best known for his trademark falsetto voice, and his recordings at Studio One in the late 1960s and his later work with Bunny Lee i ...

also recorded a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

version of the song.

Samples

*E-40 and The Click sampled it on their first record, singing the hook in the intro.

References

{{Authority control Songs about teenagers 1959 songs 1959 singles 1965 singles 1975 singles 1976 singles Songs written by Sam Cooke Sam Cooke songs Terry Black songs The Supremes songs UK Singles Chart number-one singles Keen Records singles Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show songs Song recordings produced by Ron Haffkine Capitol Records singles Songs banned by the BBC

Background

Personnel

Chart performance

The Supremes version

Charts

Dr. Hook version

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other cover versions

Samples

See also

References