Only Sixteen
"Only Sixteen" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() One of side-A labels of the original US single | ||||
Single by Sam Cooke | ||||
B-side | "Let's Go Steady Again" | |||
Released | May 1959 | |||
Recorded | January 4, 1959 | |||
Studio | Rex Productions, Los Angeles, California | |||
Genre | Rhythm and blues, soul, pop | |||
Length | 2:00 | |||
Label | Keen 2022 | |||
Songwriter(s) | Sam Cooke | |||
Producer(s) | Bumps Blackwell | |||
Sam Cooke singles chronology | ||||
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"Only Sixteen" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, released in May 1959. It 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.[1] In the UK it was covered, and taken to No. 1, by Craig Douglas.[2]
Background
"Only Sixteen" was inspired by the sixteenth birthday of Lou Rawls's stepsister, Eunice.[3] It 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 result, and Cooke re-recorded it for himself.[3][4] The composition was originally credited to Barbara Campbell, a pseudonym used for Cooke, Lou Adler and Herb Alpert. Cooke married Campbell in October 1959.[5][6] "Only Sixteen" was, in fact, solely written by Cooke.[7]
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes to the 2003 compilation Portrait of a Legend: 1951–1964.[3]
- Sam Cooke – vocals
- Clifton White – guitar
- René Hall – guitar
- Adolphus Asbrook – bass guitar
- Charles Blackwell – drums
Chart performance
Weekly charts (1959) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK[8] | 23 |
US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 28 |
US Hot R&B Sides (Billboard)[9] | 13 |
The Supremes version
"Only Sixteen" | ||||
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![]() Swedish single picture sleeve | ||||
Single by The Supremes | ||||
from the album We Remember Sam Cooke | ||||
B-side | "Some Things You Never Get Used To" | |||
Released | 1968 | |||
Recorded | 1965 | |||
Genre | Rhythm and blues, soul, pop | |||
Length | 2:24 | |||
Label | Tamla Motown | |||
Songwriter(s) | Sam Cooke | |||
Producer(s) | Harvey Fuqua · Hal Davis · Marc Gordon | |||
The Supremes singles chronology | ||||
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The Supremes recorded a version, first released on their tribute album We Remember Sam Cooke (1965).[10] In 1968, it was released as an A-side single in Scandinavia, as Diana Ross & the Supremes,[11] where it reached No. 3 in Sweden.[12] The B-side, "Some Things You Never Get Used To" was released elsewhere as an A-side, becoming a top 40 hit in the US,[13] Canada,[14] and the UK.[15]
Charts
Chart (1968) | Peak position |
---|---|
Sweden (Kvällstoppen)[16][12] | 3 |
Dr. Hook version
"Only Sixteen" | ||||
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![]() Side A of the US single | ||||
Single by Dr. Hook | ||||
from the album Bankrupt | ||||
B-side | "Let Me Be Your Lover" | |||
Released | December 1975 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 2:46 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Songwriter(s) | Sam Cooke | |||
Producer(s) | Ron Haffkine | |||
Dr. Hook singles chronology | ||||
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Dr. Hook released a version of "Only Sixteen" in the winter of 1975 and it was the most successful chart release of the song. It reached No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on Cash Box. Dr. Hook's version spent 22 weeks on the charts and became a Gold record.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Chart (1975–1976) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[17] | 3 |
Canadian RPM Top Singles[18] | 3 |
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary[19] | 9 |
US Billboard Hot 100[20] | 6 |
US Billboard Adult Contemporary[21] | 14 |
US Cash Box Top 100 | 5 |
Year-end charts
Chart (1976) | Rank |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[22] | 39 |
Canada[23] | 54 |
US Billboard Hot 100[24] | 35 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[25] | Gold | 50,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Other cover versions
- Terry Black released a version in Canada in 1965 where it reached No. 14.[26]
- The Supremes recorded it on their 1965 album We Remember Sam Cooke.
- Jamaican artist Cornell Campbell also recorded a reggae version.
Samples
- E-40 and The Click sampled it on their first record, singing the hook in the intro.
See also
References
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 119. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 167. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b c Portrait of a Legend: 1951–1964 (liner notes). Sam Cooke. US: ABKCO Records. 2003. 92642.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Guralnick, Peter (2005). Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke. New York: Back Bay Books, p. 280-81. First edition, 2005.
- ^ Kutner, Jon; Leigh, Spencer (May 26, 2010). 1,000 UK Number One Hits. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-360-2.
- ^ Gulla, Bob (2008). Icons of R&B and soul: an encyclopedia of the artists who revolutionized rhythm. Greenwood icons. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-34044-4.
- ^ Only Sixteen by Sam Cooke - Track Info | AllMusic, retrieved July 18, 2023
- ^ "Sam Cooke – Artist – Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
- ^ a b "Sam Cooke – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
- ^ Hamilton, Andrew. "We Remember Sam Cooke - The Supremes | Songs, Reviews, Credits..." Allmusic. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ "THE SUPREMES DISCOGRAPHY". 7inchrecords.com. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ a b "AUGUSTI 1968" (PDF). Kvällstoppen. p. 25. Retrieved January 17, 2022 – via hitsallertijden.nl.
- ^ "The Supremes Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2018 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". RPM. July 17, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- ^ "The Supremes | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ "Supremes - Se alla lȧtar och listplaceringer - NostalgiListan". Kvällstoppen (in Swedish). Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via nostalgilistan.se.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 94. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 247.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 74.
- ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1976". Kent Music Report. December 27, 1976. Retrieved January 11, 2022 – via Imgur.
- ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1976/Top 100 Songs of 1976". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
- ^ "Hook Shots" (PDF). Cash Box. June 4, 1977. p. 52. Retrieved November 25, 2021 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
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