‘Cupid, don’t fail me’

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Gather round, my fellow aurally enabled humanoids! The campfire is aflame, the marshmallows are toasting and, out from the midst of a deepening wood, a banshee is lurking with a guitar, and a song that could melt the heart of a frozen hominid – the banshee is me…in case you didn’t get that connection.

While this won’t be a video of me just primal screaming for two and a half minutes, I do feel that it is not my best performance of this song - I’ll explain why a little later.

For now, sit back, and get ready to listen to a bit of Sam Cooke!

‘Don’t know much about history’

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Samuel Cook (AKA The King of Soul) influenced some of the biggest movers and groovers in Motown Soul; It is a difficult feat, growing up in the 21st century, to have never laid ears on those sweet, syrupy-smooth vocals that Cooke so effortlessly delivers – unless you’re some kind of YOUTH!

It is a wonderful thing to switch on the car radio and tap my fingers along to some of the best damn music that has ever been written. Wherever you are in the world (right at this moment!), take two and a half minutes to tie off, find a vain, and inject a little soul into your day.

‘That’s where it’s at’

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Now, for such a short and simple song, the ensemble is actually rather complex; there is a lot going on. The instrumentation used is synonymous with that type of genre and indeed that particular era – you just weren’t worth listening to if you didn’t have a full function band behind you.

So, what am I hearing...?

Well, if you listen carefully, you can hear a solo horn playing softly over a strummed guitar, double bass, and brushed drums. All of these instruments play loosely around a rumba rhythm that eventually gets swallowed up with the introduction of the rest of the ensemble. A string section, along with various harp runs and a peppering of backing vocals, really fills the song out in all the right places. Above all of these wonderful ideas (the shining star), Mr.Cooke’s vocal line, one of the smoothest and soulful voices to ever grace our big blue ball of moss and monkeys.

‘Long as I know that you love me, honey, it's all right’

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Growing up, Cupid was always a song that stuck with me, it is just such a wonderfully simple piece, but it gets you right here (gesturing to chest); I can only hope that my rendition does the same. It is only a simple cover and should be heard as such because I most definitely don’t have the money to hire a full orchestra. Alas, may your ears be fond of either, and I hope you take this song away with you – no matter which version you prefer.

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Too many Cookes spoil the broth

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I adore covering this song, and I only generally cover songs if I feel that I can do them justice – especially something from a soul background. Since recording this performance, I have sung it better and, as with my previous recordings (done on the same day), it was not my first take; it was a very long and very warm day. Excuses aside, I will be doing some more of Cooke’s songs in the future but, as I have said above, only if I can put into them what Sam puts into them so effortlessly.

For further interest.

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For those of you who are of a musical or technical inclination, these words, I write for you…

I play this song in standard tuning (EADGBE) in the key of F# Major. I have utilised the CAGED system to keep my chord transitions fairly stationary, this allows me to focus more on the delivery of my vocal.

The microphones I have used to record are:

Mid/Side Stereo (Guitar)

• RODE NT2A
• Samson CO2

Microphone (Vocals)

• Neumann TLM 102

I feed all of these into a Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 and use Cubase as my DAW.

Thank you for lending me your ears,
Dan.

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Hark to Tanner?

Who are you?