Sam Cooke’s 1964 classic “A Change Is Gonna Come” became one of the most important protest songs in American music, but one of its biggest inspirations came from another singer-songwriter: Bob Dylan.
According to Songfacts, Cooke was deeply moved when he heard Dylan’s 1963 song “Blowin’ in the Wind,” a song that addressed racism and social injustice in America. Cooke was reportedly struck by how strongly the song spoke about racial inequality even though Dylan was white. The experience pushed Cooke to write a song that reflected the struggles of Black Americans and the growing Civil Rights Movement.
The result was “A Change Is Gonna Come,” a song that would later be ranked among the greatest songs ever recorded. Rolling Stone placed it at No. 3 on its 2021 list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” In 2025, the magazine ranked it No. 1 on its list of the “100 Best Protest Songs of All Time.”
Soul Singer Sam Cooke at the RCA Recording Studio in Los Angeles, California circa 1959.Photo by Jess Rand/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
The song was also selected for preservation by the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2007 for being culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.
Cooke wrote “A Change Is Gonna Come” in 1963 and recorded it in January 1964 in Hollywood. It first appeared on his album Ain’t That Good News before being released as a single in December 1964.
Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” played an important role in Cooke’s decision to write something more directly connected to racial injustice. Cooke felt embarrassed that he had not yet written a song addressing racism in the same direct way, per BBC.
The song became part of Cooke’s performing repertoire, and its message helped inspire him to create his own response to the civil rights struggle.
Cooke also drew from his own experiences. In October 1963, he and his group were turned away from a whites-only Holiday Inn in Shreveport, Louisiana. The group later faced arrest for disturbing the peace after leaving the hotel and arriving at another motel.
That experience became one of the major personal events behind “A Change Is Gonna Come.”
Cooke had already experienced the discrimination that was common under Jim Crow laws. He also knew people involved in the fight for racial equality, including Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and football player Jim Brown.
Another important influence was Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech during the 1963 March on Washington. By the end of that year, Cooke said the composition came to him in a dream.
When Cooke presented the new song to his close collaborator J. W. Alexander after Christmas in 1963, the two recognized that it was different from much of Cooke’s earlier work.
Cooke was already a major pop and R&B star. His catalog included songs such as “You Send Me,” “Chain Gang” and “Twistin’ the Night Away.” But “A Change Is Gonna Come” was more personal and political.
Its musical arrangement also stood apart from his lighter hits.
Cooke gave arranger René Hall freedom to create the instrumentation the song required. Hall built a lush orchestral arrangement featuring strings, horns and timpani. The recording was made on Jan. 30, 1964, at RCA Studios in Hollywood.
Cooke first performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on Feb. 7, 1964. However, he rarely performed it afterward. The arrangement was difficult and Cooke also considered the song’s mood unusually dark.
Cooke died on December 11, 1964, after being shot at a Los Angeles motel. “A Change Is Gonna Come” was released as a single shortly afterward, meaning Cooke did not live to see the full impact of the song.
The song was adopted by the Civil Rights Movement almost immediately and became associated with the struggle for racial equality and justice.
The song has received more than 500 recorded versions, with artists including Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Seal, Jon Bon Jovi, Al Green and the Fugees recording their own versions.
In 2007, the Library of Congress added the song to the National Recording Registry.
The song has also appeared in films and television, including Spike Lee’s Malcolm X. Beyoncé performed it during the 2013 Sound of Change Live concert in London, while Jennifer Hudson performed it during the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
More than six decades after it was written, “A Change Is Gonna Come” remains closely linked to the history of American protest music.
Related: 1971 Hit, With NFL Players, Is Still a Big Hit 55 Years Later
Hence then, the article about 1964 protest song ranked among greatest songs of all time was inspired by bob dylan was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 1964 Protest Song, Ranked Among ‘Greatest Songs of All Time,’ Was Inspired by Bob Dylan )
Also on site :