Cupid (Sam Cooke song)

"Cupid" is a song by the American singer Sam Cooke, released on May 16, 1961. It charted at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 20 on the Hot R&B Sides chart; the track performed best in the United Kingdom, peaking at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The song is featured on Cooke's greatest hits album, The Best of Sam Cooke (1962). Cooke's producers had asked him to write a song for a girl they had seen on a Perry Como TV show—but once they heard her sing, they kept "Cupid" for Cooke himself.^{[citation needed]}

"Cupid"
Single by Sam Cooke
from the album The Best of Sam Cooke
B-side	"Farewell My Darling"
Released	May 16, 1961 (1961-05-16)
Recorded	April 14, 1961
Studio	RCA (Hollywood, California)
Genre	Rhythm and blues
Length	2:30
Label	RCA Victor
Songwriter(s)	Sam Cooke
Producer(s)	Hugo & Luigi
Sam Cooke singles chronology
"That's It, I Quit, I'm Moving On" (1961) "Cupid" (1961) "Feel It" (1961)

"Cupid"
Single by Johnny Nash
from the album Hold Me Tight
A-side	"Hold Me Tight" (original)
B-side	"People in Love" (reissue)
Released	1969
Recorded	1969
Genre	Reggae, rocksteady
Length	3:29
Label	JAD
Songwriter(s)	Sam Cooke
Producer(s)	Johnny Nash, Arthur Jenkins
Johnny Nash singles chronology
"Love and Peace" (1969) "Cupid" (1969) "(What A) Groovey Feeling" (1970)

"Cupid"
Single by Tony Orlando and Dawn
from the album To Be with You
B-side	"You're Growin' on Me"
Released	January 1976 (1976-01)
Genre	Pop
Length	3:02
Label	Elektra
Songwriter(s)	Sam Cooke
Producer(s)	Dave Appell, Hank Medress
Tony Orlando and Dawn singles chronology
"Skybird" (1975) "Cupid" (1976) "Midnight Love Affair" (1976)

"Cupid/I've Loved You for a Long Time"
Single by The Spinners
from the album Love Trippin'
B-side	"Pipedream" "Body Language" (Germany/Sweden)
Released	May 1980 (1980-05)
Genre	R&B, disco
Length	3:55 (single version) 5:32 (album version)
Label	Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Sam Cooke ("Cupid"), Michael Zager ("I've Loved You for a Long Time")
Producer(s)	Michael Zager
The Spinners singles chronology
"Working My Way Back to You" (1979) "Cupid/I've Loved You for a Long Time" (1980) "Now That You're Mine Again" (1980)

Personnel on the recording included Cooke's session regulars Clifton White and Rene Hall on guitar, Clifford Hills on bass, Earl Palmer on drums and Joseph Gibbons on guitar and banjo.^{[citation needed]}

"Cupid" was ranked at number 452 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004 and at number 458 in 2010. An AllMusic critic described the track as a "perfect pop song" which combines "Latin, R&B, jazz, and mainstream pop elements".^[1]

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1961 - Sam Cooke) Peak position UK Singles (OCC)[2] 7 US Billboard Hot 100[3] 17 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[4] 20 US Cash Box Top 100[5] 16

Year-end charts Chart (1961) Rank UK [6] 74

Chart (1969–70 – Johnny Nash) Peak position Canada RPM Top Singles[7] 30 Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[8] 32 Ireland (IRMA)[9] 19 UK Singles (OCC)[10] 6 US Billboard Hot 100[11] 39

Chart (1976 – Tony Orlando and Dawn) Peak position Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[12] 5 Canada RPM Top Singles[13] 27 New Zealand (RIANZ)[14] 22 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[15] 22

Chart (1976) Rank Canada [16] 190

Chart (1980 – The Spinners) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report) 17 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[17] 20 Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[18] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[9] 11 UK Singles (OCC)[19] 4 US Billboard Hot 100[20] 4 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[21] 3 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[22] 5

Chart (1980) Rank Australia 132 UK 74 US Billboard Hot 100[23] 29 US Billboard R&B [24][deprecated source] 55 US Cash Box [25] 32

Chart (2008 – Amy Winehouse)	Peak position
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[26]	49

Cover versions

• In 1964, Johnny Rivers covered the song on his album In Action.^[27]
• In 1965, The Supremes covered the song on their tribute album We Remember Sam Cooke.^[28]
• In 1970, Johnny Nash's rocksteady and reggae version, released in late 1969, peaked at number 39 on the Hot 100 on January 24, 1970. In the United Kingdom, this version peaked at number 6 in May 1969.^[29] It was the B-side to his hit song "Hold Me Tight".
• In 1975, Gary Glitter covered the song on his album G.G..^{[citation needed]}
• In 1976, Dawn's cover peaked at number 22 on the Hot 100 on March 20–27, 1976, and number two on the Easy Listening chart.
• In 1980, the song was covered, in a medley with Michael Zager's "I've Loved You For a Long Time", by The Spinners. This version went to number four on July 19 - August 2, 1980, on the Hot 100, thus becoming the highest-charting version on the Hot 100, and number five on the R&B chart.^[30]
• Otis Redding was also known for covering a number of Cooke's songs including "Cupid". His cover was included on the 1993 box set Otis! The Definitive Otis Redding.
• In 2006, Amy Winehouse covered the song on her album Back to Black.

Other

• In 1970, the song's opening lyrics featured in Edwin Starr's "Running Back and Forth" from War & Peace.
• This song's melody is interpolated in Carly Rae Jepsen's song "Tiny Little Bows" from her second studio album, Kiss (2012).^{[31][importance?]}