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Soul Man (History of)
David Porter
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After the power of "When Something Is Wrong (With My Baby) ", here
Comes some beautiful, beautiful additional music that was giving us
A path to go to make Sam & Dave even bigger. We even had, we had a
Great record for their show, a great song for their show, that was
Really, was a cover of a Sam Cooke song called "Soothe Me". And so "
Soothe Me" was, was also just a great, great compliment to the power
Of "When Something Is Wrong", but it was, it was a cover song. So
Meaning that someone else had already had a major marketing
Impression of, with the song and Sam Cooke was the top of, of the
Ladder of that, needless to say. And he was also the writing artist
Of the song. So, but we were now looking for that, that home run song
That, because Sam & Dave was so hot now, that home run song that
Could give us a number one record again. We'd had one with "Hold On
I'm Coming" and we wanted to have another one that was a tempo
A song with an uptempo to it that would do that for us. And so we
Were looking. You have to understand that this was the 1960's, this
Was 1967, right before the beginning of '68, the time period. So
There was a lot of racial turmoil that was going on in the country
And, and in the creative process of the Hayes & Porter creative
Processes, when we would write songs, we had multiple meanings for
The songs. On the surface it would sound like it's just a love affair
Between a guy and a girl, but there was also an intent in an
Emotivational way, of people to feel greater pride about themselves
Greater, greater confidence in who they were, and also a motivational
Kinds of thing for our community. At the time we didn't, we were not
Certain that we would be able to get radio play on other formats
On pop radio as an indication. We did not, we were not sure of that
We got a little bit of exposure that was starting to happen, but this
Was the 60's and it was a turbulent time in the country, in race
Relationships and all. And music was changing the mindset of this
Country. It was changing it in a powerful, powerful way. It started
With Motown, in my opinion, there were great, you have to, you have
To look at the patterns that those before us had already started
Establishing. Walls that were being broken down with the greats such
As Chuck Berry, with the greats such as Bo Diddley, with the greats
Such as Little Richard, with the greats such as the New Orleans Fats
Domino. I mean, there were changes going on in America in an
Emotional connectivity way, in white America, that, that it was just
Undeniable the power of this material. Even though there were artists
Who would take the black music that was being created, the songs that
Were so powerful, and they would re-record them. Artists like Pat
Boone would record a powerful R&B song that was played on R&B radio
But not played on pop radio, and he would, he would record the song
And he was not the only one, but there were others, and the song
Would be a hit on that artist, but it would not be played by, by, on
The radio station by the black artist because they were simply, quite
Honestly, because they were black. But the changes were beginning to
Happen. And the sensibilities were beginning to take root in America
Because people wanted to feel good. And the music that was being
Created by African Americans was universal music. In other words, it
Was music that could make anyone feel good at any time. And we owe
That respect to those that came before us because they were really
The ones who were breaking down those barriers. And then here comes
The energy of Motown, which really, really started the ball rolling
In the most powerful way, was certainly the motivation for Isaac
Hayes and David Porter at Stax to find the creative directions for
Us. And so here that was. And so we were living in these turbulent
Times and also understanding the power of music and what it was
Going, what was happening with music. We were really relishing in
Our success with what we were doing and having the success we were
Having with Sam & Dave. Stax was now beginning to flourish as a
Company and we were very excited about that. We had relationships
Not only with Sam & Dave, with Carla Thomas, with, with, with Johnny
Taylor, with Albert King. Things were beginning to happen in real
Significant ways and we were excited about that. Now we also have
Otis Redding that was now inside of the camp as well. So we were
Trying to find a material that would be so impactful, so impactful
That it would change, it would change the world. And we, we felt that
We had an artist to do that. Now we simply had to find the song. And
What we were looking for was something that, as I mentioned, that was
Also, had double meaning, double messages to it. And so we were
Trying to come up with the idea. So we were looking at the times
There was a lot of race things happening. And Isaac one day was
Saying, "Hey man, uh, you know, soul is, you know, soul is what
This is about. We, we are soulful people." And I said, "Hey man
Soul Man." And so, out of the thought of him talking about soul
And me just simply saying, well just listening, knowing our thought
Was let's write something that will have emotional connectivity
To it, with double meanings, but also an emotional way. I say
"Hey man, Soul Man." So, it was a situation where we had a title
We had a theme, a concept, because we were thinking in terms of
Let's make this motivational for, for our people, but also make
It meaningful in a relationship way as well. So if you listen to "
Soul Man", we quickly wrote the song, but when I say quickly, we
Took a little bit more time in writing "Soul Man" than we would
Do with many of the other songs because we thought strategically
Because of the times, how can we make, there be so many meanings
Inside of the song, that it will have a powerful connection with our
People. When we talk, when we think in terms of Soul Man, we as
African-Americans, or black folks in that time, we had so much to
Offer, so much inside of us, that we want the meet and the meaning of
That to be motivational for people that look like us. But we also
Want the clarity of what it could be to be universal in its message
So for us, when we talked about coming to you on a dirt road, we were
Talking about the humble beginning of a people struggling to survive
Inside of a society that had been against us in many respects. But it
Did not stop us from getting to where we wanted to get to. So that
First line in that song was certainly calculated. Coming to you on
A dirt road, good loving, I got a truckload. In other words, what
I'm about can't be stopped. So everything inside of what we were
Saying, that had double meaning inside of it. And so we talked about
The humble beginning. We also talked about getting an education. And
So inside of the song, you'll hear I was educated at Woodstock. Well
Many people thought that the Woodstock inside of Soul Man was a
Message that really was talking about the festival. But you have to
Understand, this was 1967. The festival that happened, Woodstock
Festival, didn't happen until the seventies. We had no idea about any
Woodstock Festival. We were talking about a rural school outside of
Right at the edge of Shelby County. Memphis was in the county of
Shelby. And so right at the edge of Shelby County was a school called
Woodstock. And that was in the rural part of the county. So the
Humble beginning, coming to you on a dirt road, I was educated at
Woodstock, was talking about the humble beginnings that one came up
Through. And that's where that was coming from. And I had never even
Seen Woodstock School, but knew it was out in the county. And so put
That line inside of the song, because it married my thought process
Relating to humble beginning, coming to you on a dirt road. We talked
About things that could be relatable in many different ways, in a
Motivational way, but also in the relationship way. That the
Soulfulness and the purity of my love and devotion to you, my love
Nothing could stop that. Inside of the creative process of Sam
Dave, we had a high energy thought, and a thought of man, woman, boy
Girl, that was so rooted in authenticity about the passion of the
Love and the relationship. And that's what you hear inside of the
Lyrical messages of Sam & Dave. And that's the times in which we were
Living. Oddly enough, we talk about thought processes and how
Powerful songs were from those times, but much of the motivation for
How the creative processes that were done in the songs of the sixties
And seventies were done by all the creatives, not just those of us
At Stax, but those at Motown as well, with the intent of being able
To make people feel good about who they were, where they were, and
What they had to deal with on a day-to-day basis. So what we were
Doing in Soul Man was finding the epitome message that talked about
The soulfulness of a guy with his girl, but with the universality of
A people. And so the whole, when you listen to all of the lyrics of
Soul Man, just write out the lyrics and look at it, you'll see that
There's more than one meaning inside of those phrases. And that was
Common in all of the songs that Isaac and I wrote. But Soul Man was
The one song that we felt really, really great about. And oddly
Enough, I felt that we had a number one record. Jim Stewart, who was
The owner of Stax Records at the time, really was a person that was
Quiet, withdrawn. You never could get a pure signal of what Jim was
Thinking. I approached him and said, "Jim, this is going to be a
Number one record, and it's going to be a number one record pop."
And Jim smiled at us because we were having success, but to have a
Number one record pop, you were getting way out there. So I said, "
I bet you we have a number one record pop." He said, "Yeah, okay."
I said, "I bet you $20,000 we have a number one record pop." He said
"What you bet me?" He said, "Yeah, I bet you." Now you have to
Understand, Jim Stewart never thought that there would be a $20
000 Loss on a song. 20 for me, 20 for Isaac, that's $40,000. This
Is the sixties, you understand. And so you're talking about a
Fortune, so he didn't think that, and nor was he going to pay $
40,000. But he was on the line for $20,000 because Soul Man went
Number one pop. It was number one on the other counter magazine
To Billboard, which was Cash Box. Cash Box magazine during those
Times was just as popular in the music industry as Billboard. It
Went number one on Cash Box, which was all pop. And Jim Stewart
Lost $20,000 on a song, but we became so, so excited because of
The power of the song Soul Man. The song that really, really took
Us to another kind of level with Stax Records was the song Soul Man
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