Shake / A Change Is Gonna Come

Released merely days after Sam Cooke was tragically shot and killed in Los Angeles, this single encapsulates the two distinct sides of his genius. 'Shake' is an energetic, driving pop-R&B dance number. The B-side, 'A Change Is Gonna Come', inspired by Bob Dylan's 'Blowin' in the Wind' and Cooke's own experiences with racism, is a sweeping, orchestral masterwork that became the defining anthem of the American Civil Rights Movement.