Everything about Wonderful World Song totally explained
"
Wonderful World" (sometimes referred to as "
(What a) Wonderful World", but unrelated to the
Louis Armstrong song by that title) was written in the late 1950s by
soul music pioneer
Sam Cooke along with songwriters
Lou Adler and
Herb Alpert, and first recorded by Cooke in
1958 for Cooke's self-titled debut album. The song was released as a single in
1960. A bouncy love song, the lyrics have the singer disavowing any knowledge gained from books (the song is often referred to informally by its first line, "Don't know much about history"), but affirming the object of his affection "but I do know that I love you". Herman's Hermits had major hit with an uptempo version of the song in the mid-1960's which unfortunately left out one of the songs best verses but which was nevertheless enjoyable. The Hermit's version was, according to singer Peter Noone and guitarist Keith Hopwood, done as tribute to Cooke upon his untimely death.
In 2004, the song was placed 373
rd in
Rolling Stone magazine's
500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Popular Culture
The song is used in the classic college movie
Animal House (1978) in the well known lunchroom scene.
After a
Greg Chapman cover of the song was featured prominently in the
1985 film
Witness, "Wonderful World" gained further exposure, particularly in the
United Kingdom, where it appeared in a well-remembered 1986 advert for
Levis 501 jeans. As a result, the song became a hit in the UK, reaching #2 in re-release. In a 2005 poll by the UK's
Channel Four, the song was voted the 19th greatest song ever to feature in a commercial.
The original Sam Cooke version of the song comprised the title soundtrack of the 2005 film
Hitch.
Cover versions
The song has been covered by many artists, including the aforementioned
Herman's Hermits, Greg Chapman, and
Art Garfunkel (who performed a cover of the song on his
1977 album
Watermark, with harmonies by
James Taylor and
Paul Simon).
It was also covered by
Otis Redding on his album Otis Blue.
David Bromberg covered the song on the
1975 album
Midnight On The Water
The track was covered by
Terence Trent D'Arby as a "B-side" on a rare 7" vinyl EP in the late 1980s.
It was again covered in 2005 by Scottish crooner
Jim Diamond on
The Blues Shoes EP.
Grateful Dead guitarist
Jerry Garcia covered this song with The Jerry Garcia Band during live performances; it appears on Pure Jerry series #7 as an encore along with special guest Bruce Hornsby.
The sublime song KRS-One references the lyrics to this song
Chart performance
Sam Cooke version
Herman's Hermits version
Art Garfunkel version
Greg Chapman version
Credits
Sam Cooke version
Written by Sam Cooke, Lou Adler, and Herb Alpert.
Produced by Sam Cooke.
Instrumentation by Rene Hall (arrangement), Adolphus Asbrook (bass), Ronald Selico (drums), and Cliff White (guitar).
Background vocals by Lou Rawls.
Engineering by Deano Lappas.Further Information
Get more info on 'Wonderful World Song'.
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