“Cupid” by Sam Cooke

At 1619 Broadway street near 49th in Midtown Manhattan, sits the Brill Building and with it, pop music history spanning from the Big Band Era of the 40’s through the “singer-songwriter” movement of the early 70’s. Two songwriter/producers that found success under that roof were Italian American cousins Hugo & Luigi. They penned and produced a string of hits from the likes of Perry Como, The Isley Brothers, and Elvis Presley. One of their most prolific artists who didn’t need any help writing songs was Sam Cooke. 
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“Cupid” was written by Cooke and produced by Luigi for RCA Victor in 1961. Luigi allegedly asked Cooke to write the song for a girl he had seen on the Perry Como TV show, but once Luigi heard her sing, he had second thoughts. During the session it was Cooke’s idea to mimic the sound of an arrow being fired on the line “straight to my lover's heart.”

I adore this song. It flawlessly encapsulates various musical elements while showcasing the timeless songwriting of Cooke. His brilliance and talent are greatly missed.