"Only Sixteen" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, released in May 1959. It was a top 15 hit on Billboard's Hot R&B Sides chart and also charted within the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.[1] In the UK it was covered, and taken to No. 1, by Craig Douglas.[2]
| "Only Sixteen" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 One of side-A labels of the original US single | ||||
| Single by Sam Cooke | ||||
| B-side | "Let's Go Steady Again" | |||
| Released | May 1959 | |||
| Recorded | January 4, 1959 | |||
| Studio | Rex Productions, Los Angeles, California | |||
| Genre | Rhythm and blues, soul, pop | |||
| Length | 2:00 | |||
| Label | Keen 2022 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Sam Cooke | |||
| Producer(s) | Bumps Blackwell | |||
| Sam Cooke singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
"Only Sixteen" was inspired by the sixteenth birthday of Lou Rawls's stepsister, Eunice.[3] The song was originally intended for actor Steve Rowland, who often hung around the Keen studio. Rowland asked Cooke to write a song for him, and Cooke borrowed the bridge from an earlier song of his, "Little Things You Do". Rowland's manager disliked the song, and Cooke re-recorded it for himself.[3][4] The song's composition was originally credited to Barbara Campbell, a pseudonym used for Cooke, Lou Adler and Herb Alpert. Cooke married Campbell in October 1959.[5][6] "Only Sixteen" was, in fact, solely written by Cooke.[7]
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes to the 2003 compilation Portrait of a Legend: 1951–1964.[3]
Chart performance
| Weekly charts (1959) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK[8] | 23 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 28 |
| US Hot R&B Sides (Billboard)[9] | 13 |
The Supremes version
| "Only Sixteen" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Swedish single picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by The Supremes | ||||
| from the album We Remember Sam Cooke | ||||
| B-side | "Some Things You Never Get Used To" | |||
| Released | 1968 | |||
| Recorded | 1965 | |||
| Genre | Rhythm and blues, soul, pop | |||
| Length | 2:24 | |||
| Label | Tamla Motown | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Sam Cooke | |||
| Producer(s) | Harvey Fuqua · Hal Davis · Marc Gordon | |||
| The Supremes singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Supremes recorded a version, first released on their tribute album We Remember Sam Cooke (1965).[10] In 1968, it was released as an A-side single in Scandinavia, as Diana Ross & the Supremes,[11] where it reached No. 3 in Sweden.[12] The B-side, "Some Things You Never Get Used To" was released elsewhere as an A-side, becoming a top 40 hit in the US,[13] Canada,[14] and the UK.[15]
Charts
| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Sweden (Kvällstoppen)[16][12] | 3 |
Dr. Hook version
| "Only Sixteen" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of the US single | ||||
| Single by Dr. Hook | ||||
| from the album Bankrupt | ||||
| B-side | "Let Me Be Your Lover" | |||
| Released | December 1975 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:46 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Sam Cooke | |||
| Producer(s) | Ron Haffkine | |||
| Dr. Hook singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Dr. Hook released a version of "Only Sixteen" in the winter of 1975. Their version was the most successful chart release of the song. It reached No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on Cash Box. Dr. Hook's version spent 22 weeks on the charts and became a Gold record.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
| Chart (1975–1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[17] | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[18] | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary[19] | 9 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[20] | 6 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary[21] | 14 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | 5 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1976) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[22] | 39 |
| Canada[23] | 54 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[24] | 35 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[25] | Gold | 50,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Other cover versions
- Terry Black released a version in Canada in 1965 where it reached No. 14.[26]
- The Supremes recorded it on their 1965 album We Remember Sam Cooke.
- Jamaican artist Cornell Campbell also recorded a reggae version.
Samples
- E-40 and The Click sampled it on their first record, singing the hook in the intro.