A Change Is Gonna Come
Sam Cooke | Artist Essentials
First released: 1964 (year verified)
Original full Ain't That Good News album recording, not the later single edition
MusicAtlas editorial note: Give the long vocal lines and orchestral swells time to develop; the measured pace makes the final rise more affecting.
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Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1964 (year verified)
The full studio recording first appeared on Ain't That Good News in 1964, before the December single. The contemporary single review identifies a 2:36 edition. This collection selects the original full album recording; the modern Atmos remix and later single edition are separate versions.
Recording: Original full Ain't That Good News album recording, not the later single edition
Credit: Sam Cooke
Role in this collection: Primary artist
Original album: Ain't That Good News
Ain't That Good News - ABKCO original-album track list
The original album contains A Change Is Gonna Come, (Ain't That) Good News and Another Saturday Night. Its accompanying review explicitly distinguishes Another Saturday Night's earlier single. Modern SACD and reissue dates are not first-release dates. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
Classic Sam Cooke Albums - ABKCO original-release and version history
Identifies Ain't That Good News as an original 1964 studio album introducing A Change Is Gonna Come; the Copa album is a separate 1964 live recording, and the Dolby Atmos editions are new 2024 mixes. The prose's session-month statement is not used. Only the supported original album year is asserted. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
A Change Is Gonna Come - Songwriters Hall of Fame original single history
Separates the song's writing and recording from its December 1964 single release. Used with ABKCO's earlier 1964 original album and the contemporary RCA single review; no exact worldwide first day is claimed. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
Cash Box, 9 January 1965 - Shake / A Change Is Gonna Come single review
PDF page 14 identifies the newly issued RCA Victor 8486 pairing and lists A Change Is Gonna Come at 2:36. Used to distinguish the later single edition from the selected full album recording; the review's 1965 issue date is not assigned as the recording's first year. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
Shake / A Change Is Gonna Come single edition
1964 (year verified)
A Change Is Gonna Come - Songwriters Hall of Fame original single history
Separates the song's writing and recording from its December 1964 single release. Used with ABKCO's earlier 1964 original album and the contemporary RCA single review; no exact worldwide first day is claimed. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
Cash Box, 9 January 1965 - Shake / A Change Is Gonna Come single review
PDF page 14 identifies the newly issued RCA Victor 8486 pairing and lists A Change Is Gonna Come at 2:36. Used to distinguish the later single edition from the selected full album recording; the review's 1965 issue date is not assigned as the recording's first year. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
In the yearly lists
This selected recording is beyond the current yearly lists.
About Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke grew up in Chicago after his family moved from Mississippi, and his early singing developed in gospel groups, including the Soul Stirrers. You Send Me brought him major solo success in 1957, followed by a pop and soul career that included Cupid and Chain Gang. He also worked as a songwriter and music-business entrepreneur, founding SAR Records with J.W. Alexander. His solo recordings and the Soul Stirrers' group performances remain different parts of that history.
Artist background sources
Sam Cooke - ABKCO artist biography
Mississippi/Chicago upbringing, gospel and Soul Stirrers career, 1957 You Send Me breakthrough, later repertoire, songwriting and SAR partnership with J.W. Alexander. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
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