Cupid
Sam Cooke | Artist Essentials
First released: 1961 (year verified)
Original RCA Victor 7883 studio recording
MusicAtlas editorial note: The gently swaying accompaniment gives the vocal's direct appeal a playful ease.
YouTube opens a title-and-artist search. The selected recording and date are identified below.
Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1961 (year verified)
The original RCA single is reviewed as Cooke's new release in May 1961. The verified first-release year is retained without treating the magazine's cover date as the release day.
Recording: Original RCA Victor 7883 studio recording
Credit: Sam Cooke
Role in this collection: Primary artist
Original single: Cupid / Farewell, My Darling
Cash Box, 27 May 1961 - Cupid original single review
PDF page 8 reviews Cooke's new RCA Victor 7883 single, Cupid / Farewell, My Darling, and identifies the orchestral and choral backing. Supports the original 1961 studio single, not a later concert recording. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
In the yearly lists
These are listening-list appearances, separate from the first-release date.
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.
Continue listening
Recommended positions express one editorial listening sequence. They are not measured quality scores.
Browse by year
1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.