Wonderful World

Written by Sam Cooke, Herp Albert, Lou Adler in 1958

Information

• Re-released for a Levi's Commercial in 1986
• The song was banned for a while after September 11 because of the title and its happiness
• Opening tune for Dutch TV Quiz 'Heraxamen'
• There is a version with violins added. (terrible)
• The song was 'discovered' when John Siamas of Keen had engineer Deano Lappas look through the vaults for a good song, exactly like Art Rupe had done with Specialty and came up with 'I'll Come Running Back To You'. Cooke had already left Keen for RCA.
• The regular drummer was not at the session, as was Bumps Blackwell. The drummer, whose name is unknown, was likely around 15 or 16 years old. 
• Lou Rawls stood about a meter and a half away from Sam singing in the same microphone.
• The Greg Chapman version was played in the Harrison Ford movie 'Witness' from 1985
• Title soundtrack of the Will Smith movie 'Hitch'
• Played in the movie 'Animal House'
• Voted #373 in the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
• In a U.K. Channel Four poll it was voted #19 in a list of greatest songs ever featured in a commercial
• A parody version was used by the Obama campaign in 2008 in an ad against McCain (Don't Know Much About Industry....)

Recording Date March 2, 1957

Musicians   

• Bass: Adolphus Asbrook 
• Guitar: Cliff White  
• Second Vocalist: Lou Rawls 
• drummer: Ronald Selico  

Engineer: Deano Lappas

Review: 

• "Moderate rocker gets a smooth belt from Sam Cooke in his usual, salable style. Worth watching (4 stars rating)" - Billboard
• "Cooke was rooming with Adler, who had already finished this song when Cooke fiddled with the lyrics and came up with the academic conceit that made it work. Cut while Cooke was still signed to Keen, it sat around until he'd moved to RCA -- then sold a million. Before it came out, Cooke liked to sing it for women he met, telling them he'd made it up on the spot just for them." - Rolling Stone

Charts   

• Pop #12 (stayed 15 weeks), R&B #2 in 1960    /    UK: #27
• Re-release in 1986 reached #2 in the UK, #1 in the Netherlands
• Herman's Hermits reached #4 in the US, #7 in the U.K.
• Art Garfunkel's version reached #1 in the adult contemporary charts and #17 pop
• the Greg Chapman version reached #2 in the U.K.

MP3 at Amazon.com

Singles    

• Keen 2112 b/w Along The Navajo Trail (April 14, 1960)
• HMV Pop 754 b/w Along The Navajo Trail    (U.K. 1960)
• HMV Pop 574 with Chain Gang / Cupid / A Change Is Gonna Come (12", March 86)
• RCA 49871 b/w Chain Gang (1986 - for a Levi's commercial)
• RCA 49872 with Chain Gang, Cupid and A Change Is Gonna Come 
• RCA 51455
•  

Albums   

• The Best of Sam Cooke
• The Man And His Music
• The Man Who Invented Soul
• Portrait Of A Legend
• Chain Gang
• Forever 32-tracks
• The Golden Age of Sam Cooke
• The Great Sam Cooke
• 16 Most Requested Song
• Right On
• 16 Greatest Hits - Only Sixteen
• This Is Sam Cooke
• 20 Greatest Hits
• 20 Great Hits    /    Only Sixteen - 20 Greatest Hits
• The Unforgettable Sam Cooke
• The Very Best Of Sam Cooke
• When I Fall In Love
• Wonderful World
• What A Wonderful World
• The Wonderful World of Sam Cooke - 40 Great Memories
• You Send Me (Charly)
• You Send Me (Starlite- with strings)
• So Wonderful
• The Best Of (Paradiso)

Compilation Albums:   

• The Hit Sound Of Levi's 501 (Magnum 469 168-2)
• 20 Wereldartiesten met hun Grootste Hits (Stereo 051288 CD)

Lyrics    /    Chords

Don't know much about history
Don't know much biology
Don't know much about a science book
Don't know much about the French I took

But I do know that I love you
And I know that if you love me too
What a wonderful world this would be

Don't know much about geography
Don't know much trigonomitry
Don't know much about algebra
Don't know what a slide rule is for

But I do know one and one is two
And if this one could be with you
What a wonderful world this would be

Now I don't claim, to be an A-student
But I'm trying to be
For maybe by being an A-student, baby
I could win your love for me
Don't know much about history
Don't know much biology
Don't know much about a science book
Don't know much about the French I took

But I do know that I love you
And I know that if you love me too
What a wonderful world this would be

[Wholatatata]

But I do know that I love you
And I know that if you love me too
What a wonderful world this would be

Covered By

Gerald Alston	Sings Sam Cooke
Michael Bolton		Get it at Amazon.com
The Boys	Boys Only (1980)
Breakout Blues	Drunk 'n' Homeless (2002)
David Bromberg	Midnight On The Water (1975)	Get it at Amazon.com
Gil Caro	Cool Changes (2007)	Get it at Amazon.com
Michael Carpenter	Soop #1: Songs of Other People (2001)
Michael Chapdelaine	Guitar by Moonlight (1996)
L.C. Cooke	Sings the Great Years of Sam Cooke
Greg Chapman		Used in the movie 'Witness'
Terence Trent D'Arby	Greatest Hits (2001)
Joe Diamond	The Blue Shoes EP (2005)
Eric Donaldson	Save The Last Dance For Me (1995)
The Drifters		Get it at Amazon.com
Duke's Men Of Yale
The Embers	Live at the Sands (2002)
Bryan Ferry	Another Time, Another Place	Get it at Amazon.com
Art Garfunkel (with Paul Simon and James Taylor)	Watermark	Get it at Amazon.com
Imua Garza
Gloria Gaynor	All The Best (1998)	Get it at Amazon.com
Dobie Gray	Drift Away and Other Classics (2004)	Get it at Amazon.com
Harvard Crocodiloes
Herman's Hermits		Get it at Amazon.com
Flemm Bamse Jorgensen
Sandy Lam
Tim Maia
Jesse Malin	On Your Sleeve (2008)
Richard Marx
Don McLean
Moffats
Johnny Nash
The Persuasions	Toubo's Song
Flying Pickets
Otis Redding	Otis Blue (1965)	Get it at Amazon.com
Sam & Dave		Get it at Amazon.com
Hank Snow	Instrumentaly Yours (1979)
Solo	Solo (1995)	Get it at Amazon.com
The Supremes	We Remember Sam Cooke (1965)	Get it at Amazon.com
Edwin Starr	Live (2004)
Connie Talbot	Over The Rainbow (2007)
Kenny Vance	Short Vacation (1988)
Roger Whittaker	What A Wonderful World (1994)	Get it at Amazon.com