Only Sixteen

"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. In the UK it was covered, and taken to No. 1, by Craig Douglas.

Background
"Only Sixteen" was inspired by the sixteenth birthday of Lou Rawls's stepsister, Eunice. It 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 result, and Cooke re-recorded it for himself. The composition was originally credited to Barbara Campbell, a pseudonym used for Cooke, Lou Adler and Herb Alpert. Cooke married Campbell in October 1959. "Only Sixteen" was, in fact, solely written by Cooke.

Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes to the 2003 compilation Portrait of a Legend: 1951–1964.
 * Sam Cooke – vocals
 * Clifton White – guitar
 * René Hall – guitar
 * Adolphus Asbrook – bass guitar
 * Charles Blackwell – drums

The Supremes version
The Supremes recorded a version, first released on their tribute album We Remember Sam Cooke (1965). In 1968, it was released as an A-side single in Scandinavia, as Diana Ross & the Supremes, where it reached No. 3 in Sweden. 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, Canada, and the UK.

Dr. Hook version
Dr. Hook released a version of "Only Sixteen" in the winter of 1975 and it 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.

Other cover versions

 * Terry Black released a version in Canada in 1965 where it reached No. 14.
 * 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.