"Sad Mood" is a song by American singer-songwriterSam Cooke, released on November 8, 1960 byRCA Victor. Arranged and conducted bySammy Lowe, the song charted within the top 30 ofBillboard'sHot R&B Sides chart and theBillboard Hot 100.

"Sad Mood" was first recorded in Cooke's second singles session for RCA on April 13, 1960.^[1] The song was set aside after four takes, with Cooke unhappy with the way it was working.^[2] Cooke gave it another go on October 1, 1960, this time with "strings, an all-star rhythm section, an assured vocal, and aSammy Lowe arrangement."^[2] Despite this, Cooke was still largely unhappy with the way it turned out, feeling it missed something.^[1] "He had established a way of working with arrangerRené Hall out on the Coast, and even though Sammy Lowe's string arrangements were not all that different from some of René's, the song still did not say Sam Cooke in the way that some of his earlierKeen hits indelibly, if indefinably, had," said biographer Peter Guralnick.^[1]Hugo & Luigi were nonetheless satisfied, and set themselves on making it the follow-up single to "Chain Gang".^[2]

"Sad Mood" charted well, but sold only 150,000 copies, roughly one-quarter of the sales of its predecessor.^[2]

Credits adapted from theliner notes to the 2003 compilationPortrait of a Legend: 1951–1964.^[1]

• Sam Cooke —vocals
• Clifton White — guitar
• David Francis — drums
• Milton Hinton — bass guitar
• Ernie Hayes — piano
• Everett Barksdale — violin
• Hinda Barnet — violin
• Alfred Brown — violin
• Max Cahn — violin
• Fred Fradkin — violin
• Archie Levin — violin
• Charles Libove — violin
• Harry Lookofsky — violin
• Ben Miller — violin

• 1960 singles
• Sam Cooke songs
• Songs written by Sam Cooke
• 1960 songs
• RCA Victor singles
• Song recordings produced by Hugo & Luigi

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