His first musical success was as a 14-year-old guitarist in the Royal Teens, best known for their novelty blues riff, "Short Shorts". In 1960, he joined the song-writing team of Bob Brass and Irwin Levine, who wrote the hit, "This Diamond Ring", for Gary Lewis and the Playboys. When he was 21, he moved to Greenwich Village.
He performed with Bob Dylan in concert in 1965 and in the studio in 1965 and 1966, including playing Hammond organ with Dylan at the (in)famous Newport Folk Festival of 1965. He worked extensively with Mike Bloomfield for a number of years after the two met as studio musicians on Dylan's legendary Highway 61 Revisited album.
In 1965, he co-formed The Blues Project and played their most famous gig at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. He formed Blood, Sweat & Tears in the same year, leaving after the group's first album, Child is Father to the Man, in 1968.
Kooper played on hundreds of records, including The Rolling Stones, B.B. King, The Who and Cream. On occasion, he has even overdubbed on his own efforts, as on The Live Adventures Of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper album, as Roosevelt Gook. He discovered the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and produced their first three albums, including the single Sweet Home Alabama. Kooper also wrote the score for the TV series, Crime Story, and has also written music for several made-for-television movies. Kooper also produced a now rare album by a group called Appaloosa.
Al Kooper has published a memoir, Backstage Passes: Rock 'n' Roll Life In The Sixties (1977), now available in revised form as Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock 'N' Roll Survivor 2007
Kooper currently teaches songwriting and production at Berklee College of Music in Boston and plays weekend concerts with his band Jimmy Vivino and The ReKooperators.
A Possible Projection Of The Future
Al Kooper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
God helped Moses so I know he wont let me down
I'm at the bottom of my ladder
And it weren't no easy way down
All the folks that used to be around me
You wont find em knockin at my door
And you never know who your friends are
My money ran out last evenin'
My woman she ran out today
And no one gives a fuck what I'm singing
Which makes it even harder to say
I've worked almost all my lifetime makin music as best I can
But you never know who your friends are
Til they don't come round again
Now I'm just an old nothin' with memories of fifty years
I started with The Blues Project
Spent some time with Blood Sweat & Tears
My life was filled with music
My heart was drenched in sound
And if you go see an old movie
You might hear me in the background
These old eyes don't see too good no more
These days they say that I'm deaf
My hands are so soft & wrinkled
So let me play you all that I got left, Oh Lord
The lyrics to Al Kooper's song "A Possible Projection Of The Future" seem to express a sense of fading relevance and waning success. Kooper draws on religious imagery and allusions to the biblical tale of Moses to express his faith in divine guidance through difficult times. He acknowledges that he is at the "bottom of [his] ladder" and that his former companions and collaborators have deserted him. Despite this, Kooper still holds on to his commitment to music and songwriting and holds out hope that he can still create meaningful art.
The lyrics also express a sense of resignation and acceptance of the decline of Kooper's musical career. He acknowledges that his voice is no longer heard, and his music is no longer in demand. However, he is still determined to play and create music as long as he has the ability to do so. The song seems to be a reflection on an artist's internal struggle with coming to terms with the limitations of time and the inevitability of aging, while holding on to one's artistic integrity.
Overall, the lyrics to "A Possible Projection Of The Future" are thoughtful and bittersweet, as they express the reality of an artist's career trajectory in a reflective and honest way.
Line by Line Meaning
God helped Moses so I know he wont let me down
I have faith in God because I believe he helped Moses in the past and he won't abandon me either.
I'm at the bottom of my ladder
I have reached a low point in my life.
And it weren't no easy way down
I didn't get here easily.
All the folks that used to be around me
People who were once close to me.
You wont find em knockin at my door
They don't come around anymore.
And you never know who your friends are
It's hard to tell who your true friends are.
Til they don't come round no more, Lord
Until they stop coming around, you don't know who really cares about you.
My money ran out last evenin'
I ran out of money yesterday.
My woman she ran out today
My lover left me today.
And no one gives a fuck what I'm singing
Nobody cares about the music I make.
Which makes it even harder to say
This fact makes it more difficult for me.
I've worked almost all my lifetime makin music as best I can
I've dedicated my life to making music to the best of my ability.
But you never know who your friends are
Again, you can't be sure who really supports you.
Til they don't come round again
Until they stop coming around you don't know who really cares about you.
Now I'm just an old nothin' with memories of fifty years
I'm an old man with fifty years worth of memories who feels like he's nothing.
I started with The Blues Project
I began my career with The Blues Project.
Spent some time with Blood Sweat & Tears
I also had a stint with Blood Sweat & Tears.
My life was filled with music
Music has been an important part of my life.
My heart was drenched in sound
Music has been a significant emotional experience for me.
And if you go see an old movie
If you watch an old film from the past.
You might hear me in the background
My music might be playing in the background of the movie.
These old eyes don't see too good no more
I have trouble seeing clearly now that I'm older.
These days they say that I'm deaf
People say I can't hear as well as I used to.
My hands are so soft & wrinkled
My hands are worn down and my skin is wrinkled from a lifetime of working and playing music.
So let me play you all that I got left, Oh Lord
Let me play the music I have left to give, which means everything to me.
Writer(s): AL KOOPER
Contributed by Katherine J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.