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.
I Stand Alone
Al Kooper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I stand alone
Cant nobody make me change my mind about my love
So many people tryin’ to bring a good thing down today
Ya know it’s down on the ground
Before it’s had a chance to get away
I stand alone
I tried so very hard to win her love for me
Cant nobody take me where I don't wanna be
Love of my life I feel so much love for you
That’s why I stand alone and do the things I have to do
I have never been so much in love as I am today
And tomorrow - I know tomorrow
I’ll stand alone
The lyrics of Al Kooper's "I Stand Alone" express the singer's determination to hold on to his love, despite the numerous attempts of people to break them apart. The song is a statement of steadfast love and unwavering devotion. Kooper's lyrics depict an individual who is troubled by the outside world but stands strong, committed to his decision to stay with his love. The phrase, "I stand alone" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's unwavering focus on his love, regardless of the circumstances around him.
Furthermore, Kooper also expresses his love and passion for his partner. He affirms that he has never loved anyone as much as he loves her. He asserts that he feels so much love for her that he must stand alone and do what he needs to do. The lyrics of "I Stand Alone" are straightforward and touching, with the singer's heartfelt emotion evident in every verse. Overall, the song is a testament to the power of love and the strength of character it inspires in those who experience it.
Line by Line Meaning
I stand alone
I am standing by myself and independent in my decisions.
Cant nobody make me change my mind about my love
No one can influence me to change the way I feel about the person I love.
So many people tryin’ to bring a good thing down today
Many people attempt to ruin the good thing I have going on in my life.
Ya know it’s down on the ground
The good thing that was once up is now falling and going down.
Before it’s had a chance to get away
Before the good thing has had a chance to escape and continue to flourish.
I stand alone
Again, I am standing independently and making my own decisions.
In a world where people wheel ya this way, deal ya that
In a world where people try to control and manipulate you in various ways.
I tried so very hard to win her love for me
I put in a lot of effort to make the person I love feel the same way towards me.
Cant nobody take me where I don't wanna be
No one can force me to go somewhere or be with someone that I do not want to.
Love of my life I feel so much love for you
I have a strong feeling of love towards the person I consider the love of my life.
That’s why I stand alone and do the things I have to do
The reason I am alone and making my own decisions is because I have to do what I know is best for my love.
I have never been so much in love as I am today
I have never felt the kind of love that I feel now towards the love of my life.
And tomorrow - I know tomorrow
I am aware that tomorrow will bring its own set of challenges and situations.
I’ll stand alone
Once again, I will be standing by myself and making my own choices.
Contributed by Keira G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Peter Lauder
"Overture" – 4:39
"I Stand Alone" – 3:37
"Camille" (Kooper, Tony Powers) – 2:54
"One" (Harry Nilsson) – 2:53
"Coloured Rain" (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood) – 3:01
"Soft Landing on the Moon" – 3:58
"I Can Love a Woman" – 3:28
"Blue Moon of Kentucky" (Bill Monroe) – 2:14
"Toe Hold" (Isaac Hayes, David Porter) – 3:53
"Right Now for You" – 2:33
"Hey, Western Union Man" (Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff) – 3:43
"Song and Dance for the Unborn, Frightened Child" – 4:31[1]
Personnel
Ginny Jackson-Pownell
My brother who died at the age of 24, had every album that Al Kooper did ! My prized possessions. My favorite " I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" - can't beat it ! This one's good too!
Aurelio Gago
A psychedelic album born of the mind of the keyboard genius Mr.Al Kooper
רוברט ויינגר
Al kooper had some crazy ideas, he's 78 years old now, he started in the sixties and his last album came out in 2008, what a great musician, thanks Al Kooper and also to you the uploader.
Peter Lauder
"Overture" – 4:39
"I Stand Alone" – 3:37
"Camille" (Kooper, Tony Powers) – 2:54
"One" (Harry Nilsson) – 2:53
"Coloured Rain" (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood) – 3:01
"Soft Landing on the Moon" – 3:58
"I Can Love a Woman" – 3:28
"Blue Moon of Kentucky" (Bill Monroe) – 2:14
"Toe Hold" (Isaac Hayes, David Porter) – 3:53
"Right Now for You" – 2:33
"Hey, Western Union Man" (Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff) – 3:43
"Song and Dance for the Unborn, Frightened Child" – 4:31[1]
Personnel
Gabriele Ercolessi
I like this album, for the sound effects Big Alan must have listened Requia by John Fahey
Greg Fox
really quite indulgent in retrospect. Still have the vinyl...
paperlateful
Me too
Mary Anne Sweeney
me too
thelonious ratledge
I B S & T degli esordi, principalmente, erano Al Kooper.
Kåge Klang
I can hear some loops used in Lennon-Onos Revolution 9