On June 28, 2011, Cook released his second major-label studio album, entitled "This Loud Morning". Produced by Matt Serletic, the album consists of 14 tracks penned by Cook along with co-writers David Hodges, Ryan Tedder, Kevin Griffin and Marti Frederiksen, among others. The album title comes from a line in the song “Rapid Eye Movement” – “Give me one more quiet night, before this loud morning gets it right, and does me in.”
On May 10, 2012, Cook debuted a new, independently released single, The Last Song I’ll Write for You, on American Idol. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Cook denied this was written with his former record company in mind, despite the fact it was his first new song after losing his recording contract with RCA. He insisted it was a break-up song that came together very quickly.
Early Music Career: David Cook formed a band with his friend Bobby Kerr while at high school. The band was initially named Red Eye, later Axium. He wrote his first song titled “Red Hot” when he was fifteen. He was encouraged by Evan Sula-Goff of 8stops7 to make an album when he went to Cook’s school to judge a contest, Mr. Jaguar, where David Cook and his band performed Guns N’ Roses’ “Paradise City”. The band had some success when one of their songs, “Hold”, was selected to be played in movie theaters across the country, and they were named one of the top 15 independent bands in the country by “Got Milk?” contest as well as the best Kansas City band in 2004.
Axium however broke up in 2006 and David Cook moved to Tulsa where he joined Midwest Kings, a band he once opened for. Members of that band Andy Skib and Neal Tiemann later became part of David Cook’s post-Idol band The Anthemic. He recorded and self-released a solo album Analog Heart in 2006, which sold well regionally.He worked as a bartender prior to appearing on Idol.
In 2006, after obtaining a degree in graphic arts, Cook had to decide whether he wanted to be a musician or a graphic designer. “I gave myself every opportunity not to do music,” he says, “but it was always there. I couldn’t ignore it.” He moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was in the early stages of recording his second album when his younger brother Andrew asked Cook to accompany him to Omaha and lend moral support while he tried out for American Idol. Andrew didn’t make the cut, but he encouraged a very reluctant David to try out. After Cook made it through the early auditions, he reportedly told his brother he’d drop out if Andrew didn’t want him to go through with it. “He threatened to beat my ass if I didn’t, so it’s entirely his fault that all this happened to me,” Cook says with a smile.
One week after being declared the winner with a record-breaking 56 percent of the nearly 100 million votes cast, Cook rewrote chart history when 11 of his songs debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart — the highest number of new entries in a single week by an artist since the Beatles in 1964. Topping the list was “The Time of My Life,” which debuted at No. 3, making it the highest new entry on the Hot 100 of 2008.
Cook’s self-titled major-label debut was released on November 18, 2008. His debut album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association for America (RIAA) for sales exceeding one-million units in January 2009.
In January 2009, Cook announced he would be embarking on a national tour in February. The Declaration Tour began on February 13, 2009 in Tallahassee, Florida, and was originally set to end in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 25, 2009. Due to strong ticket sales, the tour was extended several times, finally wrapping up on December 1, 2009 at The Fillmore in Charlotte, North Carolina, after 154 concerts in the U.S. and Canada. During 2009 Cook also took his show overseas to the Philippines, and performed for troops in Iraq with the USO.
On April 30, 2013, Cook released a new single, “Laying Me Low”, through XIX Recordings, the record label of American Idol creator Simon Fuller. The song was written by David Cook, Chris Reardon, and Andy Waldeck.
Silver
David Cook Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I will always be a footnote
A distant memory
A warning sign of mistakes made
The kind that you learn from
This song is the best of me
Taking pills for solemn motive
A better side of me, an open mind
The kind that you burn from
So take this small confession as my price to pay
I've never been the kind to let go
But before you up and walk away
I'm miserable without you, you know
This silver leaves me longing for gold
Second place has never carried me home
Second place has never carried me home
This song is so out of key
I'm trying harder just to even
These memories of you
A warning sign of regression
The kind you never learn from
This song is the melody
Meant to show you a little more than
A better history, an open sky
Of redemption
The kind you always burn from
So take this small confession as my price to pay
I've never been the kind to let go
But before you up and walk away
I'm miserable without you, you know
This silver leaves me bruning for gold
Second place has never carried me home
Second place has never carried me (home, home, home, home)
It never carried me (home, home, home, home)
The lyrics of David Cook's song "Silver" explore the theme of regret and the desire for redemption. The singer acknowledges that he has made mistakes in his past relationship and he knows that he will always be a footnote in his ex-partner's life. He also knows that he was a warning sign of mistakes made, and he wants to take responsibility for the pain he caused. He admits to taking pills to numb the pain he feels from his mistakes, but he also recognizes that he needs to open his mind to learn from them. He hopes that through this song, he can show his ex-partner a better version of himself and a path towards redemption.
The singer makes a small confession, admitting that he has never been the kind to let go. He is miserable without his ex-partner and longs for their love. He compares his current state of being to silver, which usually represents second place, and explains how second place has never carried him home. He burns for gold, which could represent first place or the love and happiness he desires from his relationship. The song ends with the repetition of the line "second place has never carried me home" emphasizing the singer's desire for redemption and happiness.
Overall, "Silver" is a heartfelt confession of mistakes made and the desire for redemption and love. The singer's emotional vocals and relatable lyrics make the song a powerful representation of the struggles of relationships and the challenges of moving on from past mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
When writing your history,
As you look back on your life and create your own story,
I will always be a footnote
I will be a small and insignificant part of that story.
A distant memory
You will remember me as something that happened a long time ago.
A warning sign of mistakes made
I will serve as a cautionary tale for the mistakes you've made.
The kind that you learn from
Mistakes that you can use to grow and become better.
This song is the best of me
This is the most I can offer, the best representation of who I am.
Taking pills for solemn motive
Trying to improve my mood and take control of my emotions.
A better side of me, an open mind
I'm striving to be a better person, someone who is more open to new ideas and opportunities.
For mistakes made
This is all in response to the mistakes I've made in the past.
The kind that you burn from
Mistakes that hurt and leave lasting scars.
So take this small confession as my price to pay
I'm confessing to you because it's the only thing I can do to make things slightly better.
I've never been the kind to let go
It's hard for me to move on from things.
But before you up and walk away
I'm asking you to listen to me before you leave.
I'm miserable without you, you know
I'm unhappy and struggling without you in my life.
This silver leaves me longing for gold
I'm settling for second best and it's not enough.
Second place has never carried me home
I've never been satisfied with coming in second place.
This song is so out of key
Things aren't quite right and it's not perfect like it should be.
I'm trying harder just to even
I'm putting in more effort just to keep things balanced.
These memories of you
The things that remind me of you.
A warning sign of regression
They're starting to have a negative effect because they're holding me back and making me regress.
The kind you never learn from
I'm not making any progress and I'm not learning from these experiences.
This song is the melody
This is the tune, the sound that it creates.
Meant to show you a little more than
It's meant to give you a glimpse into my world and show you a little more about me.
A better history, an open sky
I'm hoping for a brighter future, for something better than what I've had in the past.
Of redemption
This is about trying to make things right and redeem myself.
The kind you always burn from
I'm trying to make up for past mistakes and do better, but it's not easy and sometimes it hurts.
Second place has never carried me home
I need to be the best and come in first, otherwise I'll never be satisfied.
Second place has never carried me (home, home, home, home)
It's never been enough for me, I always want more.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
angela smith
one of my favorites off of Analog Heart.. David is so awesome
Ryan Trapasso
My favorite lyric ever. Love his new album, but Analog Heart was it.
Hes727
An open sky of redemption the kind you always burn from. Love this song.
kaifa diaz
At the moment im going through something and even though i heard this song from years ago, this sounds like the soundtrack of my life right now.
Fabiola Julissa Castillo
goosebumps every time, first time hear 2011...now 2016
Lin Lin
💜💜💜
mindthetimes
when you get a silver on reddit...and that's it.
Loveanalogheart
I'm miserable without you, you know.
Reza Satria
second place never carry me hope T_T
PenguinsHawks
@luciferozone Second place never carried me home, not hope lol.