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.
Stitches
David Cook Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the day of departure has slowly been eating away
It's a meltdown
It's a personal torture I never saw coming my way
I try to breathe deep
I try to find sleep
I try holding on to the same old song
Just because of a brand new verse
And I found what I always wanted
As she walked away
And I ran aground with this wound untreated
Let it wash away
So keep slipping
I continue to try in vain just to pinpoint an answer
I keep tripping
On the same damn wire and no one came tumbling after
Crawl back in reverse
Wash off this new verse
Then keep holding on to the same tired song
'cause from here it will only get worse
And I found what I always wanted
As she walked away
And I ran aground with this wound untreated
Let it wash away
Stitch me up (stitch me up)
And bleed me out
(It's over)
Stitch me up (stitch me up)
And bleed me out
(It's over)
Stitch me up (stitch me up)
And bleed me out
(It's over)
Stitch me up (stitch me up)
And bleed me out
I found what I always wanted
As she walked away
And I ran aground with this wound untreated
Let it wash away, let it wash away
The lyrics of David Cook's song "Stitches" describe the struggle of dealing with a breakup and the pain of being left behind. The countdown to departure is causing an emotional meltdown, and the singer acknowledges the personal torture that he never saw coming. He tries to find solace in old habits and routines, but the pain remains. The chorus acknowledges that he has found what he always wanted, but it was just as she walked away. He is left with an untreated wound that he hopes will eventually wash away.
The verses following the chorus reveal the singer's attempts to move on, to find an answer or solution to the pain he's experiencing. However, every attempt leads him to the same outcome - tripping on the same wire and crawling back to old habits. He recognizes that his hurt will only get worse, but he feels helpless to change it. The repetition of "stitch me up and bleed me out" emphasizes the physical and emotional pain and urgency the singer feels, as he attempts to move forward.
Overall, "Stitches" is a poignant reflection on the struggle of moving on from a relationship and the emotional pain that lingers long after parting ways.
Line by Line Meaning
This countdown
The amount of time until I leave has been slowly eating away at me.
To the day of departure has slowly been eating away
The day of departure is like a monster slowly devouring me.
It's a meltdown
My emotions are spiraling out of control.
It's a personal torture I never saw coming my way
This pain is something I never expected or predicted would happen to me.
I try to breathe deep
I attempt to calm myself by taking deep breaths.
I try to find sleep
I attempt to escape my pain by sleeping.
I try holding on to the same old song
I try to find comfort in familiar things.
Just because of a brand new verse
In the hope that the new verse of my life will be better than the last.
And I found what I always wanted
I finally got what I thought I wanted.
As she walked away
When she left me.
And I ran aground with this wound untreated
I was left with a broken heart and didn't do anything to fix it.
Let it wash away
I hope that at least time will heal my wound.
So keep slipping
I keep making mistakes.
I continue to try in vain just to pinpoint an answer
I keep trying to find a solution to my problems but can't seem to find it.
I keep tripping
I keep making the same mistakes.
On the same damn wire and no one came tumbling after
I keep going through the same problems and nobody else seems to be affected.
Crawl back in reverse
I try to go back to the past and fix my mistakes.
Wash off this new verse
Try to forget what just happened.
Then keep holding on to the same tired song
Then try to find comfort in familiar things like before.
'cause from here it will only get worse
But things will only get more difficult from here.
Stitch me up (stitch me up)
I need someone to fix my broken heart.
And bleed me out (It's over)
Even though it's painful, I need to let go and move on.
Let it wash away, let it wash away
I hope that with enough time and distance, my pain will go away on its own.
Contributed by Mason H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.