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.
The World I Know
David Cook Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Has the sweet breeze blown?
Has all the kindness gone?
Hope still lingers on
I drink myself of newfound pity
Sitting alone in New York City
And I don't know why
To hymns of offering?
Have we eyes to see
That love is gathering?
All the words that I've been reading
Have now started the act of bleeding
Into one, into one
So I walk up on high
And I step to the edge
To see my world below
And I laugh at myself
While the tears roll down
'Cause it's the world I know
Oh it's the world I know
I drink myself of newfound pity
Sitting alone in New York City
And I don't know why, don't know why
So I walk up on high
And I step to the edge
To see my world below
And I laugh at myself
While the tears roll down
'Cause it's the world I know
Oh it's the world I know
Yeah, I walk up on high
And I step to the edge
To see my world below
And I laugh at myself
While the tears roll down
'Cause it's the world I know
Oh it's the world I know
The song The World I Know by David Cook is a melancholic and introspective reflection on life and the state of the world. The lyrics begin with questions about the state of humanity's conscience and kindness, and the hope that still remains despite the difficulties of life. The singer then expresses their own feelings of self-pity and isolation, sitting alone in New York City. The second verse speaks to the idea of love being a unifying force that we should all strive for. However, the singer acknowledges that the words they have been reading on this topic have begun to have a negative impact instead of inspiring action.
The chorus provides a vivid image of the singer standing at the edge of a high place, looking down at the world they know. They laugh at themselves in a moment of self-deprecation, but tears still roll down their face. This image could represent the feeling of being outside oneself, seeing life and the world from a different perspective, but still being unable to escape the pain and suffering that exists. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the cyclical nature of life, how we continue on despite difficulties.
Line by Line Meaning
Has our conscience shown?
Have we as a collective society become more aware of our actions and their consequences?
Has the sweet breeze blown?
Is there still beauty and goodness in the world?
Has all the kindness gone?
Are people still compassionate and empathetic towards others?
Hope still lingers on
Despite the chaos and negativity in the world, there is still a glimmer of hope for a better future.
I drink myself of newfound pity
I am wallowing in self-pity and feeling sorry for myself.
Sitting alone in New York City
I am isolated and lonely in a busy and crowded city.
And I don't know why
I am unsure of why I feel this way or what caused it.
Are we listening
Are we paying attention to the important messages being conveyed around us?
To hymns of offering?
Are we hearing songs of peace, love and unity?
Have we eyes to see
Are we capable of recognizing the good things around us?
That love is gathering?
Are we aware that people are coming together to create a better world filled with compassion and respect for one another?
All the words that I've been reading
Everything I have been consuming and absorbing through media, news and literature.
Have now started the act of bleeding
Has begun to emotionally hurt or affect me.
Into one, into one
All of these messages have merged together and affected me as one.
So I walk up on high
I stand or climb to a higher place to gain a new perspective.
And I step to the edge
I take a risk and look at things from a different angle.
To see my world below
To observe the world I know from a different point of view.
And I laugh at myself
I make light of my own feelings and perspective, realizing they are just one part of a bigger picture.
While the tears roll down
Despite my dismissive attitude, I am still affected emotionally.
'Cause it's the world I know
I recognize that this world, the one I am familiar with, is still complicated, chaotic and full of good and bad things.
Yeah, I walk up on high
I climb to a higher place once again, reinforcing the idea of a different perspective.
Contributed by Riley W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Brian Lee
not everyone may have realized it at the time, but a lot people now realize this was one of the best performances in idol history...never gets old!
cougar40n
It's hard to understand this moment in context if you weren't following AI7. The Davids were required to do more songs, more group numbers, more restricted themes, more judges' and producers' choices than any Idols before or since. This final 2 min performance and last song choice - his for once, with no strings attached - was huge. At this moment of enormous excitement and stress, Cook elected to fly in the face of advice and tradition and avoid a repeated performance. The rocker elected to do a quiet ballad, and an arrangement that starts with him alone with an acoustic guitar - no band to hide in. He delivers it perfectly. Guts - unbelievable guts, Mr. Cook. For me, one of the most perfect moments of TV ever.
Christine Lynn
@Redefined Living His first couple of albums held up fine actually - more charted songs from them than some other winners for sure. He's touring with Kris Allen in Europe this fall, as well as some solo dates in the US. Just go to davidcookofficial.com and you'll see. He's still singing and just released his newest this year.
Redefined Living
I still love after all these years. Sad that he wasn't able to show the world his talent in his own music. But maybe he has a different calling in life but still he gave us this forever. And he'll be forever remember as one of the best idol winner :D
Christine Lynn
Add in that DC knew his brother was still fighting his brain cancer & yes, 'the establishment' was exhausting them all... and it's no surprise how tired David became of so much. I'm glad he just released a new album and is touring Europe with Kris in October of '21, as well as some of the states.
Mercuric Mike
cougar40n 👌🙏
blondewriter99
Thank you for the context.
feasible
To this day I believe that Simon's (idiotic) comments influenced many in the AI fandom to overlook how utterly stunning this performance truly was, and it is probably the most underrated performance in the history of the show. It brings tears to my eyes watching it this many years later, and the poignancy of choosing that particular song, the lyrics perfectly encapsulating the moment he was experiencing and David pouring his heart into his incredible vocal, just made it all come together. It drew everyone in that stadium in.
thebiggman103
So true. Simon actually apologized to David in the results show, but maybe too little too late
Chris Serong
Absolutely agree! Some of the worst comments I have ever heard from a so called “expert”. This song is one of the best songs written in the last 30 years