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.
We Believe
David Cook Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're all looking for a guiding light
We're all seeking something more than right
It must be there
Every day
We're all trying to find a better way
We're all hoping for someone to say
We believe
There's a reason that we're all here
That every doubt will disappear
We believe
In a time
And if we hit a wall that we can't climb
And if we stumble at the finish line
We'll start again
Everyone
Every single person under the sun
Has a moment where they know they won
But until then
We believe
There's a reason that we're all here
That every doubt will disappear
We believe
We believe
That tomorrow carries something new
And after everything we've been through
We believe
In the power of hope
In the strength of peace
There's a way back home
Where the battles cease
Under one we'll grow
If we just believe
This is what we know
This is what we know
We believe
That tomorrow carries something new
And after everything we've been through
We believe
That there's a reason we're all here
And every doubt will disappear
We believe
We believe
That tomorrow carries something new
And after everything we've been through
We believe, we believe
We believe, we believe, we believe
The song "We Believe" by David Cook is a powerful anthem of hope and perseverance. The lyrics describe our common human experience of seeking guidance and purpose, and our constant pursuit of a better life. The song emphasizes the importance of believing in oneself and in the power of hope and peace.
The opening line of the song sets the tone for the message of the entire song, stating that in the night, we are all looking for a guiding light, symbolizing our search for direction and meaning in life. The next three lines explain that we all want something more than just being right, suggesting that we yearn for something deeper and more fulfilling than mere correctness or success.
As the song progresses, the lyrics describe the difficulties and struggles that we all face in our daily lives, whether it be trying to find a better way or hoping for someone to tell us that we're almost there. But throughout all of these struggles, the chorus repeats the message of the song: that we must believe. We must believe that there is a reason we are all here, that our doubts will disappear, and that tomorrow carries something new.
In the final verses, the song focuses on the power of hope and peace in overcoming the challenges we face in life. The lyrics emphasize that by believing in ourselves and joining together, we can grow and overcome anything.
Overall, "We Believe" is a song that speaks to the universal human experience of seeking purpose and direction in life, emphasizing the importance of hope and perseverance.
Line by Line Meaning
In the night
During the dark times of our lives
We're all looking for a guiding light
We're searching for something to lead us out of that darkness
We're all seeking something more than right
We're trying to find something that's deeper than what's on the surface
It must be there
We have faith that what we're seeking exists, even if we can't see it
Every day
This is a daily struggle
We're all trying to find a better way
We're trying to improve our lives, even if it's just a little bit each day
We're all hoping for someone to say
We're yearning for validation and encouragement from others
We're almost there
We have hope that we're closer to our goal than we realize
We believe
We have faith
There's a reason that we're all here
Our existence has a purpose
That every doubt will disappear
We have hope that eventually, all of our uncertainties and fears will vanish
In a time
During certain periods of our lives
And if we hit a wall that we can't climb
If we encounter obstacles that seem insurmountable
And if we stumble at the finish line
Even if we almost achieve our goals and then fail
We'll start again
We'll pick ourselves back up and try again
Everyone
This struggle is common to all people
Every single person under the sun
There's no one on Earth who doesn't face hardship
Has a moment where they know they won
Everyone experiences brief pockets of success
But until then
We continue to struggle
That tomorrow carries something new
We have faith that the future holds something different and possibly better for us
And after everything we've been through
Despite hardships we've endured so far
In the power of hope
Having hope can be transformative
In the strength of peace
Having inner peace can be empowering
There's a way back home
There's always a chance to recover and return to our previous state of being
Where the battles cease
We yearn for a place and a time where we no longer need to struggle
Under one we'll grow
We'll achieve our potential by coming together
If we just believe
We can achieve a lot by having faith in ourselves and our dreams
This is what we know
This is the one thing we're certain of
That tomorrow carries something new
We're repeating this verse as a reminder of our hope for the future
And after everything we've been through
Despite hardships we've endured so far, again
We believe, we believe
Our faith is strong
We believe, we believe, we believe
Our faith is so strong, we can't help but repeat ourselves
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID COOK, JAMES LAWRENCE IRVIN, JULIAN EMERY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind