John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English si… Read Full Bio ↴John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of songs written by other song writers, though he composed a number of songs for most of his albums as well, often in conjunction with songwriting partner Chris Stainton.

His first album featured a recording of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends", which brought him to near-instant stardom. The song reached number one in the UK in 1968, became a staple of his many live shows (Woodstock and the Isle of Wight in 1969, the Party at the Palace in 2002) and was also known as the theme song for the late 1980s American TV series The Wonder Years. He continued his success with his second album, which included a second Beatles song: "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window". A hastily thrown together 1970 US tour led to the live double-album Mad Dogs & Englishmen, which featured an all-star band organized by Leon Russell. His 1974 recording of "You Are So Beautiful" reached number five in the US, and became his signature song. Cocker's best selling song was the US number one "Up Where We Belong", a duet with Jennifer Warnes that earned a 1983 Grammy Award. He released a total of 22 studio albums over a 43-year recording career.

In 1993, Cocker was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male. He was awarded a bronze Sheffield Legends plaque in his hometown in 2007, and received an OBE the following year for services to music. Cocker was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone's 100 greatest singers list.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Cocker

Studio albums
With a Little Help from My Friends (1969)
Joe Cocker! (1969)
Joe Cocker (1972/EU: 1973)
I Can Stand a Little Rain (1974)
Jamaica Say You Will (1975)
Stingray (1976)
Luxury You Can Afford (1978)
Sheffield Steel (1982)
Civilized Man (1984)
Cocker (1986)
Unchain My Heart (1987)
One Night of Sin (1989)
Night Calls (1991/US: 1992)
Have a Little Faith (1994)
Organic (1996)
Across from Midnight (1997)
No Ordinary World (1999/US: 2000)
Respect Yourself (2002)
Heart & Soul (2004/US: 2005)
Hymn for My Soul (2007/US: 2008)
Hard Knocks (2010/US: 2012)
Fire It Up (2012)

Boogie Baby
Joe Cocker Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hard to say I can see
The writing on the wall
I knew the time would come again
When you would fall
Pray to the man who lives in the shadow

Show him you're the light
Show him you're the light, boogie baby

You're my lady, my lady, boogie baby
I was gonna write you a fast song
Pretty love song
Make it a big rock and roll song
So I could watch you sway, watch you sway

(I could) Watch you sway, boogie baby
Where did you boogie tonight

You meet his eyes, steal away
I will never know the fire burnin' there
Leavin' me stoned and cold
Here's to the man who lives in the shadows

Show him you're the light
Show him you're the light, boogie baby
You're my lady, my lady, boogie baby
I was gonna write you a fast song
Pretty love song
Make it a big rock and roll song
So I could watch you sway, watch you sway

Boogie baby, boogie baby
Oh where'll you boogie tonight.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Joe Cocker's "Boogie Baby" are a mix of romantic longing and melancholy. The singer seems to be caught in a situation where he knows his love interest is being courted by someone else, perhaps even cheating on him. He acknowledges that he can see the "writing on the wall" and that he knew this moment would come at some point - when she would fall for someone else. He then tells her to "pray to the man who lives in the shadow" and to show him that she's the light, as if he's suggesting that by outshining her new suitor, she can stay true to him.

The chorus repeats the phrase "you're my lady, my lady, boogie baby" several times, which suggests both affection and flirtation. He then tells her he was going to write her a song - a fast rock and roll song - to watch her sway to. "Boogie baby" becomes a term of endearment and a call to dance. The song ends with the question "where'll you boogie tonight?" - perhaps an attempt to find out where she'll be so he can go see her.

Line by Line Meaning

Hard to say I can see
It's difficult to admit, but I can foresee what's going to happen

The writing on the wall
It's obvious to me what's going to happen

I knew the time would come again
I knew this would happen again eventually

When you would fall
When you would fail or make a mistake

Pray to the man who lives in the shadow
Ask for help from the one who is hiding or not in the spotlight

Show him you're the light
Prove to him that you are worth noticing

Show him you're the light, boogie baby
Prove to him that you shine, my love

You're my lady, my lady, boogie baby
You, my love, are the one I care about, the one I call 'boogie baby'

I was gonna write you a fast song
I planned to create a lively, upbeat tune for you

Pretty love song
A song that expresses love in a beautiful way

Make it a big rock and roll song
Turn it into a powerful rock and roll tune