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)
Civilized Man
Joe Cocker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Need you so bad
Fool to believe you. you made me so mad
Oh yeah
Double cross me once
Never cross me again
And now you're runnin' round lookin' for some sympathy
When you know as well as I that we're history.
You're lucky - I'm a civilized man
You're so lucky - I'm a civilized man
Oh yeah
A civilized man.
A poison arrow right from the start
Went down to zero
You went for my heart
Oh yeah.
Usin' hoodoo voodoo to start the fire again
Now you asked me to forget all you put me through
When you know as well as I you got it comin' to you.
Now you're lucky - I'm a civilized man...
Using hoodoo voodoo to start the fire again.
Now you're runnin' round lookin' for some sympathy
When you know as well as I that we are history.
Oh
You're lucky - I'm a civilized man...
Oh
You're lucky - I'm a civilized man...
You're so lucky - you've got a civilized man
You're so lucky - you've got a civilized man.
The lyrics to Joe Cocker's song "Civilized Man" speak to the emotions of betrayal and heartbreak. The first stanza describes how the singer "made me need you" and how foolish he was to believe in her, only to be double-crossed and made "so mad." The next stanza takes a darker turn, as the singer warns his ex-lover never to cross him again and declares that she is lucky he is a civilized man. Despite the pain she caused him, he differentiates himself from the savage response of revenge he could have taken.
The third stanza speaks to the poisoning of their relationship from the very beginning, and how it went down to zero when she went for his heart. The use of the term "hoodoo voodoo" refers to a type of folk magic that often involves spells and rituals. In this case, it seems to be a way of saying that she used some type of trickery to reignite their relationship once again. However, by the end of the song, the singer has moved on and warns his ex-lover that when she goes looking for sympathy after their breakup, she won't find it with him. He is a civilized man and has moved on from their toxic relationship.
Overall, "Civilized Man" is a song about the pain of heartbreak and betrayal, and how it can be possible to rise above the desire for revenge and instead be a "civilized man."
Line by Line Meaning
You made me need you
You caused me to feel a strong desire for you.
Need you so bad
I needed you so much that it became unbearable.
Fool to believe you. you made me so mad
I was foolish to believe you, and now I'm angry because of the consequences of my actions.
Double cross me once
If you betray me once, I won't forget it.
Never cross me again
I won't allow you to betray me again.
And now you're runnin' round lookin' for some sympathy
You're seeking empathy from others in order to alleviate your guilt, despite knowing that we're finished.
When you know as well as I that we're history.
You're aware that we're in the past, just as much as I am.
You're lucky - I'm a civilized man
You're fortunate that I'm a reasonable person who won't react harshly.
A poison arrow right from the start
You aimed at my heart with a weapon that caused pain from the beginning.
Went down to zero
Everything became unimportant very quickly.
You went for my heart
You targeted my emotions in order to harm me.
Usin' hoodoo voodoo to start the fire again
You're using a type of magic to reignite our relationship, despite past issues.
Now you asked me to forget all you put me through
You're requesting that I forget all the pain and harm you caused me.
When you know as well as I you got it comin' to you.
Despite your request, you know what's coming to you in terms of consequences.
You're so lucky - you've got a civilized man
You're fortunate to have someone reasonable like me in your life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: PAT ROBINSON, RICHARD FELDMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind