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)
Cry Me a River
Joe Cocker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now, you said that you love me
After being so untrue
I want you to cry
(Cry me a river)
I want you to cry
Over me
(Cry me a river)
I want you to cry
(Cry me a river)
Over me
(Cry me a river)
Oh yeah
(Cry me a river)
Well, I cried a river over you
Now, you say that you're sorry
Oh, for being so unkind
I want you to cry
(Cry me a river)
Cry for me
(Cry me a river)
Ow
(Cry me a river)
I want you to leave
(Cry me a river)
Want you to cry
(Cry me a river)
Right on me, yeah
(Cry me a river)
Oh, I cried a river over you
You drove me, nearly drove me out of my head, never shed a tear
Remember, I remember all that you said
Told me love was too plebeian
You were through with me
(Cry me a river)
Come on, love
(Cry me a river)
Want you to cry
(Cry me a river)
Down your head
(Cry me a river)
Ow, cry
(Cry me a river)
Cry me a river
(Cry me a river)
Oh, I cried a river over you
You drove me, nearly drove me out of my head, ooh, never shed a tear
Remember, I remember all that you said
Told me love was too plebeian
You were through with me
(Cry me a river)
Yes
(Cry me a river)
I want you to cry
(Cry me a river)
I want you to leave
(Cry me a river)
Ah
(Cry me a river)
Cry me
(Cry me a river)
Oh, I cried a river over you
Yeah, I cried a river over you
(I cried a river over you)
Over you
(I cried a river over you)
Over you
(I cried a river over you)
Ah
(I cried a river over you)
River, over
I cried a river over you
Cry me a river
Cry me a river
I cried a river over you
In Joe Cocker's song "Cry Me A River," the singer is asking his former lover to cry over him as a way of making up for the hurt and suffering he has gone through due to her betrayal. He is seeking emotional closure and wants her to feel remorse and regret for her actions. The chorus of the song contains the repeated phrase "cry me a river," which is a figurative expression used to convey someone's excessive and insincere display of emotion. In this context, the singer is suggesting that his lover's tears may not be genuine and that he feels no sympathy towards her.
The verses of the song contain lyrics that show the singer's resentment and sorrow towards his unfaithful lover. He reminisces about the hurtful things she said to him when she ended their relationship, and he accuses her of being callous and unsympathetic towards his pain. However, despite his rage, the singer is not immune to his former lover's charm and apologizes for his own behavior towards the end of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Cry me a river?
Can you cry for me?
Now, you said that you love me
After being so untrue
You lied to me about your love and now you're apologizing
I want you to cry
(Cry me a river)
I want you to cry
(Cry me a river)
I want you to feel the pain that I felt
Over me
(Cry me a river)
I want you to cry
(Cry me a river)
I want you to cry because of how you hurt me
Over me
(Cry me a river)
Oh yeah
(Cry me a river)
Well, I cried a river over you
I cried a lot over you and now it's your turn to feel the pain
Now, you say that you're sorry
Oh, for being so unkind
You regret how you treated me
I want you to cry
(Cry me a river)
Cry for me
(Cry me a river)
I want you to cry and feel the pain that you caused me
Ow
(Cry me a river)
I want you to leave
(Cry me a river)
I want you to get away from me and cry
Want you to cry
(Cry me a river)
Right on me, yeah
(Cry me a river)
Oh, I cried a river over you
I want you to cry in my presence, just like how I cried when I was with you
You drove me, nearly drove me out of my head, never shed a tear
Remember, I remember all that you said
Told me love was too plebeian
You were through with me
You caused me a lot of mental anguish and never showed any remorse. I remember everything you said, especially when you said you were done with me because our love was too common
Come on, love
(Cry me a river)
Want you to cry
(Cry me a river)
Down your head
(Cry me a river)
Ow, cry
(Cry me a river)
Cry me a river
(Cry me a river)
Oh, I cried a river over you
I am asking you, my love, to cry and hang your head in shame. Cry for me, just like how I cried for you
Yes
(Cry me a river)
I want you to cry
(Cry me a river)
I want you to leave
(Cry me a river)
Ah
(Cry me a river)
Cry me
(Cry me a river)
Oh, I cried a river over you
Yeah, I cried a river over you
Yes, I want you to cry, and then I want you to leave. I cried so much over you, and now it's your turn to feel the same pain
(I cried a river over you)
Over you
(I cried a river over you)
Over you
(I cried a river over you)
Ah
(I cried a river over you)
River, over
I cried a river over you
I cried a river because of you, it was all about you. It was over you that I shed so many tears
Cry me a river
Cry me a river
I cried a river over you
I want you to cry for me, just like how I cried for you. All of my tears were because of you
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Arthur Hamilton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind