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)
Got To Use My Imagination
Joe Cocker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My imagination
D'ya think I've got a reason
To keep keeping up
I've got to make the best of
A bad situation
Ever since that day
Ever since that day
It happens all around me
Like a night of sin
Old friends call out to me
But I don't talk to anyone
Emptiness has found me
And it just won't let me go
I'll arrive at home living
Why I just don't know
I've really got to use
My imagination
D'ya think I've got a reason
To keep keeping up
I've got to make the best of
A bad situation
Ever since that day
Ever since that day
I woke up and found you gone
Staring down the empty
Don't do me no good
'Cause our misunderstanding
Is too well understood
Such a sad sad season
When a good love dies
Not a day goes by
When I don't realise
That I've really got to use
My imagination
D'ya think I've got a reason
Oh I should keep them on
I've got to use the best of
A bad situation
Ever since that day
Ever since that day
I woke up and found you gone
I've got to use my mind in love
I've really got to use my mind
Oh I've got about drinking this time
To keep on moving on
Oh loving
Ever since that day
Just need a little
A little bit of loving
And it's driving me crazy
I'm about to lose my mind
Yeah driving me wild
It's driving me crazy
Oh I've got no-one to love right now
I need your love
Can't live without it
'Cause
It's driving me over the edge and turn
Yeah yeah
The lyrics to Joe Cocker's song "Got To Use My Imagination" portray a person's struggle with the aftermath of a failed relationship. The singer is feeling lost and empty since their partner left, and although they are surrounded by people, they feel disconnected and lonely. They are trying to keep themselves moving forward and pushing through this tough time by using their imagination to create a better future for themselves. The singer is desperate for love, and the loss of their partner has driven them to the edge of sanity. They are crying out for help, and the only thing that can save them is love.
The song is a testament to the power of the human imagination to overcome adversity. It shows that no matter how bad the situation is, there is always a way to make things better. It also highlights the importance of love and human connection in our lives. Without it, we can easily fall into a state of despair and hopelessness.
Overall, "Got To Use My Imagination" is a heartfelt song that speaks to anyone who has ever experienced the pain of a broken heart. It encourages us to keep going and to use our imagination to create the life we want.
Line by Line Meaning
I've really got to use
My imagination
I need to get creative to deal with the situation at hand
D'ya think I've got a reason
To keep keeping up
Do you think there's a good enough cause for me to carry on?
I've got to make the best of
A bad situation
I need to make the most of a dire state of affairs
Ever since that day
I woke up and found you gone
Since the day I woke up without you beside me
It happens all around me
Like a night of sin
It's a pervasive feeling, like an atmosphere of vice
Old friends call out to me
But I don't talk to anyone
Friends from the past reach out, but I can't bring myself to respond
Emptiness has found me
And it just won't let me go
I feel empty and it's a persistent feeling I can't shake off
I'll arrive at home living
Why I just don't know
I'll come home just to exist, I'm not sure why
Staring down the empty
Don't do me no good
Staring at emptiness doesn't help
'Cause our misunderstanding
Is too well understood
Our problem is too well-known and hard to ignore
Such a sad sad season
When a good love dies
It's a sad time when a relationship ends despite its quality
Not a day goes by
When I don't realise
Every day I'm reminded
That I've really got to use
My imagination
I need to be imaginative to get through this
D'ya think I've got a reason
Oh I should keep them on
Do you think there's a justification for me to carry on like this?
I've got to use the best of
A bad situation
I need to make the most of a terrible situation
I've got to use my mind in love
I've really got to use my mind
I need to use my mind when it comes to love
Oh I've got about drinking this time
To keep on moving on
I have alcohol to keep me going
Oh loving
Ever since that day
Just need a little
A little bit of loving
Since that day, I just need a little bit of affection
And it's driving me crazy
I'm about to lose my mind
It's making me ill and I'm close to breaking down
Yeah driving me wild
It's driving me crazy
It's making me hysterical
Oh I've got no-one to love right now
I need your love
Can't live without it
I'm currently without love, and I can't imagine living without it
'Cause
It's driving me over the edge and turn
Yeah yeah
Because it's pushing me to the brink and beyond
Contributed by Lauren S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@01thme
love that sax. love you, joe RIP
I've really got to use my imagination
To think of good reasons
To keep on keepin' on
Got to make the best of a bad situation
Ever since that day
I woke up and found
That you were gone
Darkness all around me
Blackin out the sun
Old friends call me
But I just don't feel like talkin to anyone
Emptiness has found me
And it just wont let me go
I go right on livin'
But why I just don't know
Staring down reality
Don't do me no good
'Cause our misunderstanding
Is too well understood
Such a sad, sad season
When a…
@maroonboutique
I've really got to use
My imagination
To think of good reasons
To keep on keepin' on (keep on keepin' on)
Got to make the best of (best of, best of)
A bad situation (bad situation)
Ever since that day (ever since that day)
I woke up and found
That you were gone (gone, gone)
Darkness all around me
Blockin' out the sun
Old friends call me
But I just don't feel like talkin' to anyone
Emptiness has found me
And it just won't let me go
I go right on livin'
But why, I just don't know (you're too strong, got to keep on keepin' on)
Yes, I am
Staring down reality
Don't do me no good
'Cause our misunderstanding
Is too well understood (too well understood)
Such a sad, sad season (sad, sad season)
When a good love dies (when a good love dies)
Not a day goes by (not a day goes by)
When I don't realize (realize)
Ooh, ooh, oh, I've really got to use (I've got to use)
My imagination (I've got to use)
To think of good reasons (I've got to use)
To keep on keepin' on (I've got to use)
I've got to make the best of (best of, best of)
A bad situation (bad situation)
Ever since that day (ever since that day)
I woke up and found out
That you were gone (you're too strong, got to keep on keepin' on)
I've really got to use (I've got to use)
A good imagination (I've got to use)
To think of good reasons (I've got to use)
To keep on pushin' on (I've got to use)
I said I've got to make the best of (best of, best of)
A bad situation (bad situation)
Ever since that day (ever since that day)
I woke up and found out
That you were gone (you're too strong, got to keep on keepin' on)
Ooh, I've really got to use (I've got to use)
A good imagination (I've got to use)
Got to think of good reasons (I've got to use)
To keep on keepin' on (I've got to use)
I've got to make the best of
@elkereiche2433
...Joe Cocker...unvergessen und ewig der Beste...***
@mochamochina7735
La libertad de la imaginación no se compara con NADA.!
Puedes volar , tirarte a la sima más profunda , ver todoooo....
No me aburro .!
@01thme
love that sax. love you, joe RIP
I've really got to use my imagination
To think of good reasons
To keep on keepin' on
Got to make the best of a bad situation
Ever since that day
I woke up and found
That you were gone
Darkness all around me
Blackin out the sun
Old friends call me
But I just don't feel like talkin to anyone
Emptiness has found me
And it just wont let me go
I go right on livin'
But why I just don't know
Staring down reality
Don't do me no good
'Cause our misunderstanding
Is too well understood
Such a sad, sad season
When a…
@janicerockwell8417
....a girl loves a guy. 😔😊 Tragedy and Comedy. Choice ! Love never fails. 👁👁
@janicerockwell8417
Joy to the world. 🎶🎵
@sandymartyn5410
The Legend Joe Cocker,,,he's been entertaining us for 40 + plus years,, this is a tough song,,,he and his backing singers did it proud R.I.P. Joe
@mochamochina7735
Mi imaginación me acompaña siempre , por eso no estoy sola.!
VIVA MI IMAGINACIÓN !!
Es mucho mejor que las tonterías que veo que hace la gente.!!
@thorbasmo8766
Toughest song ever !
@KutWrite
I'd be excited to hear Joe singing "Three Blind Mice." What a voice!
Always paired up with great musicians, singers, and producers.
@user-mr8to3il5c
Wow!Super!!Best of the best!!!