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)
I Heard It Through the Grapevine
Joe Cocker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Bout your plans to make me blue
With some other guy you knew before
Between the two of us guys
You know I loved you more
It took me by surprise I must say
When I found out yesterday
Don't you know that I heard it through the grapevine
Oh I heard it through the grapevine
Oh I'm just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey yeah.
I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine baby
I know a man ain't supposed to cry
But these tears I can't hold inside
Losin' you would end my life you see
'Cause you mean that much to me
You could have told me yourself
That you loved some one else
Instead I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine
Oh, I heard it through the grapevine
And I'm just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey yeah
I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine, baby
People say believe half of what you see
Son and none of what you hear
But I can't help but be confused
If it's true please tell me dear
Do you plan to let me go
For the other guy you loved before?
Don't you know I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah
I heard it through the grapevine
I'm just about to love my mind
Honey, honey, yeah
I heard it through the grapevine,
Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah
The lyrics of Joe Cocker's song "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" tells a story about the singer discovering that his lover is cheating on him with another man. He confronts her, but she never told him the truth herself. Instead, he heard about it "through the grapevine," which means he heard gossip or rumors about it from other people. The singer is devastated, realizing that he loved her more than the other man and losing her would be the end of his life. He is confused and asking if she plans to let him go for the other guy she loved before.
The song is a perfect expression of the pain that comes with betrayal, jealousy, and losing somebody you love. The lyrics suggest that the singer's heartbreak was made worse by not hearing about it from his lover herself, rather than from others. The repetition of the chorus and the use of the phrase "heard it through the grapevine" emphasizes the power of the rumor mill and how it can destroy relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I bet you're wonderin' how I knew
Even though you didn't tell me yourself, I found out about your plans to leave me
'Bout your plans to make me blue
I know you're leaving me for someone else and it's going to hurt me
With some other guy you knew before
You're leaving me for a guy you were with before we met
Between the two of us guys
You had a choice between me and the other guy
You know I loved you more
I loved you more than the other guy ever did
It took me by surprise I must say
I didn't expect to find out this way
When I found out yesterday
I just found out about your plans yesterday
Don't you know that I heard it through the grapevine
I didn't hear it directly from you, but through rumors and gossip
Not much longer would you be mine
You're leaving me, and won't be mine for much longer
Oh I heard it through the grapevine
I found out through rumors and gossip, not directly from you
Oh I'm just about to lose my mind
I'm so upset about this that I feel like I'm losing my mind
Honey, honey yeah.
A term of endearment for the person being addressed
I know a man ain't supposed to cry
Men are not typically expected to show their emotions through crying
But these tears I can't hold inside
I'm too emotional and upset to keep my tears from falling
Losin' you would end my life you see
I feel like losing you would be the end of me
'Cause you mean that much to me
You were incredibly important to me and I love you deeply
You could have told me yourself
It would have been better if you had told me directly instead of me finding out through rumors
That you loved some one else
I found out that you have fallen in love with someone else
People say believe half of what you see
Rumors and gossip should not always be trusted
Son and none of what you hear
Listen to rumors and gossip with a healthy dose of skepticism
But I can't help but be confused
I can't help but feel confused about your feelings and actions
If it's true please tell me dear
If the rumors are true, please tell me directly
Do you plan to let me go
Are you planning on leaving me for the other guy?
And I'm just about to love my mind
I'm so upset that it feels like I'm losing my mind
Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah
You're leaving me and won't be mine for much longer
Lyrics © Tratore, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind