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)
Introduction
Joe Cocker Lyrics
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"Let me introoo-oo-oo-duce,
to a greeeeat baaand,
they're from the University of Leeds,
and they're led by a man with a microphone in his hand,
Joe Cocker!"
These lyrics are spoken by an unnamed announcer at the beginning of Joe Cocker's song Introduction. The lyrics serve as a way for the announcer to formally introduce the band and the lead singer to the audience. The use of elongated vowels and drawn-out syllables in the word "introduce" and "great band" give the introduction a sense of excitement and anticipation. The reference to the University of Leeds adds a degree of prestige to the band's background and hints at a level of musical sophistication.
The lyrics also highlight the central role that Joe Cocker plays in the band. He is described as the leader, and the microphone in his hand emphasizes his role as the vocalist. By putting him front and center, the lyrics emphasize that the band's success is directly tied to Cocker's performance.
Line by Line Meaning
[spoken]
An introduction indicating that the following words are spoken rather than sung
[intro:]
An indication that this part is the introduction of the song
[Joe Cocker:] Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to thank you for coming along tonight.
Joe Cocker expresses his gratitude for the attendance of the audience and welcomes them for the performance.
We've got a real treat in store for you now.
The audience is informed that the performance is going to be an enjoyable experience.
I'm going to introduce to you The Grease Band.
Joe Cocker aims to present The Grease Band to his audience.
And to get things moving for you, the first song we'd like to do is called 'If I Were A Carpenter'.
Joe Cocker informs the audience that the first song to be performed is 'If I Were A Carpenter'.
Contributed by Makayla I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.