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)
Letting Go
Joe Cocker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you can't disguise
The light that shines so brightly
Is gone from your eyes
It wasn't my mistake
It's nothing you did wrong
Sometimes learning to surrender
[Chorus:]
Letting go
Letting go
The hardest part is knowing
That I'll miss you so
I'd like to wish you well
Oh but it hurts you know
Sometimes doing what is right
Means letting go
Yeah
As we walk away
Leaving it all behind
I hope we will be satisfied
With what we'll find
And if it's not all you want
I hope it's good enough
To make it worth
The precious things
We're giving up
[Chorus]
Sometimes late at night
I can't believe the things I hear
An angel comes to me
And whispers in my ears
Saying there's a time to read
And a time of the soul
A time for holding on
And a time
Just for
[Chorus]
I'd like to wish you well
Oh but it hurts you know
Sometimes doing what is right
Means letting go
Oh
The song "The Letting Go" by Joe Cocker talks about the pain and difficulty of letting go of someone or something that you love. The opening lines, "You can look away, but you can't disguise, the light that shines so brightly, is gone from your eyes" suggests that there is a sense of loss and sadness in the air. This could mean that the person being sung to has lost their spark or passion, and that the singer is having a hard time accepting it. However, the singer acknowledges that it wasn't anyone's "fault" and that sometimes "learning to surrender is the same as being strong". With these lyrics, Joe Cocker is trying to convey the message that sometimes letting go of things we love is the strongest thing we can do, rather than holding on and making ourselves and others suffer.
In the chorus of the song, Joe Cocker repeats the phrase “Letting go” several times. This repetition emphasizes the difficulty of letting go and moving on, especially when there is a deep connection or love involved. The next line, "The hardest part is knowing that I'll miss you so", encapsulates the pain of letting go of someone you love deeply. The song also acknowledges that it's difficult to wish someone well and know that doing the right thing means letting go, which can be painful. The song ends with the lyrics "Sometimes doing what is right means letting go", which summarizes the entire song's message of resignation, acceptance, and the inevitability of change.
Line by Line Meaning
You can look away
You try to avoid facing the situation
But you can't disguise
Your true feelings cannot be hidden
The light that shines so brightly
The happiness that used to be there is now absent
Is gone from your eyes
It is visible that there's no spark in your eyes
It wasn't my mistake
I am not at fault for what happened
It's nothing you did wrong
There's no blame on you for what happened
Sometimes learning to surrender
Giving up can be synonymous with strength
Is the same as being strong
Giving up can sometimes mean you're brave enough to do so
Letting go
Relinquishing control of the situation
Letting go
Again, deciding to not hold onto past issues
The hardest part is knowing
The most difficult step is accepting that you need to let go
That I'll miss you so
It is understood that some things will be missed
I'd like to wish you well
I hope that everything goes well for you
Oh but it hurts you know
It's emotionally painful for me too
Sometimes doing what is right
Making the decision that is good for both people
Means letting go
Reiterating the central theme of the song
As we walk away
Moving on from the situation
Leaving it all behind
Giving up everything from that experience for a fresh start
I hope we will be satisfied
Hoping to find contentment in the future
With what we'll find
What we discover in the future
And if it's not all you want
Even if it's not perfect
I hope it's good enough
Wishing for something satisfactory
To make it worth
Having value or purpose
The precious things
The valuable things that were left behind
We're giving up
Letting go and not clinging onto the past
Sometimes late at night
Occasionally in the wee hours in the morning
I can't believe the things I hear
Not being able to believe the reality of it all
An angel comes to me
An imaginary entity represents the idea of hope
And whispers in my ears
A metaphor for hope slowly started to take root
Saying there's a time to read
There's an appropriate moment to pause, relax and digest everything
And a time of the soul
The time for processing everything internally
A time for holding on
It's alright to hold onto the memories of the experience
And a time
Everything has its appropriate moment
Just for
Only for that specific moment
I'd like to wish you well
Wishing the person well again
Oh but it hurts you know
Underlining the emotional pain
Sometimes doing what is right
Making the right decision is not always easy
Means letting go
The advice is to keep moving forward and let go of the past
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JASON INGRAM, ANTHONY EVANS, BEN GLOVER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Real Kim Eisen
This song buffered my heart, as the album was released the same year my mother died. I was 15, in 1989, and I adored Joe and his music. Then, came this song, like a comforting angel, speaking for me, right at the right time.
Mike Mike
My heart with you...feel the same like you.
James G.E. Mitchell
Thanks for this song. I have been trying to find it here for years. It has such a powerful meaning for me.
Jennifer Mcclements
Superb.xxThis song helped me through a hard time.Depth and meaning👌❤😢
Mike Mike
For me to bro!
Terk-131
One of my all time favorite song from one of my favorite artists
hohum488
JC is such an awesome singer!
medic7876
Love this song. I have had the CD for years.
candy coker
Wonderful Song....But so hard when it applies to closely to your own life!!!!!
Dixie Pena
Beautiful lyrics!!