John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English si… Read Full Bio ↴John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of songs written by other song writers, though he composed a number of songs for most of his albums as well, often in conjunction with songwriting partner Chris Stainton.

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)

Moon Dew
Joe Cocker Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Could be moon dew, falling from your eyes
Most beloved tears, climbing up the skies
And you lay awake, alone in the dark.
And you cry night after night, chain your heart
You're just running from the love I bring..
Hiding from the very thing...
I know you want..I know you need my love

Adjust the feeling, when it starts to show...
Angel how'll I ever guess, you don't want yourself to know
You haven't been here before...
"Leave love alone" you'll say...
And you cry night after night...you don't really feel that way
You're just running from the love I bring
Hiding from the very thing...
I know you want.. I know you need my loving

You've been here before
"Leave love alone" you say
Cry night after night and lay awake!
You're just running from the love I bring

Hiding from the very thing...
I know you want.. I know you need my love.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Joe Cocker's "Moon Dew" are about a person who is struggling with their emotions when it comes to love. The singer suggests that the tears from the person's eyes may be moon dew, symbolizing an otherworldly and ethereal quality to their sadness. The tears are also described as climbing up to the skies, possibly indicating a sense of release or catharsis. However, despite this release, the person is still struggling and crying night after night, which the singer sees as them "running from the love I bring."

The singer seems to understand that the person is not necessarily rejecting their love, but rather trying to protect themselves from being hurt again. They are trying to "leave love alone" and not let themselves feel too deeply, even though the singer is aware that they "want" and "need" love. The singer is frustrated by this cyclical behavior and wants their love to be accepted and embraced. This complex emotional dynamic is captured through the use of vivid imagery, repetition, and melancholic vocal delivery.

Line by Line Meaning

Could be moon dew, falling from your eyes
Your tears are so precious that they might as well be moon dew falling from the sky.

Most beloved tears, climbing up the skies
Your tears are loved and cherished as they ascend into the heavens.

And you lay awake, alone in the dark.
You're unable to sleep and find yourself alone in the darkness.

And you cry night after night, chain your heart
Your tears have become a nightly routine, making you feel trapped and unable to love again.

You're just running from the love I bring..
You're avoiding the love that I offer because you're afraid of being hurt again.

Hiding from the very thing...
You're hiding from the possibility of falling in love again.

I know you want..I know you need my love
I understand that you crave and require my love even though you're not comfortable admitting it.

Adjust the feeling, when it starts to show...
You try to hide or suppress your emotions when you start to feel them.

Angel how'll I ever guess, you don't want yourself to know
It's hard to tell what you're feeling because even you don't know for sure.

You haven't been here before...
This isn't your first heartache or experience with love.

"Leave love alone" you'll say...
You tell yourself to stay away from love to avoid being hurt again.

And you cry night after night...you don't really feel that way
Your tears aren't a true reflection of how you feel, you're just going through the motions.

You're just running from the love I bring
You're fleeing from the love that I offer.

Hiding from the very thing...
You're avoiding something that you truly desire.

I know you want.. I know you need my loving
I'm aware that you yearn for and depend on my love even if you won't acknowledge it.

Contributed by Christopher C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

TombstoneHeart

7y↑13

This album was a very much ignored and mostly undiscovered and underrated gem by Joe, probably because of his drinking problems at the time. People had just written him off and were unaware or ignorant of the fact that no matter how bad his problems were back then, he still attracted quality musicians who were not only willing to work with him, but genuinely wanted to. The core of the studio band on this LP were also the core of of his backing band for a while in the 70's. That band was the jazz-fusion outfit known as Stuff and members were Cornell Dupree, Eric Gale, Gordon Edwards, Richard Tee and Steve Gadd. These guys could PLAY! Sadly, only Steve Gadd and Gordon Edwards are still with us today.