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)
Put Out the Light
Joe Cocker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why should I care when there's joy everywhere
Why can't I see the beauty of the life
Somebody I trusted, trusted
Somebody I knew quite well
Somebody I loved
Put out the light, turn the day into night
Put out the light, put out light
Turn the day into night, turn the day into night
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
I got this good old melody
I think it's makin' me blue only
Then I hear the symphony
That's what I get and
That's what's been taken out, the best of me
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
Why should I hurry? I do the best I can
Do what I do and I hope you understand
Why can't I see the beauty of the life?
Somebody I trusted
Somebody I knew quite well
Somebody I loved
But please don't put out the light
Put out the light, turn the day into night
Turn the day into night, put out light
Put out the light, turn the day into night
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
Please don't, somebody I trusted
Somebody I knew quite well
Somebody I loved
But please don't
? please don't put out the light
Put out the light
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
Put out the light, don't put out the light, yeah
Put out the light, don't put out the light, yeah
Put out the light, don't put out the light, yeah
In Joe Cocker's song "Put Out the Light," the lyrics talk about a relationship where the singer feels loved yet also feels like something important has been taken away from him. The first few lines ask why the singer should worry or care when there is love and joy everywhere. However, the next line, "Why can't I see the beauty of the life?" suggests that there is something causing the singer to feel unfulfilled. The repetition of "Somebody I trusted, somebody I knew quite well, somebody I loved," creates a sense of loss or betrayal, especially when followed by the plea "please don't put out the light."
The use of the metaphorical light throughout the song appears to represent hope, optimism, and positivity. Putting out the light transforms the day into night, representing an emotional and spiritual darkness. The line, "That's what's been taken out, the best of me," suggests that whatever the singer has lost or had taken away, it represents a significant part of his identity.
Overall, the song seems to convey a message of seeking positivity and hope in life despite feeling a sense of loss or betrayal. The repetition of the plea not to put out the light suggests that the singer wants to hold onto hope and avoid a dark emotional state, even if it means acknowledging and working through difficult emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Why should I worry when I know you're loving me
I shouldn't feel anxious when I know you love me
Why should I care when there's joy everywhere
I shouldn't feel concerned when there's happiness all around
Why can't I see the beauty of the life
Why can't I appreciate the beauty of life?
Somebody I trusted, trusted
I was betrayed by someone I trusted
Somebody I knew quite well
The betrayer was someone I was familiar with
Somebody I loved
The betrayer was someone I cared for deeply
But please don't put out the light
Please don't let this situation break me
Put out the light, turn the day into night
Extinguishing the light would turn my day into darkness
Put out the light, put out light
Don't let the light go out, don't extinguish hope
Turn the day into night, turn the day into night
Letting the light go out turns happiness into despair
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
Emotive sound without specific meaning
I got this good old melody
I have this familiar tune
I think it's makin' me blue only
It's only reminding me of sad things
Then I hear the symphony
But then I hear the full orchestra
That's what I get and
That's what I need to feel better
That's what's been taken out, the best of me
What was taken from me was the best part of myself
Why should I hurry? I do the best I can
Why should I rush when I'm already trying my best?
Do what I do and I hope you understand
I will continue to do what I do and hope you comprehend
Please don't
Don't hurt me
? please don't put out the light
Please don't take away my hope
Put out the light
Extinguishing the light would extinguish my hope
Put out the light, don't put out the light, yeah
Don't extinguish the light, don't extinguish hope
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANIEL JOSEPH MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mario marianof
"Put Out The Light"
Why should I worry when I know you're loving me
Why should I care when there's joy everywhere
Why can't I see the beauty of the life
Somebody I trusted, trusted
Somebody I knew quite well
Somebody I loved
But please don't put out the light
Put out the light, turn the day into night
Put out the light, put out light
Turn the day into night, turn the day into night
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
I got this good old melody
I think it's makin' me blue only
Then I hear the symphony
That's what I get and
That's what's been taken out, the best of me
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
Why should I hurry? I do the best I can
Do what I do and I hope you understand
Why can't I see the beauty of the life?
Somebody I trusted
Somebody I knew quite well
Somebody I loved
But please don't put out the light
Put out the light, turn the day into night
Turn the day into night, put out light
Put out the light, turn the day into night
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
Please don't, somebody I trusted
Somebody I knew quite well
Somebody I loved
But please don't
[?] please don't put out the light
Put out the light
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
Put out the light, don't put out the light, yeah
Put out the light, don't put out the light, yeah
Put out the light, don't put out the light, yeah
ANTONIO TADEU AMADO
A classic spiritual. It's Joe's best LP
Sandy Martyn
It was a terrible day when the light went out for Joe Cocker a really true great.
mario marianof
"Put Out The Light"
Why should I worry when I know you're loving me
Why should I care when there's joy everywhere
Why can't I see the beauty of the life
Somebody I trusted, trusted
Somebody I knew quite well
Somebody I loved
But please don't put out the light
Put out the light, turn the day into night
Put out the light, put out light
Turn the day into night, turn the day into night
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
I got this good old melody
I think it's makin' me blue only
Then I hear the symphony
That's what I get and
That's what's been taken out, the best of me
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
Why should I hurry? I do the best I can
Do what I do and I hope you understand
Why can't I see the beauty of the life?
Somebody I trusted
Somebody I knew quite well
Somebody I loved
But please don't put out the light
Put out the light, turn the day into night
Turn the day into night, put out light
Put out the light, turn the day into night
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
Please don't, somebody I trusted
Somebody I knew quite well
Somebody I loved
But please don't
[?] please don't put out the light
Put out the light
Hey, hey, hey, yeah
Put out the light, don't put out the light, yeah
Put out the light, don't put out the light, yeah
Put out the light, don't put out the light, yeah
ANTONIO TADEU AMADO
Trevor Lawrence's "Devil's Horn" leads from crying to joy.
Theressa Murphy
Put out the love light. Anger is dark. Interesting song Mr. Cocker 💜I understood 😔
Paul Campana
One of my favourite cocker power the world
Sean Lynch
Liked the drumming on this, sort of band I'd like to be in, funky, rock fusion..🍟🍤
Alex DeSantis
Jim Horn on tenor sax
Battista Carta
🐼🐿️🐘🐃🐷🐽🐢🐡🐌🦂🐋💐🐡🦅🐿️🐰🐔🐓🐤🐦🐧🐥🐤🐢🐊🐻🐨🐼🐭🐠🐊🐸🐤🐣🐿️immagini, immagina, sogna, vivi...
CoCo Turtle
Two minutes of song turned into four minutes of music. Ugh. Check out Three Dog Night's superior version.