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)
Space Captain
Joe Cocker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This lovely planet caught my eye
And being curious I flew close by
And non I'm caught here
Until I die
Until we die
Learning to live together
Learning to live together
Till we die
I lost my memory of where I've been
We all forgot that we could fly
Someday we'll all change into peaceful man
And we'll return into the sky
Until we die
Until we die
Learning to live together
Learning to live together
Learning to live together
Till we die
Live together, yeah,
Learning to live together
Till we die
Learning to live together
Learning to live together
Learning to live together
Learning to live together
Till we die
Hum, oh
Ah, hum
Until we die
Until we die
Learning to live together
Learning to live together
Learning to live together
Learning to live together
Learning to live together
To live together
To live together
To live together
The lyrics of Joe Cocker's "Space Captain" explore themes of unity, memory, and the human journey through life. The singer speaks of flying across the sky and being drawn to Earth, where he finds himself "caught" until death. The repeated refrain of "learning to live together" speaks to a desire for unity and coexistence despite the differences that may divide us. The line "I lost my memory of where I've been" suggests a loss of connection to our shared cosmic origins and a need for us to remember our origins in order to move forward.
The uplifting, almost anthemic quality of this song is underscored by its soaring melody and gospel-inspired backing vocals. Cocker's raspy, soulful voice gives the lyrics an added emotional resonance. The song's expansive lyrics and music evoke a sense of wonder and possibility, urging listeners to embrace the beauty and diversity of life.
Overall, "Space Captain" is a song that celebrates the human spirit and our capacity for connection and growth. It encourages us to rediscover our sense of wonder and to strive for a world where we can all "learn to live together" in peace and harmony.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I was traveling across the sky
As I soared above, I stumbled upon a beautiful planet that immediately caught my attention.
This lovely planet caught my eye
The stunning view of this planet seized my attention.
And being curious I flew close by
Driven by my curiosity, I approached this planet for a closer look.
And now I'm caught here, until I die
Alas, I have now become trapped here and will remain so until my final breath.
Until we die, until we die
We will all remain trapped here until the end of our lives.
Learning to live together, learning to live together
We must learn to coexist in this new environment in order to survive.
Learning to live together, till we die
We must continue to adapt and cooperate with each other until the end of our days.
I lost my memory of where I've been
My past has become a blur and I can no longer recall where I have come from.
We all forgot that we could fly
It seems we have all forgotten what it means to be truly free.
Someday we'll all change into peaceful man
One day, we will all evolve into beings of peace and harmony with each other.
And we'll return into the sky
And when that day comes, we will take to the skies once again.
Until we die, until we die
But until then, we remain trapped here until our time on this planet comes to an end.
Learning to live together, learning to live together
So we must continue to learn how to coexist and work together in order to survive.
Live together, yeah
We must live together - there is no other choice.
Learning to live together, till we die
We must continue to adapt and cooperate with each other until the end of our days.
Hum, oh, ah, hum
Some sounds of reflection, contemplation, and acceptance.
Until we die, until we die
We will remain trapped here until our last breath.
Learning to live together, learning to live together
So we must continue to learn how to coexist and work together in order to survive.
Learning to live together, learning to live together
We must continue to adapt and cooperate with each other until the end of our days.
Learning to live together, learning to live together
Our only hope of survival is to learn how to live together in this new world.
To live together, to live together, to live together
We must remember that we are in this together, and our fate is intertwined.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MATTHEW MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind