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)
Superstar
Joe Cocker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fell in love with you before the second show
Your guitar, it sounds so sweet and clear, but you're not really here
It's just the radio
Don't you remember you told me you loved me baby
You said you'd be coming back this way again baby
Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh, baby
Loneliness is such a sad affair, and I can hardly wait to be with you again
What to say, to make you come again
Come back to me again, and play your sad guitar
Superstar is a poignant ballad about the pangs of unrequited love. It's a song about a person who has fallen in love with someone who is admired and revered by many, but is unable to reciprocate the same kind of feelings. The singer is deeply enamoured with the subject of their affection, who is a musician, and is so moved by their performance that they are able to feel as though they are in love with them. However, the performer is not actually present, and the singer is only listening to them on the radio.
The song also alludes to a previous encounter between the singer and the musician. It appears that they had met before, and the musician had expressed feelings of love towards the singer. However, despite these declarations, they had not returned to the singer again, and they were left alone to contemplate their feelings of loss and loneliness.
The lyrics are evocative and emotive, capturing the longing and heartache felt by someone who is in love with someone they cannot have. The song is a beautiful testament to the power of music in eliciting deep emotion and connection, even if it is not reciprocated.
Line by Line Meaning
Long ago, and, oh, so far away
It feels like ages ago when we met, and it seems like we are miles apart
I fell in love with you before the second show
I fell in love with you at first sight when I saw you performing on stage for the second time
Your guitar, it sounds so sweet and clear, but you're not really here
Your guitar playing on the radio sounds so perfect, but it reminds me that you're not really with me
It's just the radio
I wish it was you playing the guitar in person, but it's just a recording on the radio
Don't you remember you told me you loved me baby
Do you not recall when you confessed your love to me, darling?
You said you'd be coming back this way again baby
You promised that you would come back to me, sweetie
Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh, baby
Oh my dearest, my darling, my love, my everything, I miss you so much
I love you, I really do
My love for you is genuine and true, without a doubt
Loneliness is such a sad affair, and I can hardly wait to be with you again
Feeling lonely without you by my side is a painful experience, and I'm eagerly waiting for the moment when we reunite
What to say, to make you come again
I'm searching for the right words to make you want to come back to me
Come back to me again, and play your sad guitar
Please come back to me and play your heartfelt guitar music, it always touches my soul
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: STEVIE WONDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind