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)
Where Am I Now
Joe Cocker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On an empty avenue
No surprise
Memorizin' faces I once new
But there's a stranger
In the mirror
Seems familiar
That I once drew
I thought time
Was my partner
Now my clock is frozen so it seems
Used to be
My own best friend was me
There's a stranger
In the mirror
Seems familiar
Like a sketch
That I once drew
Where am I now
When I need me
Where am I now
When I need me
I been livin' for myself
I been around or so it seems
Used to be
My own best friend was me
But there's this thing in the mirror now
Seems familiar
Like a sketch
That I once drew
Where am I now
When I need me
Where am I now
When I need me
The lyrics to Joe Cocker's song "Where Am I Now" depict the feelings of emptiness and loss of identity that comes with age and the passing of time. The song opens with the image of the morning sun rising on an empty avenue, suggesting a sense of isolation and loneliness. Joe Cocker sings, "Memorizing faces I once knew/But there's a stranger in the mirror/Seems familiar like a sketch that I once drew." This line implies that the person he once was is still there, but he is struggling to recognize himself.
The chorus emphasizes the central theme of the song, as Joe Cocker repeatedly asks, "Where am I now when I need me?" This line suggests a loss of self, as though he is searching for the person he used to be but cannot find him. He laments, "I thought time was my partner/Now my clock is frozen so it seems," which suggests that he expected time to be on his side, but now feels stuck in place. The closing verse reveals that Joe Cocker used to be his "own best friend," but that now "there's this thing in the mirror now," suggesting a disconnect between who he once was and the person he sees in the present.
Overall, "Where Am I Now" is a poignant meditation on the passage of time, the loss of identity that comes with it, and the search for self that we all undergo as we age.
Line by Line Meaning
Morning sun risin'
The beginning of a new day.
On an empty avenue
Feeling alone and isolated.
No surprise
The emptiness has become the norm.
Memorizin' faces I once knew
Remembering the people that were once close in their life.
But there's a stranger
Referring to oneself as a stranger, as they no longer recognize who they are.
In the mirror
Looking at oneself in a literal or figurative sense.
Seems familiar
Despite feeling like a stranger, there are still hints of familiarity.
Like a sketch
The reminiscences of being one’s self is like a rough draft.
That I once drew
Referencing a past version of oneself, which is now unrecognizable.
I thought time
The idea of time and one’s personal relationship with it.
Was my partner
The thought of time being an essential companion, forming one's identity over the years.
Now my clock is frozen so it seems
Time has come to a halt or has no meaning anymore.
Used to be
Recalling a time that no longer exists.
My own best friend was me
Having no need for anyone else and being comfortable with oneself.
There's a stranger
Feeling estranged from oneself, as if there is someone else looking back.
When I need me
A sense of desperation and need for oneself to fix themselves.
I been livin' for myself
Living life with no one else but oneself to help or rely on.
I been around or so it seems
Existing but not really living or present in life.
But there's this thing in the mirror now
Referring back to the stranger that is staring back at them through the mirror.
Where am I now
A question of where one's path in life is leading them.
When I need me
A realization of needing oneself to figure out who they are now.
Where am I now
Questioning the current place in one's life and what the future holds.
Lyrics © WASHITA MUSIC CO.
Written by: J. ANGELOS, J.E. DAVIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind