Wayne Cochran (1939 – November 21, 2017) was an American soul singer, known… Read Full Bio ↴Wayne Cochran (1939 – November 21, 2017) was an American soul singer, known for his outlandish outfits and white pompadour hairstyle. He is sometimes referred to as The White Knight of Soul.
Influenced by the country and rhythm and blues music he heard on the radio, Cochran fronted his first band - a group called the Rockin' Capris - as a teenager, and eventually left high school to pursue music as a full-time career. He relocated to Macon, Georgia, where he befriended the soul singer Otis Redding (playing bass guitar on Redding's early recording of "Shout Bamalama" and its B-side, "Fat Girl") and recorded his first single, "The Coo", which attracted the attention of King Records, who signed him to a record deal. Cochran became close friends with King labelmate James Brown, whose stage show and road band influenced his own performing style and inspired him to assemble his own soul revue, the C. C. Riders, which occasionally featured as many as 14 musicians plus two female backing vocalists, the Sheer Delights.

Although his single recordings for King (including "Goin' Back To Miami", a song which became a signature tune for the singer) were not commercially successful beyond local markets in the south, Cochran's energetic performances, rigorous touring schedule and appearances on television talk shows such as The Jackie Gleason Show helped to make the C. C. Riders a popular attraction. In the mid-1960s, Cochran made Las Vegas his base of operations and played residencies at several hotels, casinos and theatres. During this time, he met and befriended Elvis Presley, who borrowed elements of Cochran's revue for his own Las Vegas period, adopting jump suits similar to Cochran's wardrobe and adding the song "C. C. Rider" to his set list.

Cochran recorded an album for Chess Records entitled Wayne Cochran! in 1967, which featured the blue-eyed soul and rhythm and blues style he had perfected on the road with his revue, but backed by session musicians for most of the cuts instead of his touring band. This was followed by a return to King and two further LPs, Alive & Well & Living... In A Bitch of A World and the instrumental High & Ridin', both in 1970. These albums saw the C. C. Riders' guitarist and musical director, Charles Brent, take an important creative role, and featured a jazz-influenced sound comparable to the Chicago Transit Authority or Blood, Sweat & Tears. Cochran also recorded a "live" album (actually a "live in the studio" record) for King sometime between 1967 and 1969, although this would go unreleased until it was included in an Ace Records compilation, Goin' Back To Miami: The Soul Sides 1965-1970, in 2014.

Cochran would record a final album, Cochran, for Epic Records in 1972, and continued to tour and make appearances on television. Cochran retired from music to become a minister and evangelist in Miami, Florida.

Cochran died on November 21, 2017 in Miami Florida.

Sleepless Nights
Wayne Cochran & The C.C. Riders Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All Of My Sleepless Nights
And All Of My Senseless Fights
I Can't Believe They've Been About You!
And All Of My Restless Days
And My Peculiar Ways
Don't Mean A Thing When I'm Without You!

And I, I Am Hopelessly Going Insane

Everytime I Hear Your Name
Everytime I Feel You Close To Me!
And I, I Am Totally Falling For You
Ain't Got A Clue What To Do
My Sleepless Nights Away From You!

All Of My Sleepless Nights
Staring At City Lights
Counting The Days I Spend Without You!
All Of My Shameless Tears

And All Of My Hopes And Fears
They Come To Life When I'm Around You!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Wayne Cochran & The C.C. Riders's song Sleepless Nights are about the strong and overpowering feelings of love and longing for someone. The singer admits that all of his sleepless nights and senseless fights have been about this person, proving that they have consumed his thoughts and actions. The restless days and peculiar ways also seem insignificant when he is without this person.

The singer then admits that he is hopelessly going insane every time he hears the person's name or feels them close to him. He is falling for them, but does not know what to do. All his sleepless nights spent away from this person add to his feelings of despair and desperation. The city lights only remind him of their absence, and his tears, hopes, and fears come to life only when he is near them, revealing how deeply they have affected him.

Overall, the lyrics depict a raw and intense emotion of love that has taken over the singer and left him feeling helpless and lost without their significant other.

Line by Line Meaning

All Of My Sleepless Nights
I have spent many nights staying awake.

And All Of My Senseless Fights
I have also been in many pointless arguments.

I Can't Believe They've Been About You!
It's hard to believe that all of those fights were over you.

And All Of My Restless Days
I have also had many anxious and restless days.

And My Peculiar Ways
My unusual habits and tendencies.

Don't Mean A Thing When I'm Without You!
None of these things matter when you're not around.

And I, I Am Hopelessly Going Insane
I'm losing my mind.

Everytime I Hear Your Name
Just hearing your name drives me crazy.

Everytime I Feel You Close To Me!
The mere thought of being near you is overwhelming.

And I, I Am Totally Falling For You
I'm falling in love with you.

Ain't Got A Clue What To Do
I have no idea what to do about it.