JOE COCKER - WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

JOE COCKER

SONGWRITERS: PAUL MCCARTNEY & JOHN LENNON

COUNTRY: U. K.

ALBUM: WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

LABEL: A& M RECORDS

GENRE: ROCK

YEAR: 1969

 

        With a Little Help from My Friends is the debut album by singer-songwriter Joe Cocker, released in late April 1969. It was certified gold in the US and peaked at number 35 on the Billboard 200. In the UK, the album charted in May 1972 at number 29 when it was re-released as a double pack with Cocker's second LP Joe Cocker!.

         The title track was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and originally performed by the Beatles on the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band; it has been inducted into both the Grammy Award Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cocker's version was the theme song to the television series The Wonder Years during the 1980s and 1990s.

       In 2015, the Audio Fidelity company released a limited reissue of the album in hybrid SACD format as a tribute to Cocker.

       With a Little Help from My Friends met with a favorable review from Rolling Stone's John Mendelsohn. Mendelsohn stated that "Cocker has assimilated the [Ray] Charles influence to the point where his feeling for what he is singing cannot really be questioned. And, in answer to the question of why someone should listen to Cocker when there is Charles to listen to – how many times in recent years has the latter applied himself to such exceptional modern material [...] or such contemporary Dylan...?" He also stated that "Cordell's success in fusing a consistently marvelous backing unit out of America's premier studio soul singers and England's most famous rock musicians and delicate egos cannot be exaggerated." He concluded that "it's a triumph all around. And the thought of Cocker's next album [...] is an exceptionally pleasant one." In The New York Times, Robert Christgau wrote:

      John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of songs written by other song writers, though he composed a number of songs for most of his albums as well, often in conjunction with songwriting partner Chris Stainton.

      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.

What would you do if I sang out of tune?

Would you stand up and walk out on me?

Lend me your ears, then I'll sing you a song

I will try not to sing out of key, yeah

 

Oh, baby I get by

(By with a little help from my friends)

All I need is my buddies

(Try with a little help from my friends)

I said, I'm gonna get high

(High with a little help from my friends)

Oh, yeah

 

What do I do when my love is away?

(Does it worry you to be alone?)

No, no

How do I feel at the end of the day?

(Are you sad 'cause you're on your own?)

I tell don't get sad no more

 

Gonna get by with my friends

(Try high with a little help from my friends)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm gonna try

(Try with a little help from my friends)

Keep on gettin' high, oh, Lord

 

I need someone to love

(Could it be anybody?)

All I need is someone

Knows just where I'm goin', yeah

Somebody who knows just what I'll show them, baby

 

Said, I'm gonna make it with my friends, yeah, yeah

(Try with a little help with my friends)

Oh, oh, I'm gonna keep on tryin', yeah

(High with a little help from my friends)

I'm gonna keep on tryin' now, babe

 

I'm certain it happens all the time, yeah

(What do you see when you turn off the light?)

I can't tell you, but it sure feels like mine

 

Don't you know I'm gonna make it with my friends?

(Try with a little help with my friends)

I promised myself I'll get by

(High with a little help from my friends)

Said, I'm gonna try it with them too hard

 

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah

(Could it be anybody?)

Oh, there's gotta be somebody

Going to be right, I know it

Somebody carefree, now

Oh, yeah, yeah

 

Said, I'm gonna get by with my friends

(Try with a little help with my friends)

Oh, yes, I'm gonna keep tryin', now

(High with a little help from my friends)

Keep on tryin' with my friends

(By with a little help from my friends)

 

Oh, you'll never gonna stop me anymore

(Try with a little help with my friends)

I'm gonna keep on tryin', yeah

(High with a little help from my friends)

I'm gettin' high, I wanna make time, Lord, no

Gonna get by with my friends, yeah

Oh, I'm gonna get on by

Yes, I'm gonna get on by

Wanna take 'em all along

I wanna take 'em all along with me, yeah, yeah.