RIP: Joe Cocker

[clydepepper]

The man gave his all to any song he sang.

He'll be missed.

[the 'stache]

While Joe's passing has been covered on the national news, I feel that it should be an even bigger deal than it's being made out to be. Joe Cocker is one of the greats of popular music in the last century. There are two things that go to this man's greatness. Well, you could really say three, and you wouldn't be wrong.

Most popular artists, if they are lucky, have one truly iconic song. Some have two. Cocker, it could be said, had three. Cocker's music is the first unmistakable nod to his greatness. When you hear one of his classics, within seconds, you instantly know what the song is, and you know who the man behind the microphone is.

Though "With a Little Help From My Friends" was written and recorded by the Beatles, appearing on their masterpiece album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, it could be argued that Cocker's cover is just as popular, and as important in the history of popular music, if not more so. What is not debatable, however, is that Cocker made the song his own, and it is one of the great cover songs of all-time. It is the rarest of accomplishments when a song written, performed, and popularized by the Beatles is brought up, and the Beatles' version is not the first you think of.

Cocker's second iconic song, a cover of "the fifth Beatle", Billy Preston's "You Are So Beautiful", is one of the greatest love songs ever written, and Cocker, again, took a great song, slowed it down, altered the arrangement, and came up with a timeless classic. The number of children conceived as a direct result of Cocker's cover are legion. Cocker squeezed every last ounce of emotion out of his smoky, raspy voice. I've heard this song hundreds of times, and I never get tired of it. In fact, if I were asked to come up with a list of my favorite ten songs of the 70s, this would be near the very top, challenging Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street, and a select few others, for the top spot. For me to say that, as a complete progressive rock and metal devotee, is a testament to just how great those two songs, and performances, are to me.

The third iconic song, ironically enough, was his biggest hit in the states. This would be "Up Where We Belong", a #1 smash he recorded with Jennifer Warnes for the Movie An Officer And a Gentleman. The song won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy Award.

While the songs will be what Cocker is most remembered for, as should be the case with any great singer, his instrument, his voice, is instantly recognizable. Nobody sounded like Joe Cocker. And he was masterful at controlling his voice to get precisely what he was looking for.

The third element of his greatness is the homage paid by John Belushi on Saturday Night Live. I can't think of Cocker without thinking of Belushi's spot on pantomime, his spastic arm movements, and facial contortion, made for one of the great moment's in the long-running show's history.

He will be missed.

[clydepepper]

Woodstock performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR-H2uFCQls





He will be missed.[/QUOTE]

[Beatles Guy]

His cover of "With A Little Help From My Friends" is probably my favorite cover song of all time and definitely my favorite cover of a Beatles tune.

[HRBAKER]

Give me "she came in thru the bathroom window" anytime.

[porkchops]

It's high time I went ....... and listened to some Joe Cocker.
R.I.P. Joe

[clydepepper]

When I was teenager there were three large posters of famous people on my bedroom wall -- Bob Dylan, D.H. Lawrence and Joe Cocker in the middle of a scream in concert at Woodstock. The picture of Joe frightened my mother, but I reassured her. "No mom, he's an emotional visionary."

I didn’t know then, but I know now, that if you wish for something with your whole heart, it has a pretty good chance of coming true.

In the early '80s, other than a few great pairs such as Ella and Louis, Loretta and Conway, duets were not common on the charts. Music that year was weighted down with synthesizers and rhinestone jumpsuits. I was home watching one of those less than wonderful Grammy telecasts when Joe appeared singing "I'm So Glad I’m Standing Here Today" with the Crusaders. His voice was like a knife cutting through me. He laid his heart right on the table. I also knew right then that we would sing together.

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Then that beautiful song by Will Jennings, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Jack Nitzsche fell into our hands. The movie wanted us. Things just fell together. I agree that the pairing of a rough Sheffield blues guy with a folkie-pop girl seemed odd. To make it worse they dressed me in taffeta, Joe in a suit, it was crazy. We looked like two prom kids, not like Ella and Louis. But in 1983 we toured the big wide world and never lip-synced once. That was our rule, no lip syncing. Every performance was the real deal, a free falling skydive. Geronimo! Joe took his liberties with the song and I chased after. Singing with Joe was often risky and always thrilling. Those are great memories that I will keep in my heart.

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With a new dread, I realized yesterday that we will never sing our song again. That thought makes me feel sick. We met last year in Berlin to sing together. I didn't know that would be our last time.

Joe won my heart completely when I first saw the movie Woodstock. He won millions of hearts with that film. But it was a young girl's dream come true to later become Joe’s singing partner.

I will always love him and always miss him.

Jennifer Warnes and Joe Cocker's 1982 collaboration "Up Where We Belong" for the film An Officer And a Gentleman won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and netted them both the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. It also topped the Billboard Hot 100.