What Are Joe Cocker’s 5 Biggest Hits?

Joe Cocker represented something relatively new on the rock and roll scene when he debuted in the late 60s. Although he didn’t write songs, Cocker interpreted top material from within the rock genre. And he did it extremely well. He also delivered on the pop charts over a long stretch of time in the United States. Here are the five biggest American hits from Cocker’s impressive catalog.

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5. “Cry Me A River” – No. 11 in 1970

Mad Dogs & Englishmen is rightfully regarded as one of the premier live albums of its era. At the time, Joe Cocker had to hurriedly assemble a group of backing musicians on the fly for a tour. But the musicians he gathered ended up forming the core of some of the top rock albums of the next few years, including All Things Must Pass and Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs. The horns of Jim Horn, Jim Price, and Bobby Keys take center stage on “Cry Me A River”, a song that Cocker completely transforms from its genteel origins.

4. “When The Night Comes” – No. 11 in 1989

As the 80s wore on, it appeared as if Joe Cocker might never get back to the charts. He gained some exposure covering everyone from Randy Newman (“You Can Leave Your Hat On”) to Ray Charles (“Unchain My Heart”), but no US Top 40 hits. The 1989 album One Night Of Sin featured him working with modern songwriters in addition to the more antiquated covers. The ace trio of Bryan Adams, Jim Vallance, and Diane Warren delivered on “When The Night Comes”. It allows Cocker to bellow over a pop gospel backdrop for what would be his last Top 40 hit in the US.

3. “The Letter” – No. 7 in 1970

Joe Cocker was already two albums into his career when he released Mad Dogs & Englishmen. To that point, his singles did a little bit of damage in the US, with a pair of Beatles covers (“With A Little Help From My Friends” and “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window”) gaining the most exposure. “The Letter” had already been a big US hit and was sung by Alex Chilton, himself an iconic vocalist, for The Box Tops. But Cocker once again took the source material and, with the help of his backing band, gave it a soulful new coat of paint. And he pushed the song right back up the charts.

2. “You Are So Beautiful” – No. 5 in 1975

Rumors have long persisted that Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys helped to write this classic ballad. (Wilson often sang it in concert.) Credit only went to Billy Preston, who did the first recording of it, and his writing partner, Bruce Fisher. Joe Cocker received a big assist on his version from the legendary session player Nicky Hopkins, who delivered a stunningly pretty piano part. From there, it’s all Cocker. He wheezes and moans his way through each note with such variety that you barely notice there are hardly any words in the song.

1. “Up Where We Belong” – No. 1 in 1982

Here was another occasion when Joe Cocker’s pop career rose from the ashes after several fallow years. Like most big motion pictures of that era, An Officer And A Gentleman wouldn’t have seemed complete without a love theme, preferably a duet. The mix of the vocal stylings of Cocker and Jennifer Warnes provided the chemistry here. And Cocker deserves credit for restraining his usually bombastic style until cutting loose in the refrains. The song gave him his lone No. 1 hit in America.

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