Put Out the Light

Album: I Can Stand a Little Rain (1974)
Charted: 46
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Songfacts®:

  • Alternately titled "Somebody I Trusted (Put Out The Light)," this song was written by Daniel Moore, who was Joe Cocker's choir director on his 1970 Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. The song was also recorded by Three Dog Night and David Clayton Thomas, but Moore tells us that Cocker's version is his favorite.

    Talking about how he came up with the song, Moore said: "The inspiration for writing the song was my impatience with people that put a sour note on any situation. Especially recording or performance situations. Negativity ruins the creative process as a general rule. So I won't usually stand for it." (Here's our full Daniel Moore interview.)
  • This was issued as the first single from Cocker's I Can Stand a Little Rain album, but it quickly became clear that the B-side of the single, "You Are So Beautiful," had more chart potential. After a few weeks, A&M Records issued the single with the sides flipped, and "Beautiful" became a big hit.

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