David Cook – “Light On” Lyrics – And Other Random Speculation

I had already gone to bed when the lyrics were posted over there. I figured I’d be asleep when it happened. :laugh_tb: I’m really anxious to hear the song. :jittery_tb:

Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s smart to stick with whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s worked so far

I agree. If the formula works, stick with it. :wink_wp:

Okay. I’ll repeat. :laugh_tb: LOL.

Interesting lyrics. Poignantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦reflective. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d love to hear those words put to music. What will it be? Rock, rock balladà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦?

Interesting, yes. I absolutely flove the lyrics, and from the intense dissection of them over at DCO it’s apparent they have the good quality of being able to mean different things to different people on different levels.

I can’t wait to hear it.

GAH! Could they tease us anymore? Just pull the BandAid off already!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I already said at DCO I like the lyrics. They seem to be well done, but you can’t tell for sure until you hear them with the music. So far so good. Looks like he’s delivering on the promise shown on AI – he’s good at emotional songs, midempo or slow power ballad-y, and he calls himself a wordnerd so one would expect decent lyrics, plus his AI performances suggest any of his songs would have a solid arrangement that showcases his voice. Fingers crossed!

DC just has to do a song someday with the title, “Teasing you.”

Interesting, no?

Yes, very!

I found myself trying to sing those words to the tune of whatever Analog Heart song it is with the “your laugh intoxicating” line. (I looked it up an it’s The Truth, of course. Like, duh.)

Anyway, it kind of works, oddly enough.

Goosebumps! OMG I want to hear it so badly! I had to go to bed by 11 last night so this was a pleasant surprise to wake up to. I have no clue what the music will actually sound like but for some reason I’m picturing something with the “Home” vibe”.

DC just has to do a song someday with the title, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Teasing you.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Oh yes he does.

I’m really curious about who wrote Light On. Some fans say they see David in the lyrics (we have, thankfully, many many DC penned songs to compare with), and some say it sounds nothing like him. A YMMV thing, I guess. All will be revealed soon, if the rumors are true that David will be on Ryan’s show this week (which, if he is, won’t we know in advance? Please?).

Anyway, the subject matter seems autobiographical enough to resonate, and yet metaphorical enough that it could mean different things to different people (as Spritely said, and the lengthy DCO discussion proves).

I just can’t wait to hear it, really.

Either the lyrics fit David, or David fits the lyrics. Either way. Meaning, he may not have even written it, but somehow, there’s the possibility that he’ll make it sound like he did.

Meaning, he may not have even written it, but somehow, thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the possibility that heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll make it sound like he did.

For one second I don’t doubt that he will… For me, David managed to make almost every single song he sang on Idol sound like he wrote it. He has that way of making songs “his own”.
I mean, really, ABMB? David’s version is just not a Mariah Carey song.

Either the lyrics fit David, or David fits the lyrics.

So much word to this.

It’s so appropriate that the Head Wordnerd gave us the lyrics first. I wonder if this has ever been done before? It seems a brilliant move.

I mean, really, ABMB? Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s version is just not a Mariah Carey song.

Heh. No kidding. For the longest time, I couldn’t recall her version of the song. Could be that I’m not her biggest fan anyway.

But, like Fantasia did with “I Believe”, he managed to make “Magic Rainbow”…believable.

So…I’ve got faith in him for this one. I’m just a little antsy about details…like how it sounds. Can’t wait.

I’m going to guess that he wrote the words because if he didn’t he should have posted the name of the writer. It’s a bit cheesy to have fans assume you wrote something, if you didn’t. It reminds me a little of the words to Home (Daughtry’s song) but without actually hearing it, who knows what it will sound like. Def not an unbeat song.

For some reason I keep hearing “All I Really Need Is You” in my head as I read the lyrics, so i guess I agree with you, MJ, sounds like a power ballad, and that’s worked well for him in the past. Could be a good marketing strategy as well- an original, new song that doesn’t venture so far into new artistic territory that too many of his AI fans are left behind but also appeals too a broader audience and a rock audience. But I also keep thinking that the lyrics to his Axium song “AC” don’t scream “hard rock” to me either, so I think anything is still possible!

As for who wrote the lyrics, we haven’t seen any lyrics written by David in the last 2 or more years, other than a fragment of 1 song, so I don’t think we can say whether these are his writing style or not. I definitely think it could be all him and my preference would be for his introduction to the wider world to be all him, but who knows.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m going to guess that he wrote the words because if he didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t he should have posted the name of the writer.

He’s not the one who posted the lyrics, and I don’t know if the Web Nerds (The DCO crew) would have thought about it.
Some people are saying that they would’ve made a comment if he had wrote it, giving him the credit.

I don’t think the “no credits” thing means anything about who wrote it, one way or the other – I think it’s just as important to note if David wrote the lyrics, as it is to give credit if it’s someone else.
Basically, I’m reserving judgement anyway – we’ll know soon enough.

The web nerds who run the site should have included the name of the writer of the lyrics. It’s a little odd to to post someone else’s work without giving credit. So I’m making the assumption that Cook wrote them.

But you know what they say about assu….

GAH! Could they tease us anymore? Just pull the BandAid off already!!!!!!!!

I’m dying here. I must hear it now. I must know who wrote it. This is going to be a long week.

Some interesting interpretations being posited at DCO: a soldier or sailor leaving for war/sea, a salesman going on the road, or of course, a musician going on tour.

I hope- I hope- I hope it is indeed a power ballad, because, yes, that’s how he said ‘Hello’ to the AI audience. Now he needs to say ‘Hello’ to the rest of the world.

Well, even though it (most likely) wasn’t written by him someone is still doing something write, because the song does sound very David. If this song does well, there is a good chance his CD will do well also, so here’s hoping.

ok lyrics are Beautiful. meaningful. i can relate to them. they are thought-provoking, I Like That!
but this is a strange concept for me to be hooked to a song through it’s lyrics.
well, Leave to cook to brake the mold. i should’ve expected it by now.
whatever the melody is, it’s gonna be awesome because it’s Cook and he is not capable of something mediocre plus that VOICE of his is Ridiculous and can sell anything to me.
i see a very bright future for this song.
fingers crossed that there is going to be a premiere on RYAN show this week. i just want it to be out there already so we can move on from the AI phase.

It will be interesting to see how this sounds. It doesn’t really sound rock to me.

Brian Howe wrote WITH Chris Daughtry on a few songs. Feels Like Tonight and What About Now are the only two songs Chris didn’t have a hand in writing.
:smile_wp:

Well, the web nerds did say that the legal and publicity nerds were involved in this release, so if there was a legal or publicity reason to release the name of the lyricist, you’d think that they would have. But assumptions have been proven wrong before.

I like the lyrics, and how layered they seem—they appear to apply to his life over the last year and trying to stay grounded, but could apply to other people’s situations. Looking forward to hearing the lyrics with music and, oh, yeah, his voice.

Do we know when the song is being released? Is it this week or next?

forlife
on friday he said next week, “midweek”.
so i guess in the next few days. at least i hope…

I like the lyrics. I think they are poignant and allow the listener to draw their own interpretation. I agree with others it sounds power ballad-y.

I don’t care if Chris Cornell wrote it, and DC took it as is. I don’t care if Chris Cornell wrote it, then DC put his own flavor in it. If DC wrote it all by himself, great. But I do question the wisdom in not publishing the writer because anyone on his team following these boards (and you know they do, to some extent) are aware of the question mark and I think it’s disingenuious. I’m not worked up about it, or anything, and we’ll likely learn in just a few days, but anyhoo.

I’m not that comfortable with all the in-breeding between Daughtry connections and Cook. I have nothing against Daughtry. But I want Cook to have his own identity and not be manufactured by people who just “insert singer here”. I happen to personally feel Cook is overall more talented than Daughtry, and the comparisons are inevitable from the market and the industry. But I still don’t like it. I want Cook to be his own guy, with his own people. No cross-breeding of writers and such.

justic Dave has commented that Frank Sinatra believed in ‘inhabiting’ the lyrics to a song before trying to sing them. The implication being that Dave agrees.

fallforever
yes i remember that. i ment that it’s the first time FOR ME as a listener to be hooked to a song via the Lyrics first.
that never happened to me before.
it’s always the melody first and then the lyrics.

Leave it to the word nerd to release the lyrics first. :cool2_tb: I’m sure this move definitely won the hearts of fans like me who love to dissect and analyze lyrics. My first impression is that the song can apply to any situation where two people are forced apart by circumstance but long to be reunited again…some day. Kind of like the old saying “put a candle in the window for me.” Poignant, sad, but also a little hopeful. Good stuff to chew on. :ponder_tb:

ETA: Heh, heh, he’s going to sing the word “naked.” Heh, heh.

Ahhhh David David, I got all misty reading the lyrics…reminded me of an old bf (musician-albeit a pretty bad one).

I think the lyrics are universal and can, and will, appeal across many situations and appeal to many different people on different levels.

He needs rock cred, but he also needs a bona fide hit…people outside the AI world need to be sucked in.

Can’t wait to hear it put to music and I a praying that it IS an angsty rock ballad.

I like the lyrics, but I really hope this doesn’t turn out to be a formulaic power ballad like “Home.” I don’t care how huge that song was, I can’t listen to it without nodding off. Hopefully some of the musical “twists and turns” David promised will be present in the track. I was expecting something more uptempo after TOML, so I do wonder if the lyrics are deceiving in that regard (i.e., it looks like a power ballad but will end up sounding completely different)

I don’t listen to mainstream pop-rock angsty power ballad type music, so that’s probably just me wanting David to be something he’s not. At this point, I’m buying whatever he’s selling, regardless. I just have very high hopes for the first single.

Twists and turns can also be risky. I’m all for him taking risks on the album but for the first single I don’t think he should stray too far from a familar formula. I guess I’m just bias when it comes to Daughtry because I’m a fan. Say what you will about his music but it works and has done very well for him. TOML for all that it’s considered cheesy and sappy it also got him major airplay on AC and Hot AC. I wouldn’t mind another song that could get him continued airplay there as well as Pop.

It’ll be awesome. Also, you think were we being given this to tide us over for another week or so? There’s a drawback to letting people project their own interpretation of what the melody will be for too long.

In any case, nice job by David’s peeps in keeping interest high

Do we have any clue when the actual premiere will be? Earlier speculation was about Tuesday, but we get nearer and still no word.
I’m starting to wonder.

Jolene,

Have you figured out yet how you are going to get the single?

Didn’t the webnerds say somewhere to check the official site this week for info? I remember reading something about going there. It’s only Monday.

Didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t the webnerds say somewhere to check the official site this week for info? I remember reading something about going there. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s only Monday.

Yes. In fact that is what the email notice that we got (what mj herself posted here) said later this week if I remember correctly.

Have you figured out yet how you are going to get the single?

Not anything specific. All I can do is hope (and wholeheartedly believe) that once the single is out for sale, there will be a gifting thread on DCO, and that we’ll get everything sorted about how it’s done. All it takes is one person who knows the required steps and writes a short guide in the thread. I’m sure there are many international fans who will have to rely on this method, so one way or another, it will get sorted.

Didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t the webnerds say somewhere to check the official site this week for info? I remember reading something about going there. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s only Monday.

It is, but David said “midweek”, which to me translates to either Tuesday or Wednesday… If it would’ve been on t Tuesday morning radio show, I think we would’ve gotten a head’s up by now, but I really don’t know.

Well, I listened to Ryan’s show today, and he didn’t mention anything.

Poignant, sad, but also a little hopeful. Good stuff to chew on.

ETA: Heh, heh, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s going to sing the word à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“naked.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Heh, heh.

LOL sunchick! ITA, especially with “…sad, but also a little hopeful.” That is what gets me about this guy. He breaks my heart, puts it back together, then tears me up again, then makes me smile. He’s just too much – and in one song, even 1:30 of a song. And that’s why I listen to him over and over. That and he’s going to sing the word “naked.” Nom. Nom nom nom. Hah! I love it, all the FEEEEEEELINGS. And I love his voice. And his phrasing. And his writing. I don’t think he HAS to write a song for it to be his. He can make it his song, if he believes it. We know that. I’m thinking a rock ballad-y joint on this, maybe with something surprising, along the lines of those notes and that arrangement of ABMB. Or Hello. It’ll be Cookified, of that I’m certain. I can’t wait! :lol_tb:

The more I read the lyrics, the more I think that David wrote this song. They are just too good not to be his. I think he might get his wish. This album could rival Joshua Tree.

:cool_wp:

Wikipedia is reporting that the album title will be Out of My Head. We all know how “yeah, right” Wiki can be, but it’s fun to speculate.

But I saw nothing to make us thing he will do anything on Ryan’s show except a 3rd hand report from someone that heard he might be on, unless I missed something. It could even premiere on AOL First Listen for all we know. when TOML debuted on there we knew because it was on the front page of AOL immediately after the finale finished.

Yes. In fact that is what the email notice that we got (what mj herself posted here) said later this week if I remember correctly.

Thanks Pam. I went back and saw the newsletter and I forgot that’s where it was said to check the site this week. I think RCA has been very smart with the way they keep slowly dropping little things so I’m trusting that they know exactly what they’re doing. I think we’ll get a notice on the site telling us where and when to hear it.

Wikipedia is reporting that the album title will be Out of My Head. We all know how à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“yeah, rightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Wiki can be, but ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fun to speculate.

Oh GwendolynD, I’m gonna LOL if Wikki is correct! WTF? Who is editing that page? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm…I find that SO amusing. That an album title is even posted there is amusing. :rolleyes_wp:

Who is editing that page?

You can track down whoever added that info, actually, if you go look up the changes from older versions.
I somehow really don’t see any reason why someone in the know would update Wiki ahead of anywhere else, so I’m not buying it.

I hope he DIDN’T write these lyrics. He showed evidence of being a much better lyricist on Analog Heart. At points the lyrics of “Light On” work in a “less is more” kind of way, but at other points they are clunky, uneven, and generic.

I agree this doesn’t sound like a song that will “rock”. From a marketing perspective, this is smart because if it has a good pop hook that means it will get HAC and AC radio play, which means more sales and exposure– obviously, always good for a new artist. And the theme of the song will appeal to new female listeners.

But, from an establishing-the-artist’s-identity standpoint, I don’t see how this distinguishes him as UnDaughtry-like, which is a distinction I thought he was striving to create.

noctem, I have to agree with you to at least some degree. I actually think there’s a bit of a disjunct between some lines that seem more David-like and the vast majority which are not terrible but often generic. For example:

My back to a closing door and my eyes to the seasons
That roll out underneath my heels
And you donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know how bad it feels
To leave the only one that I have ever believed in

The first two lines are interesting, but they’re followed by two of the most generic lines possible. The contrast is a little jarring.

Then this part:

Sometimes it feels like weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve run out of luck
When the signal keeps on breaking up
When the wires cross in my brain
Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll start my heart again
When I come along

sounds more like him, but I think it’s only the third line that’s really David-ish. Maybe I’m giving him too much credit. Maybe he tweaked a line or two here and there, maybe he didn’t. But I suspect he didn’t write the lyrics originally, unless his style has changed drastically since his Analog Heart days.

However, the overall sentiment is in line with David’s sensibilities. What I’m hoping is the *sound* isn’t too poppy. I’ve heard some of Daughtry’s stuff before, but I honestly can’t remember any of it.

Ugh, as much as I love DC for giving us a crumb to obsess over, now that I have the lyrics, I REALLY AM DYING to hear the song! Anyone find any update on the speculation that he’ll be playing it on Ryan’s show this week? I read somewhere that someone (ha, clear as mud, I am) called the station and got a “maybe”, and was asked to call back during the show so the show people could answer better. Did that girl call back? Dang (TM Archie), did I say I’m dying of anticipation here?

I think these lyrics are more poignant than many things that are selling nowadays. It’s something that makes you think and to which you won’t turn your back without remembering.

I can’t really go behind those Daughtry comments. The generic music Daughtry does is beeing done for years now. He didn’t start anything, he’s also beeing a copy of something else. David won’t bring some new sound to the music industry, he’ll always be like something that existed before but I don’t know if that someone will be Daughtry. These lyrics do remind me of some of the first Coldplay work, a bit of Augustana or 3 Doors Down too. But how can we know what the song will sound like just with lyrics?
If the first single was pure rock, it would probably fail.
I think it’s a smart move to release something that’s probably a bit more pop if this is the case, that will get him more listeners. Then, with the second single he can go for something more rockish and get to more people.
Seems like a safe move, but probably the right one.

IIRC, the two songs that Brian Howes collaborated with Daughtry on were both uptempo songs – “What I Want” and “Over You”, which were both singles. WIW was only released to rock radio (and did well there), and OY was only released to Pop/HAC.

But, if I’m thinking of the right person, this guy also was the producer for Hinder, and their monster single, “Lips of an Angel” (which he cowrote) was a power ballad. So it could go either way, I guess.

Definitely a lot of anticipation on my part. Come on RCA – let us hear it already!!

For now I’m just gonna believe Cook and assume it will be out (for at least a preview if nothing else) tomorrow (wednesday at the latest).

Mostly because I don’t think I could stand thinking it was longer away.

I just hope it hurries.

I think David is great at the striptease. First it’s just a button (single is coming out this fall), then a shoe (it’s called ‘Light On’), then a sock (lyrics), then a…

By the time we actually get our hands on the music… Well, let’s just say.. he’s good at it. Builds up the heat, the anticipation.

Oh god, “Lips of an Angel” is just a heinously bad song. At least we know, lyrically, this one won’t be that awful. Wasn’t there an article a while ago where Hinder said they wanted to work with David?

karaokequeen I agree with everything you said about the lyrics. The ones you identified are the ones that strike me as the most similar to David’s previous work. I think the lyrics to the song are decent, a lot really depends on how the line is delivered. Some lyrics can sound really awkward when removed from the context of a song. These don’t but they are fairly straightforward. More-so than David’s previous songwriting. I’m a little torn about that to be honest. I do think that David’s lyrics can be a little impenetrable for a casual listener (or even for a fan), but he’s also quite a poetic lyricist, which I’m missing a little in this song. Which is what makes me think it is probably a co-write or written entirely by someone else.

Oh well, as long as we get plenty of David’s writing on the album and the single does well.

All I know is I really hope someone is taping Ryan’s radio show tomorrow, I think it will pay off if they do.

I’m fine with the lyrics being a bit simpler and easier to comprehend than some of his previous songwriting—the lyrics are still good and have emotional heft. The fact that the song is not dense will help to make it more likely to have a good hook for the audience. It all depends on the music ultimately—the lyrics are good enough that the song could do well, if the music works well. (We know that the voice should work well.)

I want that bloody single…NOW!

DC did say that he was going to let the producers pick his first single, and the he was more focused on just making a record. So..maybe they chose the most generic song to release for wide appeal. I like the lyrics, they are something everyone can identify with. Very common emotions. I agree that some of the lines seem to be “David-like” and others seem much more generic than I would expect of him.

I hope it’s rocking. After TOML he needs an uptempo song. But…like I said, he may not have had complete say over which song would be released first.

I want that bloody singleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦YESTERDAY!
RCA, enough with the stalling PLEASE!

The website of the radio station I listen to has a place where you can send in suggestions for songs for them to add to their playlist, so I sent in a request for Light On.

They never played Magic Rainbows as far as I’m aware, but they do play Daughtry, and they’ve been playing a few of the songs Dave covered on the show (TWIK, DYTM) or on tour (My Hero), so if his single/album sounds as I think most of us are expecting it to sound, he should fit nicely into their playlist.

I think this is probably one of the most effective things we can do to help Dave right now, get as much info as possible about the new single and get online or on the phone to the station you listen to and tell them you’re expecting to hear it on air as soon as it becomes available. And, of course, buy/download it as soon as it’s released for purchase!

To make what he describes as a set of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“substance-based rock,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Cook recruited American Idiot producer Rob Cavallo and added an unreleased Chris Cornell song to the set

Wow! That’s awesome. Lord knows I love me some Chris Cornell! I’m thinking I should petition the internets for some kind of alarm or Batsignal when these 2 names are mentioned in conjunction so I’m not the last one to find these things out. =P

listen to David’s new song “Light On”…its hot!!

http://www.iheartmusic.com/cc-common/ondemand/music.html?apid=4827

Ummm , come here often MissDavid?