David Cook Performs on Saturday Night Live

Yay! He did, in fact, sing “Declaration” and “Light On”. Here’s more, from rehearsal:

David sang, did not play the guitar. Declaration is a mid range rock song. They really liked it.

The audience responded very well, and after the song David, Andy, Neal, Joey and Kyle stood on stage and hugged each other. They were clearly stoked.

Ben Affleck had some funny skits.

McCain was there and rehearsed his parts.

They say “Tune in, you won’t be sorry!”

*****

WARDROBE DETAILS!!!

David was the same as the promo, with the tie and vest.
Neal – white tie, black shirt
Andy – tie blazer
Joey – red tie black shirt
Kyle – tee

******

Also, I’m hearing that we get to hear Andy (Skib) sing.

I can’t wait to see it! :jittery_tb:

I’m totally freaking out. It’s been so long since we saw him on TV the last time.

Did you update your server MJ? It’s much faster for me now…

John McCain can look on the bright side…even if he doesn’t win the presidency, I’m sure SNL would love to have him. He’s quite a bit funnier than most of the people they have on that show, which I know isn’t saying much, but still……

I’m getting excited to see David Cook!!!!!!!!

The McCain/Fey bit was funny….

Ben Affleck isn’t doing a very good job as Keith Olbermann. (He sounds more like Rod Serling and he doesn’t have the snarky humor at all.) The funny thing is, after yesterday’s discussion about Affleck’s huge cranium, my husband’s first comment was that his head isn’t big enough to play Olbermann.

^ Ben isn’t doing a good job as Olbermann. Come to think of it, he does kinda sound like Rod Serling.

my husbandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s first comment was that his head isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t big enough to play Olbermann.

lol

I think he did a great Olberman. LOL. The script wasn’t that great, but Ben was dead on. That View sketch sucked. Elisabeth Haselbeck is too easy a target, how can you make her unfunny? The McCain sketch was cute.

Ben Affleck is doing a bad job reading from his cue cards … LoL!
And David Cook should be up any minute (usually the end of the 1st half hour)

Sir Cumfrence….LOL…for some reason that made me giggle.

YAY…thought DC sounded great!! That drummer was working the hair…hehe

Davids coming up!

Ben is pretty funny

Eh, hate the hair.

Finally get to see and hear David! Great!!!!

Lookin’ good. I’m just so happy to see him again.

I love the vest thing (very good look for him) and I’m happy (if surprised) to see the guitar out. Some wonky vocal things, though. He must be really nervous. Or maybe it really is just a killer of a song to sing. He just went, “Whew.”

We’ll see what the husband says, since he hasn’t heard “Light On” before. He said “very good” but I don’t know if he’s just humoring his Cookcrazy wife.

Ben and the Target lady…hilarious.

Light On was good…sounded rushed. Overall, good for a first live run.

I thought he was great! Drowned out by the music in parts, but it was still tight

It was a little pitchy for me, dawg.

My husband swears he’s not just humoring me and he really did think it was good. So… Whew.

I also didn’t expect to see Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter and Michael Phelps (didn’t catch the other one) in a Guitar Hero ad! That’s reserved for the Davids. Hee.

I think the band needs more practice together. It was almost like they were each doing their own thing and it did not quite gell. I don’t know how else to explain it.

Seeing and hearing David was great. Yes he was really nervous which makes sense since this is the band’s first time to play on live tv & SNL is huge. Also he get’s nervous in smaller audiences plus he did say that song was hard to sing, no doubt.

Aww his little smile and sigh of relief made me want to hug him. Man, I’m all teary eyed.

Okay, because I’m obsessive and watched it again, it was rushed. There are a lot of overlapping parts that haven’t easily translated to the live performance. Made him sound out of breath at time. They may need to slow it down a little or get someone to do a little background singing to cover up.

He sang it a lot better than I epected. It was actually very good.
David sometimes has some off key moments but this time he hit it and there was nothing off there.

The song also sounded rushed for me, compared to the studio version. But I don’t think that was a bad thing. I guess most people don’t even know how is the original anyway, so they won’t compare.

I just caught the end of the performance darn it!

I was soo happy to see him. I’m so proud! Sure he was pitchy but thats alright he was nervous. I mean it was his first time performing with the band…live! He’s still amazing.

I loved that sigh of relief at the end of the performance. lol

I think that was Lance Armstrong as the 4the one, smartcookie

Oh Grandpa!

The overlapping is a problem they can put on a backtrack but that would make people think he’s lipping. Rickey was freezing so I only saw some parts, which sounded awesome. Neal! Marry me!

my husbandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s first comment was that his head isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t big enough to play Olbermann.

LOL, ain’t that the truth.

This is so predictable DCO crushed again…

C-S-OY!

Sad Grampa! Ha! McCain is hilarious. They should let him join the cast.

I still think David sounded good. I don’t think non-Idol obsessed types are going to notice any of this stuff. It sounded fine, and he hit all the notes. Maybe I will feel differently upon rewatching.

No I think that was Tony Hawk, not Armstrong.

It sounds great to me..

You’re right, it was Hawk …

I think that was Lance Armstrong as the 4the one, smartcookie

Tony Hawk.

(BTW, why the hell does recognition of Tony Hawk take up precious space in my brain? :dry_tb:)

I thought David did fine. Yes, he was nervous but considering the circumstances, I think he passed the test.

I haven’t watched it yet, but did the band sing backup? I would think if there were overlapping parts they would have one of the guys sing those parts.

His voice was in good form. He hit all those high notes…and well. Switching to the soft part near the end was tough, but he pulled through. That is a dawgone hard song to sing (seriously, try it). He pulled it off, even with the nerves. I was exhaling with him at the end after holding my breath through the whole song. He did it.

Looking forward to the NEW SONG at the end of the show. :clap_tb:

MJ, our brains must hear things different. That performance was electrifying. He sounds so much better live without the “producer turning the knobs”.

The first half was better than I expected. The second half, kind of messy. The quiet part after the bridge was ‘pitchy’ but, in fairness, the transition looks like it might be difficult. And the sound just didn’t seem ‘together’ around the end part.

All in all though, it was great! Go David!

uh oh MJ….all those John McCain comments have led to the ads from hell….LOL.

Never in my wildest imagination did I expect to see Joe the Plumber on your site…

ETA…me likey Declaration!

I thought David sounded and looked great. I did think there was a bit of a disconnect with the band, although I loved Neil’s solo part. That is a really difficult song to sing especially for the band’s first time performing live! I’m hoping they don’t cut off the second song!

Loving “Declaration”……

Oooh, I like this one much better. Nothing wrong with Light On except it’s too Aerosmith/Bon Jovi for me. This one is much more to my taste. He seemed much more into it, too. Or maybe it was just the nerves got damped down a little by the second performance.

Loving à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Declarationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

Same here. I think it would make a good single.

HOLY SHIT! What was THAT! That should have been the single. Damn. Yay Dave!

ME LIKEY “Declaration”! MUCH better than “Light On”! YAY!!!

Well, I’m responding better to “Declaration” than to “Light On.”

“Declaration” seems like it would fun to play on Rock Band, plzandthenkyew…

Ah, “Declaration.” Now that’s the _Analog Heart_ David we know and love!

I also wanted to comment on the still shots before his songs, which were…. Awesome. And hot. And probably really in demand right now!

Now if “Declaration” is a preview of the album, I’m SO FREAKING READY for it!!!

Hey, Declaration is way better than Light On – why wasn’t that one the first single???

DECLARATION >>> light on (no offense to Chris Cornell)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

He seemed happy to survive Light On . Declaration was awesome – that made me cheer, lol. My husband thinks I’m completely nuts.

I promised myself I wouldn’t spoil myself (over here on the West Coast) but I HAD to check in to make sure nothing catastrophic happened. Whew thank you guys for keeping the thread updated…looking fwd to seeing him!

He was great. The band was great. The new song is great. Am I allowed to SQUEE here?

Damn you RCA! “Declaration” should have been the first single.

Wow! That was amazing! Well he certainly didn’t sound nervous with this song and the band was definitely in synch this time!!!!!Yay!!! :clap_tb:

Declaration…now that’s more like it! I wish this were the single instead of Light On (although LO has grown on me a bit). Great performance!

That’s more freaking like it. That sounds like a David Cook song. Look at the difference between the two songs; “Light On” sounded like he was taking a test, but “Declaration” sounded like he was singing music. Damn you Chris Cornell.

HOLY SHIT! What was THAT! That should have been the single. Damn. Yay Dave!

So. Much. Word.

I’m thoroughly convinced that LO was pushed through for the well-known name attached to it because “Declaration” is awesome.

And I agree that Declaration is WAY better than Light On and has me very excited for his album!

Yeah, I think this might have been a label wonk thing. Going with the “safe” bet. I can’t WAIT to hear the rest of the album.

Wow, Declaration is about 100x better than LO. I like it on first listening. But there have to be much better, much more innovative stuff on the album to back up what he’s been saying about it. There is nothing particularly innovative about Declaration. It is a very good song IMHO, but certainly nothing we haven’t hear before from other artists. And it does nothing to show off his vocals, he is screaming too much again and he is way too talented to keep singing songs that are just screaming vocals.

They should fire the person who picked LO as first single when there’s a song like Declaration in the album.

Declaration is very good. Really great musical moment. That song could be a single, and it would be a much better single for David Cook.

He looked a lot more into it and in his element. He was singing something he really loved and that was obvious.
Congrats to those guys.

Tonight was the first time that I had heard “Light On”. It was …. interesting. I can now understand why Cook’s fans had such differing opinions of the song.

I don’t really enjoy most rock music. Too much yelling. There was a lot of yelling tonight.

I liked the second song better than the first one. I thought that I would like it a lot until he started yelling. *sigh*

Congrats to Cook and to his fans. That sigh of relief that he gave after he finished the first song was cute.

Is it bad that my attention was focused on the drummer when I did turn around to look at the TV during the songs? LOL.

I happen to love Light On guys sorry but Declaration sounded fantastic. Now I have to listen to about a couple hundred .times to really get a feel for it. LOL

I agree, this should have been the first single without a doubt in my mind. Just like Gwen and some of the other peeps have stated, I wouldn’t doubt LO was pushed through because of the Cornell attachment. I still like the song, but not as good as Declaration.

uh oh MJà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.all those John McCain comments have led to the ads from hellà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.LOL.

Between that and the Jennifer Hudson stuff, my ads are all screwed up. lol.

Declaration is a MUCH better song than “Light On”.

I’m just never going to warm up to “Light On” no matter what.

Declaration ftmfw!!! That there was downright amazing!

I thought it was all awesome AWESOME. I was so worried about Light On , cuz its so hard to sing, but I was pleasantly surprised. LOVED the second song, they sounded amazing on it. Cant wait for the cd!

OK, I just posted “Light On”. Let’s see how long it stays up there before NBC yanks it…

“Declaration” is coming up!

DECLARATION WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!

No major insights, I just had to come in to SQUEEE! I have to say, I was trying to hold it together, but I was SOO fracking nervous about LO after the Walmart Soundcheck clip… but he did GREAT! I’m really relieved– collective breath of relief . Oh, and how much do I flove Declaration? I can’t wait til the album so I can hear all his songs, cuz I know this record will show us so many other sides of DC we have yet to see. Gahh!

Oh, and not a huge Ben fan, but IMO he did great, except maybe the somewhat awkward and super-short opening. I appreciate that he actually went for the impressions and stuff, and the outcome was that he much funnier than the recent guests who weren’t good/brave enough to do much more than play the token straight guy in a bunch of sketches carried by the SNL cast. The cast was great tonight, too, except for that new (?) girl who played Jen Aniston. I mean, huh? What was she going for, I’m not sure…

damn, that was good! i second those who says “Declaration” kicks “Light On”‘s ass and i like Light On. they should just leave the song writing to David.

I guess I wasn’t worried about anything. Rockers aren’t known for perfect vocals. It’s not what a band is about. They aren’t trying to be Josh Groban. I’ve seen the Rolling Stones 4 times (twice in the 70′s, once each in the 80′s and 90′s). I don’t think Mick Jagger ever sang one song live that he wasn’t pitchy on. Never stopped me from seeing them again. A rock concert is about so much more than the lead singer’s vocals…this band tonight I think nailed it.

My brother-in-law and sister, who had not heard LO before, both said that it was a “real rock song” and that they are sure that it will end up on Rock Band. We all thought his voice sounded great on it. Video/audio problems with the TV during Declaration, so I need to hear it again to fully assess. Not that I find listening to it again to be an unpleasant concept.

they were fantastic!! I’m just so happy for him.
and i’m joining the majority and saying that i love Declaration, it was just so much more.. David. I don’t think he should find it difficult to sing a song(although he does it really well), and I just don’t think he’s enjoying singing Light On yet… its just too.. not David.

the band was awesome. i was so happy to see them all, they look great!

So what’s to stop us from requesting radio play for Declaration?

So whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s to stop us from requesting radio play for Declaration?

I guess nothing, once they get the CD.

I like Light On, always have, but I definitely agree, Declaration should have been his first single. Its all kinds of awesome!

Ahhhh!!!! LO was pretty good, i didnt get to see tonights show, so the links help alot!!! Hopefully youll be putting up a link for Declaration, since everyone is saying how much more awesomer it is then LO i cannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnt wait! hah

So whatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s to stop us from requesting radio play for Declaration?

Nothing. Except that it’s a really bad idea to bug program directors about songs they aren’t playing yet. That’s a real quick way to get your boy and and the fan base a bad reputation. I would highly suggest not doing that unless the song is eventually picked as a single and stations begin playing it.

Ironically, I think ‘Declaration’ is more daughtry-esque than LO. But yeah, it sounds a lot better and up to date than LO.

Argh, computer lost my post. Trying again: Nothing insightful to offer, but I really just needed to SQUEEE!! I gotta say, I was SOOO frackin nervous about LO live after the Walmart clip… but BF sounded fan-freakin-tastic! Collective sigh of relief, yay! Oh yeah, and Declaration wasn’t bad either (kidding, it rocked my world!). I really want the full lyrics for that song, like, now! Oh, and the rest of the record too, haha. I cannot wait– I’m sure there are so many other sides to David in this record that we have yet to see with just these two songs. I’m so glad we have the Walmart thing and AOL to give us more before the 18th!

I loved Declaration!!!!!!! So much better than Light On…

Band was much better on second song..

Cookie looked fantastic, although nervous on LO.

So fun to see him on tv again.

I just noticed in a commercial for next week’s SNL election special, the announcer said, “You never know who might show up….” Fingers crossed for one more presidential candidate…..

LOL only overanalysing fans like us would notice that Cook was a little off in some parts of LO. It wasn’t that obvious anyway, but he did great considering it’s hell to sing that song live and how nervous. Congrats Cook, not a fan of your music, but you’re a great guy.

Alright, here’s my two cents:

Overall, I think David did great! I thought Light On was pretty pitchy….he tends to sing sharp a lot of the time! And I agree he looked nervous..but still sounded good.
I really liked “Declaration”. I thought he sounded fantastic and looked more calm and in his element!
Either way, it was great to see him on tv again!

I thought David did great on “Light On”….but the band sounded a bit off to me. Cookie’s sigh of relief afterwards and that little smile was precious!! :smile_wp:

I loved “Declaration” too…he seemed more comfortable on that one since he wrote it.

Overall a great job, Cookie….great show!! :clap_tb:

I don’t like the song (LO), but I thought the performance was fine. I was expecting a bit of a trainwreck from some of the comments here. I will say that it seems to shred his voice a bit which makes it seem like an even more bizarro choice for a single. Poor guy is going to have to sing this several times a day during the promo period (at least try to build some transition time between the verse and the refrain…I hate the way they crash into each other and it really does make things seem rushed).

Oh, and drummer dude needs to calm down. Was he auditioning for a Pert commercial or something? He’s almost as annoying as Bouncy Spice. Dude, you whip your hair around more than a teenage girl. It went from “cool” to ridiculous in about 5 seconds. Way to pull focus from the lead singer onto yourself.

OMG! I loved it. He looked fantastic to begin with. He looked a bit thin to me, but loved the hair, loved the vest. Dr. rocked out on the guitar during Light On. Kyle was great on drums. Loved Joey in the back ground on base guitar and how stoked David and Joey were when they hugged during the credits. So fun to see. And, Andy. I love Andy. He played keyboards at the start of Light On, rocked out on the guitar for both songs and sang back up vocals on Declaration. And what about that new song? I loved the new song. I think it seriously was his declaration that he is finally able to sing his own songs, true to his rock vibe, not a sell out. Can’t wait until Declaration comes out on you tube. I am counting down the days until the CD is released.

After hearing the snippets from the Wal-Mart Soundcheck, I was VERY nervous about LO. However, to my untrained (and very biased) ear, I thought he did a great job. LOVED the smile and the sideways tongue at the end – so reminiscent of the ends of his AI performances! At the end of the show, I said to my husband, “I feel like I should be dialing now!” He reminded me that I didn’t have to do that anymore, yay! (Of course, I couldn’t help jumping online and seeing what everyone else had to say about the performance. Old habits die hard!!)

Oh, and “Declaration”? LOTS of glory note faces. LOVED it!

edit: One more strike and…

Kyle also sang background on “Declaration”….

Love him, by the way….;)

Agreed with many here that the 2nd song should have been the first single. Not my type of song, but sounds like what’s popular these days.

great performances.

Remember to keep an eye on the SNL website as they sometimes upload backstage videos of there musical guests.

OK, I just posted “Declaration”….

Oh, and drummer dude needs to calm down. Was he auditioning for a Pert commercial or something? Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s almost as annoying as Bouncy Spice. Dude, you whip your hair around more than a teenage girl. It went from à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“coolà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  to ridiculous in about 5 seconds. Way to pull focus from the lead singer onto yourself.

Hahaha… Kyle seems totally adorable to me, so I can’t bring myself to hate on him too much, but I have to agree with you a bit– his hair was totally threatening to draw my attention from DC, which is not okay! But his playing was pretty awesome, so I’ll forgive him since that’s what I care about more.

Way to pull focus from the lead singer onto yourself.

LOL. It really did work on me. I spent most of the time looking at or looking for the drummer. He entertained me. I love drummers. What can I say? LOL.

I actually had to watch it again to notice the drummer. He does whip his head around a lot, but I’ve seen worse. Rock musicians tend not to keep still. lol.

I love Kyle(oh I have two drummer ex-bfs…), I love Neal! I just love David more HAHA.

What is up with all of the YouTube videos of DC on SNL. Several have been downloaded and it says “copyright claim by NBC Universal”?

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Declaration!! Whew- what a relief! It’s so great to finally see David singing his own song in front of his own band! He looked so much more comfortable singing Declaration than LO.

I liked the live version of LO better than the studio version, but still not as much as any of the songs he’s written himself. At least he was in great voice tonight- the vocal strain on the studio version is painful to listen to for me.

I think the rest of the band was great. I’ve noticed all along that David really seems to inspire drummers. Kyle was so incredibly into it! Nothing ever draws my attention from David when he’s singing. I have to watch the videos several times to even notice what anyone else is doing- it’s a tough job you know…

I can’t wait to se them live! (Please David, we need lots of shows here in the Northeast!)

HOLY COW! Declaration is absolutely brilliant! I agree with everyone here it should be the first single! What the heck is wrong with RCA?

*has Declaration on repeat*

CAN’T…STOP….LISTENING!

I love LO but Declaration is indeed way more awesome.

What is up with all of the YouTube videos of DC on SNL. Several have been downloaded and it says à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“copyright claim by NBC Universalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ?

SNL is notorious for strictly enforcing their copyright. I would not have even attempted to upload SNL videos to You tube. Really excellent way to get your entire account suspended.

My videos are set to private. Hopefully they won’t be pulled.

Yep, Declaration’s way better!

On another note…McCain’s skits were pretty funny.

I’m someone who was initially lukewarm on LO but quickly fell desperately in love with it. I still dig the retro, Steve Perry-ish vibe that it has, and I think it was a good choice for the first single. I was nervous about it tonight because it is such an insanely hard song to sing, but I thought he pretty much nailed it. (And damn if he didn’t look good enough to eat with a spoon).

But I must say, with ‘Declaration’ as the opening track on the CD? I could not be more stoked for this album. I worship at the altar of Rob Cavallo as it is, and he had some amazing raw material to work with if this song is any indication of the writing Cook did on his own and with his various collaborators.

It was just so great to see him performing live and in HD again. He still knows how to work the camera and he learned well on Idol how to control his nerves by just immersing himself in the performance. And I adored seeing that lovely smile of relief and sheer joy after all the very Serious-Cook promo photos that RCA has been using. That smile and the tongue sticking goofily out of the corner of his mouth reminded me of the moments just after the ABMB performance. That was when he really started to let his emotion and personality show. And when it suddenly became very clear that he might really win.

I would think this performance should earn him some new fans. That gig was such a massive coup by Dave’s publicity team I still can’t get over it. I think he’s going to end up selling a hell of a lot of records when it’s all said and done.

I liked LO much better after hearing him sing it live. Wasn’t bad at all, good in fact. Declaration was very good, more like what I expect from him. Btw, he look really good tonight. Hair, face, clothes, everything looked just right! Wtg Cook, bravo!

Loved every single second that he and the band was on the screen. Thought he sounded awesome on Light On and listening to Declaration just makes me stoked for the cd. Can not wait.

The SNL skits on the other hand? Torturous. Other than Tina Fey and John McCain skit they were horribly forgettable.

I could sense his nervousness on Light On. He had some pitch problems when he had to go to his lower register towards the end of the song. But Declaration was SPOT-ON and as the opening track of the album I think I won’t be disappointed come November 17th.

Aw, I love Kyle. He did draw my attention away from David temporarily, but I didn’t mind at all. I could still hear Dave while I watched Kyle thrash around. It was strangely entrancing…

I haven’t watched Light On because I was too nervous and now my computer apparently doesn’t play sounds. Oh well.

But holy crap! I loved David’s “Declaration” – it’s exactly what I was expecting from him musically and lyrically. He seemed nervous at the beginning, but when he ripped out his ear monitor and really got into it, so did I. I can’t wait to hear the studio version and the whole album.

I do have to give a thumbs down to the sound people at SNL though. Someone had the guitars turned up to 11.

I watched “Declaration” an obscene amount of times. LOVE.

I’m giddy tonight, and so proud! I don’t know how he managed to get this gig but whoever on Team Cook made it happen I bow down to them.

On a completely shallow note the bumper pictures were oh so gorgeous. That was really nice to see him shake McCain’s hand at the end too. Very classy.

I agree with Trina. If there was anyway to get that picture of him leaning back in the chair with his legs stretched out in front of him and SNL in the corner, I would love to have that as a screen saver. Hot!!!

I haven’t been all that thrilled with LO since its release, but I really thought it sounded good live…better than the radio single. He performed well and I think he may win new fans with that performance.

I did not like Declaration, but maybe it’ll grow on me. Also, the band was way too loud on that number.

It was great seeing him again…he’s such a sweetheart.

Personally, I thought McCain & his wife being on the show reeked of desperation!!! I don’t think it did him any favors…

(And damn if he didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t look good enough to eat with a spoon).

Hell yeah. I’d even forgo the spoon.

I loved Kyle’s thrashing around on Declaration, I have to admit I was doing much bouncing about myself so I can’t hate on him for doing the same thing, LOL.

I love watching rock bands because there’s just something about musicians getting all into the music, when they’re really feeling it and rockin’ out, it comes across, at least for me, as more genuine and not like they’re just in it for the paycheck.

If there was anyway to get that picture of him leaning back in the chair with his legs stretched out in front of him and SNL in the corner, I would love to have that as a screen saver. Hot!!!

ITA. MJ has them at the top of the page. Thanks MJ!

I have to agree with CathyMK, nothing pulls my attention away from David when he is singing. I thought Kyle was great tonight. He was into the music. So were Joey, Andy, and the Dr. The hair really didn’t bother me at all. I actually thought the band sounded good together for the short time they have had to play together. It was great to see David playing guitar on Light On. They are all such talented guys. Everyone of them has written their own music. They play multiple instruments. I will travel if I have to in order to see these guys on tour. No one sings with more passion and heart than David Cook or draws in the crowd better. Loved it! Love him.

i love Kyle’s hair. i love that he was thrashing around. that’s passion in my book. how boring would it be if he were just sitting there hitting the drum set.

Neal and Joey also rocked it. the only guy i didn’t notice was Andy. but he sounded really good singing back-up.

AAAHHHHHHHH! I just saw it! That was incredible! Half way through it I noticed Neil in the background and then Andy (barely took my eyes off of David’s gorgeous face!) and I was like… “OHMYGOD! THERE THEY ARE! PLAYING TOGETHER! ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE! HOLY *EXPLETIVE*!”
I am flying with happiness. YAY!
His voice was PERFECT!
Off to freak out some more.

PS — My husband dislikes David Cook intensely… due to the fact that I totally want to have an affair with him… and even HE thought it was great and was impressed that Cookie had no backing vocals to “help him out.”

Damn, it’s good to see him on stage again! That’s a notoriously difficult stage to perform on, too. The acoustics are terrible. Very few artists sound good on it. All in all, though, I think they did a great job. Remember how nervous he was about singing the National Anthem during the NBA finals? I imagine he was that kind of nervous again. This was huge publicity for them.

I completely agree with all of you about Declaration – it’s really, really, really good. I like the live version of LO a lot better than the produced version, too. There’s nothing better than a live band. I’m crossing my fingers his sales skyrocket.

Oh, and that still of him stretched out on the chair…oh, my!

If there was anyway to get that picture of him leaning back in the chair with his legs stretched out in front of him and SNL in the corner, I would love to have that as a screen saver. Hot!!!

Yes….Oh my. Those have to be the best 3 photos of David that I have ever seen. Hot doesn’t even begin to describe them. You’re killing us MJ! It’ll be your fault for all the dead peep bodies. LOL.

OK, so I just went to Amazon to see if David had a bump in pre-sales. His album is listed at #5 in Bestsellers, but when I clicked on it I got: “Sign up to be notified when this item becomes available.” No release date. You can’t pre-order it. If you just search for “David Cook” the album doesn’t come up at all.

This is really not a good time for things to be all wonky on Amazon. I’m hoping they just took it down to add the song previews or something.

1) My mouth is open and my jaw is dropped!
2) I’ve been out of town so mj THANK YOU for posting, REALLY, I knew I count on you!
3) “Light On” nervous, pushed through, relief! Still awesome but, will be better ‘live’, with time!!!
4) “Declaration”! I repeat, *mouth open, jaw dropped!!!!* OMG, DC element
With.Out. question!!!!!!!!!!
5) Why one of those photos are not on the album cover is beyond me!!! Will they be inside the actual CD?
6) Did I mention that “Declaration” was awesome!!!!! David Cook? ‘left. it. on. the. stage’!!!!

I haven’t even begun to read all of the comments. Will I read them all, as I tend to do? IDK. Will I watch “Declaration” over and over? Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, to everyone who loves “Declaration”, *high fives all around*!!!!! :doh_tb:
Is that a high five? Nooooo! So, *thumbs up all around*!!!! :thumbup_tb:

Well, on the bright side, he’s moving back up on iTunes. :thumbup_tb:

I kept off all the boards tonight. Instead watched SNL with a bunch of pals in a downtown bar. Verdict – the ordinary “Joes” (since Joe is all over this election season. Heh!) loved DC’s performances! A few’ve already heard LO, and he sounded just great in the dive’s phenom surround sound (even with a bit of echo since it’s a basement dive) – I just KNEW from first listen that this song is a crowd song / concert song. If we thought he nailed it from watching tv (never mind the peeps who only caught it on youtube / somewhere online), can you imagine standing in the crowd in front of the stage?! Oh yeah, I did that whole cheesy waving my ipod touch with the lighter application throughout the number, and then got a ton of people asking me where I got it. Hee. Nothing like showing off a new toy in a crowd.

And Declaration? *Dies*. Brilliant! The bartender cranked it up on a shouted request from somebody (I coulda kissed the guy, except that I had a date, Hee). I want the lyrics already. Somebody??

On a shallow note, my fave part was all the camera closeups and zoom-ins of David losing it with his eyes closed and the tlc that mikestand was getting! Kyle’s flying locks and cute grin is getting a lot of love everywhere, so can I just also secretly crush on Doc Neal / Fangs (LOL) for a minute? The closeup on his guitar solo was A-MA-ZING (and this was on LO, I’m gonna go bonkers if there is anything like he did on Let Go – Wooo!!!), and he looks might fine in black! From my seat in a basement bar in an audience of non-Cook or non-AI people, David and the band killed it tonight! The funny thing is people actually began watching SNL tonight for the political skits, but apart from the Tina Fey (of course!) skit, the barflies thought the show wasn’t that funny tonight. So the musical act ended up being the highlight!

The vocals, the song-writing, the guitar-gasms, the words/lyrics, the Easy-On-The-Eye-Band (the consensus at dcofficial.com. Haha (tm archie)!), the personality, the looks – so much goodness, so little time! *Sigh* I luuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrve being a David Cook fan!

I thought they added servers to dcoffical.com? I couldn’t get in all night after I got back, sheesh…

Just watched, and then watched again.

Light On: sounded great! He is still amazing live…very impressive.

Declaration: Now THAT is what I’ve been waiting for! Sounds like the DC I know No more doubts about this Record for me.

other stuff:
McCain was surprisingly funny…Affleck looked good, David looked good, the band looked good (who was that playing guitar to David’s right?) eye candy all around.

There was a shot of the band about a minute before they played LO and David was standing still…getting into the zone I guess. I really liked that for some reason.

think the band needs more practice together. It was almost like they were each doing their own thing and it did not quite gell. I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know how else to explain it.

After reading the above comment I went and listened to both songs again. I’m sorry, but I don’t hear anything wrong with the band. They aren’t playing all of the same things as on the recording of LO, so maybe that’s why it sounds different. :question_wp:

Oh, and drummer dude needs to calm down. Was he auditioning for a Pert commercial or something? Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s almost as annoying as Bouncy Spice. Dude, you whip your hair around more than a teenage girl.

I laughed out loud when I read this. It reminded me again of the “spice doll” gifts on tour. Oh, so funny, Kristen, thanks for the belly laugh. :lol_tb:

But seriously, I love watching an energetic drummer, especially if they’re in a ROCK band. So I give Kyle some kudos for a job well done. At least he stayed on his chair unlike the lead singer for Coldplay last week, who could have been called Bouncy Spice with a vengeance.

I really enjoyed the more stripped down version of LO. It was good to just hear his vocals, without all of the additional tracks. They did sing it a little faster than on the record, I think there’s around a 6 second difference between the live performance and the recorded one. (3:34 vs 3:40) I’m impressed that some of you posting above could notice that, since I couldn’t tell the difference until I timed them, not that I think it was rushed. It was still sung at a leisurely pace and I liked it at that speed.

I loved the song Declaration. It was great to hear a new lyric by David Cook. I really liked the driving guitars. A rock song isn’t a rock song without loud guitars in my opinion (thanks Andy, Neal and Joey), and I thought they were perfect on Declaration. (I wish they had turned them up on LO, especially at the beginning. I just love the twang of the guitar on the recorded LO.)

Andy sounded great and blended well, which had been a concern of mine since his voice is normally very recognizable. He harmonized very well with Cook. Super job, Andy.

Overall, I think they knocked it out of the ball park. I’m very proud and happy for all of them. It was a very productive evening for them, I think and should bring good results. :clap_tb:

I was so nervous for David during Light On. He looked a bit of a nervous wreck himself! I can imagine how scary it must be to finally get your own music out there on national tv.

I’m still not liking Light On and it didn’t look like the audience cared much for it either.. hence more nerves for Cookie! UGH!

Declaration is a MUCH better song. RCA should have released that one instead of LO and it would have been TONS better for David – chartwise. They should really consider releasing it soon after the album drops.

I immediately put my finger on why I like Declaration and it’s because it’s basically Aerosmith’s Dream On …on a faster speed. Dream On is a GREAT song! If DC can have ‘Dream On’ success with Declaration, that will be AWESOME!

Good job DC! :smile2_tb:

Kyle the Drummer reminds me of a cross between Dave Grohl and Animal from the Muppets. I approve.

I friggin’ love that picture of David sitting in the chair. SAVED.

I was so nervous to watch this, but I thought BOTH songs sounded GREAT and they came off really well. David seemed so nervous right before and I was REALLY listening and didn’t hear any problems with Light On. And Declaration… watched it four times so far. Fingers crossed that they will pick up new fans!

LOL @ this.

Great performance. Coldplay and Chris Martin, take note: THAT is how you nail it on the SNL stage. Loved LO! Loved Declaration! Hawt!

Oh, I just read the comment about Kyle (the drummer) – and just want to say that drummers tend to set the energy for rock bands. There’s nothing more off-putting than to see a live rock performance with a ‘dead’ drummer, no matter how talented he is. If you think Kyle’s manic head-banging is distracting, wait till their 111th performance together when we’ll see ALL of them lose their collective marbles! In fact, my bf commented that he thought the other band members looked a little tentative on the first number (LO) except for the drummer, and they only really got into it in the second song (they should’ve added a 3rd song so we can see what they’re really like after the “warm-up”). But he also said, that for a first ever live (and televised) performance as a group, they looked and sounded great together – the backing vocals were good. And he thought David sounded far better than Chris Martin did last week!

ETA: Wow, Keel, we said it at the same time! I love my bf (the real one and the rock fantasy. Hee)

Mj, thanks for posting the McCain vids. I have to say I like a man with a sense of humor…

I hope Obama can take himself as lightly as McCain can. I know this isn’t a political website, and may I add, I haven’t read the comments…

But…I like men who can know when it’s appropriate to laugh at themselves…, but still get the job done.

I’m in the minority, as I actually like LO a lot. And other than a couple low parts, I thought he was vocally spot on. But, you could tell he was much more comfortable singing something he wrote himself. And that performance I think is the lasting impression that people who were introduced to him tonight will come away with. Dude can fucking sell a song.

My perception of what kind of song “Declaration” was going to be was way, way off. When I saw that listed as the first track, I thought it was going to be something that could be played on a hard rock station. Based on what we’ve heard about the album, I thought that would be the “declaration”. Instead, it sounded like something that would almost fit on Analog. I have mixed feelings on that point, but it is a good tune.

Yes, most of the time when I hear the musical guests on SNL I am horrified by how bad they sound. Especially Coldplay! That was hideous.

But David certainly is used to performing live and he was GREAT!! I wonder how many songs we’ll get at the David Wright Foundation concert! I’m more excited now than ever!

LOL …the drummer did remind me of Animal.. lol.. but boy did he bring energy to the stage! This guy has a lot of head energy when other drummers like Tommy Lee have a lot of hand energy.. like the constant twirling of the drum sticks or flourished drum strikes.

Everyone wants to be a drummer right?! They sure are fun to watch.

All I have to say is: Go daenarys, sell that application! I love that you sat with others in a bar to watch and the bartender ‘cranked it’!!!! This is reallife! WooHoo!!!!!

Okay, now (I think), I’ve said enough for tonight/this morning, or whatever the time for going to sleep is.

David Cook, IMO, you’ve only just begun to make your mark in doing what you were born to do. So. Proud. To. Be. A. Fan…!!!!

I loved both performances.
But, I am especially taken with Declaration.
I am so joyously ecstatic right now over this masterpiece Declaration.
It is perfection.
It is exquisite!
It is studio quality.
It needs to go out on the airwaves immediately!!!!!!!!!!
Listen to Dr rock out on that guitar too.
And the entire band is fantastic.
Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s voice is so beautiful.
He totally grabbed this song and slipped into his own completely.
Because why?
He wrote it and he is a GENIUS as we know.
Rock Stars of the highest caliber!
Declaration and the performance of, takes my breath away! And brings tears of joy to my eyes!
David wanted important, well this is a milestone in rock history.
And there are 13 more songs coming.
Love, love, love David and all the guys in the band.

Okay noctem, how’s this? Analog lyrics, Axium sound….? And since I can’t seem to stop…I will hit submit and then close down.

I’ve finally calmed down a bit.

It’s no secret media(even Jon Stewart) loved Sen. McCain before he handled part of his soul to Rick Davis, he’s a funny old man… Tina, may this(or Monday’s) be your last show. I really wanted the Countdown sketch to be funny because Keith would get a kick out of it. Ben is great but the writing is not good.

I see why people(including me) like Declaration, it’s so very David. I can tell David wrote it even if somebody else sings it. That song sounds exactly like what it is, the opening track. They should have played it first but that’s not how SNL works. However I don’t agree it should be a single.

The performances are great. I rarely saw any “great” performance on SNL, because of the mix? the atmosphere? I donno. Especially not for non-acoustic artist. Sting was really great on fake SNL(Studio 60). I didn’t notice Andy much either. The others are amazing. I thought Kyle might be too shy, oh I was wrong. Anyway, it’s SNL, the best TV gig. *heart* I’m stoked.

Okay noctem, howà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s this? Analog lyrics, Axium sound

Uh, I don’t hear Axium at all. And that’s fine because I don’t want to hear Axium (thank god he brought the MWK guys on board instead).

Lyrically, “Declaration” is MUCH better than LO, although Cook has still penned better. When I read the the words to the latter, I sincerely hoped he hadn’t written them.

And on a sonic level, I guess I prefer Declaration over LO too. But, the one thing that LO has Declaration on is that it stands out musically. Love it, hate it, whatever– there ain’t no other song on the air that I’ve heard that is in essence a post-gunge homage to arena rock. I have to admit that a poster upthread is correct– there is nothing that distinguishes Declaration from the “usual suspects” to whom DC is destined to be compared.

I thought Cook sounded very good but I’m not digging the band. Declaration is ok but it does kind of sounds like everything out there already. Right now both Davids are stil better than their songs so far.

Aaackkk… Declaration is wonderful! I agree that the band needs more practice together. There were parts where the sound wasn’t as good as it could have been. That said, I have watched so many other bands who have been together far longer than these guys have been and who still don’t perform well live. This band, with a couple more performances under their sleeves will kill live.

ill wait for the album and see what songs im sure im going to like…not too hot on Declaration and Light On…Im sure there will be something better……..good appearance though! kudos!

David is a ROCKSTAR!!! No question, he was born to do this! And any nervousness exhibited? Only makes him all the more endearing. I am so captivated by this man. Strong, clear voice, and oozing with charisma! America, you sure got it right picking a winner in DC! : )

Late to the party because holy hell Texas Tech beat Texas! Sig O and I still can’t get over it. But I am finally sufficiently football talked out enough to give Cook the attention he deserves…

DAMN! Atta boy. First, Cook looked hawt. Superficial, yes, but considering TV is a visual medium, this is an important factor in the first impression equation. (I’m still not over Brandon Flowers sudden affinity for feather epaulets, and I’m a yooge Killers fan so I say that with love and concern.) Looked very hawt, nice hair, great wardrobe choices. Band? ALso hawt. That said…

David sounded fab on both tunes, and much more importantly, they ROCKED! Quite authentically. No doubt a tight band, especially for having such a large national stage for a premiere gig. I am mad for live rock music. There is nothing like it and it will always be my favorite genre, and the most important thing I wanted from this gig was for the band not to come off like a manufactured band of pretty boy poseurs fronted by a reality show winner. Mission accomplished. Not a whiff of fake posturing and the chemistry was there. So, bring on the ture. Hmm, Light On is a bitch to and sing he pulled it off well, even if there was some palpable nervous energy. My favorite part was the near a capella YEAH, and then the soft chorus that just kicks up into the rocking chorus…I thought that was impressive. I am not a notepicky person, so I am standing by impressive. My honest first reaction. I look forward to hearing Light On in concert. But Declaration….Declaration stole my heart, because it obviously came from his. Heart, that is. Singer/songwriters FTMFW. I love the juxtaposition of the rocking and the Cook-esque heart on sleeve lyrics. I could tell he had a hand in writing it instantly, and I have to strongly disagree with whoever it was that invoked the name of Daughtry. Not getting the similarity there. That song screamed Cook to me. And I agree that it should have been the first single. If for nothing else than it’s called Declaration and lives up to the title. It says “This is the real me, world.” Much as I dig Light On, how do you not lead off a record with a single like that? Final note: Te amo the drummer. I have a thing for drummers in general, I air drum instead of air guitar, and Kyle is kind of brills. THE HAIR! Please don’t ever stop that, Kid. If you keep being you, I will light my LIght On Ligher in concert just for a drum encore.

It was a good Saturday all around. :thumbup_tb:

Way late to the party since I live abroad and it took me a while to get to the vids (knew I could count on you, mj!), and I have to say – David NAILED it! I was so nervous for LO going in, because that song is a bitch to sing live, and he did great with it. Yes, he was tense, but who wouldn’t be when their debut is on SNL?

Declaration? LOVE. I knew that was a DCook song seconds into the 1st verst. It has his handprints all over it, and that is amazing. I now have the mp3 rip and have been replaying it a ridiculous amount of times. Faith in the album now completely restored, faith in RCA? Not so much. How is LO a better first single than this? Seriously.
But David wrote everything on the album other than LO, so it’s all good, just as long as people actually get to hear his songwriting, he’ll do great.

I’m so incredibly stoked to hear more! What’s the next appearance?

i LOve DECLARATION!!!

Cook is HOT!!!

I love me some COOK and DECLARATION. hehe

I just need my CD already!!!

Thx for posting, MJ. Having now heard both LO and Declaration without audio/video problems, I think he did great. I really like Declaration, but you know, at this moment, I’m having a good amount of faith in RCA, so I feel fine about LO going out first.

I thought the band had great energy. (BTW, someone asked who was the guitarist to DC’s right. Assuming you meant his actual right, that’s Andy Skib (former lead singer of MWK and solo artist as To Have Heroes. If you meant his right in terms of our visual of him, that would be Neal Tiemann, former lead guitarist of MWK and some other bands.)

From Declaration we can see the dilemma of RCA: the real Cook (Declaration) is too hard for top 40 radio while the leading single chosen by label is likely not representative of the album.

LO is a better single than Declaration. But Cook need to have songs either more radio friendly or more innovative/original in his album. The writing for the two songs we’ve heard is mediocre. Sorry Cook, not changing my opinion on the “importance” of your album.

David Cook was the most searched thing on Google. I guess that’s a very positive reaction to what he did last night.

I have to respectfully disagree with the notion that the songwriting is mediocre, especially on David’s own song Declaration. He puts a different twist on things lyrically, and I instantly loved the song. I also don’t agree that Declaration is too hard for top 40. It does not seem any harder than LO, to my ears. I should note that I am a classical music fan and, prior to running across David, had tended toward what some would term ‘soft rock’. I’ve never been a hard rock person. I love inspirational, beautiful, sweeping music. My husband usually describes my music as ‘music to watch paint dry by’. If Declaration is not too hard for me, it should be okay for many others like me.

The thing I find amazing about David’s songwriting is that he makes it really rock while still maintaining a beauty to it, often a very haunting sound. I haven’t found anything else that rocking and that pretty at the same time. That’s what I find really unique. I would love it if he could reshape top 40 tastes, in fact.

I just got a chance to read the lyrics for “Declaration” and I have to agree with the poster upthread that thought the song was written about his fans and how we inspire him and have stood by him. Love, love the song.

As a big rock/metal fan, I went into viewing last night’s performances with low expectations since I’m not crazy about rock power ballads. Never cared for Light On before, but I will have to say that the live version of this song was excellent and got my attention. Minimal pitchiness and not even noticable unless one listens for it. The band totally freaking rocked and I was very impressed. The lead guitarist actually layed down pretty wicked solos, quite unlike many rock guitarists today who seem preoccupied with flat, distorted and uninspiring 5 noters.

Declaration sounded to me like typical rock ballad fare. Meh. However, after seeing Dave and band live, I will be more receptive to checking out his new album.

random:
*John McCain does have quite the flair for comedy. I love a man who can laugh at himself too. He and Barack both did a great job at the Alfred E. Smith dinner in NY.
*Ben Affleck was hilarious as Olbermann. Loved the super fast delivery, lol.
*The View parody was saved only by Kenan Thompsons’ flawless portrayal of Whoopi.

I came back here this morning (after too little sleep by the way) to watch Declaration again. How did I miss this last night? Dave reinforced again what a great and thoughtful person he is. He is still wearing the orange wristband for little Lindsey Rose. I hope that she is able to see the clip of his performance, it will make her day.

(Declaration) is too hard for top 40 radio while the leading single chosen by label is likely not representative of the album.

I have to respectfully disagree. Declaration for me is more top 40 friendly than LO. It is a more familiar rock sound whereas LO harkens back to the 80s power ballad era which isn’t as familiar to those whose notion of rock is the more post grunge sound these days. I think that between LO and Declaration though we are seeing the variety in this record. This is not one of those records where one song after the other sounds exactly the same. Declaration, if it turns out to be the second single should do well on different formats. All said, it was a great night for DC and the AI franchise.

The one thing “Light On” and “Declaration” have in common, at least for me, is their earworm capabilities. I woke up this morning with “Declaration” stuck in my head. I’m about to go to church. Maybe we can make it a hymn, or something….

He is still wearing the orange wristband for little Lindsey Rose.

I saw that, too. I wonder if Lindsey Rose will watch his SNL performance.

I didn’t even notice the orange bracelet. I only know he had a bunch of necklaces on his wrist. Seems like the bling has migrated. I’m glad.

The thing I find amazing about Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s songwriting is that he makes it really rock while still maintaining a beauty to it, often a very haunting sound. I havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t found anything else that rocking and that pretty at the same time. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s what I find really unique. I would love it if he could reshape top 40 tastes, in fact.

I think it is fairly rare to find a songwriter whose work is identifiable upon ten seconds of listening, and I think David is shaping up to be exactly that. His songs are undeniably rock while still having loads of heart and I don’t think that is an easy thing to do.

Now the task of reshaping Top 40 tastes is another horse altogether and so very daunting.
I know that many of us have this deep down wish that he will influence things just enough to help turn the tide- I know I do. But that sort of expectation is so large that I think it is a bit pre-emptive at this point.

I want David singing David’s songs in David’s band, and I honestly think that is enough at this point.
The world will catch on, of that I am sure. And then he can take his place as part of the group of artists who put Rock back on the Pop charts. It has been missing for far too long!

Well, I feel a little sad that I probably won’t like much on his CD at all. I found that the instruments overpowered the voice. There were background vocals on Declaration that I know about b/c I could see their mouths moving–could barely hear the voices! I like David Cook’s voice, especially when he’s not yelling. I wonder if there’ll be one song on his CD for a fan like me–when there’s not even a keyboard in the band, it’s a bad sign.

when thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not even a keyboard in the band, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a bad sign.

Except there is…

Although I’m not too crazy about keys in rock bands. Hey, Keane doesn’t have one guitar.

Remember that Bob Lefsetz speculated that David Cook could be the savior of rock after he won the show in May:

This is the best thing that could have happened to the Idol franchise. The most legitimate, the most pedigreed person won. But it’s also good for music. Just like Carrie Underwood’s victory was good for country, Cook’s victory is good for rock. It brings focus, definition…

Sure, the great rock acts write their own material. Cook’s career hangs in the balance. But I feel like we’re suddenly living in the U.K., where one can be EXCITED about what’s popular, what’s on the chart. Maybe we’ve found what we’re looking for.

In light of the SNL appearance, has anyone checked the before and after iTunes and Amazon sales for the song, “LO”, and/or CD? Big increase?

“think it is fairly rare to find a songwriter whose work is identifiable upon ten seconds of listening, and I think David is shaping up to be exactly that.”

I think the words are the most cliche part of his original song. Cook has a very expressive rock voice but I wouldn’t say either song is unque or identifiable. Declaration rocks out more but it’s still generic. That savior stuff is just silly. How is Cook’s music any different from what HAC plays already? I don’t think Carrie is a country savior either by the way. How did she make country music better except by encouraging more blondes to go country? which kind of has made it worse actually.

I wonder if thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll be one song on his CD for a fan like meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’when thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not even a keyboard in the band, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a bad sign.

Suzanne, go back and check the video for LO. Andy is playing the keyboard in the beginning.

I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even notice the orange bracelet. I only know he had a bunch of necklaces on his wrist. Seems like the bling has migrated. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m glad.

bluejean, this made me laugh. Do you think in the next reincarnation that the bling will have migrated down to his ankles? However, count me as someone who loved it when he wore all the bling on the tour.

has anyone checked the before and after iTunes and Amazon sales for the song, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“LOà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , and/or CD? Big increase?

Cook’s album on Amazon is currently #1 in Rock #4 in Pop

Suzanne, David has said that there will be some songs on the album which are soft and contain strings and piano. I think probably “Permanent” is one such song, and I’m sure there are more. I love David’s softer side, but I love him rocking out just as much. I’m sure in the end we’ll all have our favorites and there will be something for everyone. He is not recording the same song 12 times.

Oh, if anyone wants the Declaration lyrics, this YouTube Video for it has a version which sounds right to me.

I freaking love this song, and it’s not even the studio version yet. Guh.

After listening and watching David Cook’s performaces at SNL – my conclusion is that singing-wise, his technical skills are great. His wide vocal range (both high and low) able him to work-out a song without much trouble. However, his main weakness is his inability to flesh-out and invidualize a song with its own emotions and nuances – which makes it tough to connect with the isteners. In a nutshell, he does not live and breathe the song – he merely mouthes it…. And that is a killer…

In a nutshell, he does not live and breathe the song – he merely mouthes ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦. And that is a killerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

My first laugh of the day. Seriously. In the nicest way.

Interesting how perceptions vary. I actually think his live performances are what save him.

Last I looked LO is #71 and the album is #20 on iTunes but those numbers should go up by the end of the day.

Whew! I was so nervous last night, just like during AI! The live version of LO was good to hear. I think it will be tweaked A LOT before more live performances…perhaps. David was SO nervous. Don’t blame him, and that’s no excuse for a crummy performance. Which I did NOT think it was! I really liked this live version of LO. I like it more after watching a couple more times. It did seem a little rushed at points, or like the band and the vocals were not totally in synch or something. LOVING Neal T and the rest of the band. Yes, drummer’s hair-tossing was entertaining! EAT DRUMS! hahaha. But I thought the band sounded GOOD.

his main weakness is his inability to flesh-out and invidualize a song with its own emotions and nuances – which makes it tough to connect with the isteners. In a nutshell, he does not live and breathe the song – he merely mouthes ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.

Wow. Totally not my opinion but interesting to hear someone feels so much opposite of how I do when I hear and see David sing. I really really liked Declaration. I could even understand most of the words! It did sound much more like David’s writing to me. I’ll have to hear more and/or read lyrics to think about what it means to me…it usually takes me more than one time hearing. What a song means to me can change too, depending on what’s going on with me. And I like it when a song can do that. I thought David was much more relaxed singing Declaration than LO. Love him. Loving this band too – Neal, Andy, so glad we get to see you guys together at last, for those of us who missed out earlier. Can’t wait for this record. Can. Not. Wait.

However, his main weakness is his inability to flesh-out and invidualize a song with its own emotions and nuances – which makes it tough to connect with the isteners. In a nutshell, he does not live and breathe the song – he merely mouthes ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦. And that is a killerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

I disagree with this statement 100%. His interpretation of the lyrics and emotions he brings to his performances often bring me to tears unlike others that I’ve seen since Idol has been completed. That’s what drew me to become a fan of David Cook in the first place.

He is still wearing the orange wristband for little Lindsey Rose. I hope that she is able to see the clip of his performance, it will make her day

And just when I thought I couldn’t love him any more, he ups the ante. Well, played, Mr. Cook.

From Declaration we can see the dilemma of RCA: the real Cook (Declaration) is too hard for top 40 radio while the leading single chosen by label is likely not representative of the album.

That’s an interesting opinion. I have to strenuously disagree. For example, since I have Rob Cavallo on the brain right now, the first single off of Green Day’s American Idiot was not Boulevard of Broken Dreams or When September Ends. It was American Idiot. It did fine on top 40 radio and I think was instrumental in setting up the concept of the forthcoming album. And that song? Is hard. Declaration reminds me a bit of that tune in that I think it’s going to serve as an introduction to the concept of the album. Anyway, Fall Out Boy’s new single….Saving Abel’s Addicted (which, btw, lyrically is far, far inferior to Declaration….) Buckcherry’s Crazy Bitch… I heard all of those songs on top 40 radio. (In the case of Crazy Bitch, the lyrics were, erm, toned down, but that’s neither here nor there.) Certainly Declaration is no harder than these tunes and would have been a very viable first single. Also, although Declaration seems more like Cook’s sound, I can see Light On and Declaration on the same album very easily. An album I will probably enjoy as much as I have enjoyed Analog Heart, which is a lot. If you don’t dig rock, that’s fine, but I do and I think, so far, Cook is as good a representative as any.

Also have to add on mumblety-eth repeat view I finally noticed Andy, and it was pretty cool watching him switch back and forth from keyboards to guitar during Light On. Props to him, that couldn’t have been easy to juggle.

Suzanne, Andy plays keyboards. He played at the start of Light On. Most of these musicians play multiple instruments and also write music and can sing when needed. I love his voice both the softer moments and the times when he absolutely rocks out. I hope, too, that he has a quieter song on the tape even though I LOVED Declaration and still love Light On. Light On is an extremely difficult song to sing live. He has said in one interview, can’t remember which one, that there are some some songs with just the guitar and his voice, so maybe those will be the ones that resonate for you. One thing we know from Idol, he can do either depending on the message he wants to deliver. I think last nights message was that he will not be a top 100 sell out. He is going for the rock vibe and it was there in spades last night.

However, his main weakness is his inability to flesh-out and invidualize a song with its own emotions and nuances – which makes it tough to connect with the isteners. In a nutshell, he does not live and breathe the song – he merely mouthes ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦. And that is a killerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

Mileage really varies. I think one of Cook’s biggest strengths is his ability to connect with and add depth to songs. I’m embarassed to say that he is one of the few performers that have actually made me a little teary-eyed. I think these qualities set him apart from the Daughtrys and Hinders of today. But hey…..if we didn’t have such different opinions, the world would be a boring place!

I really really like Declaration. The guy can saaaaaaaaaang. And write. He’ll be fine.

In light of the SNL appearance, has anyone checked the before and after iTunes and Amazon sales for the song, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“LOà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , and/or CD? Big increase?

I made a point of checking the ranking just before SNL came on. “Light On” was at #84 overall at iTunes at that point in time. Currently, it is at #63 according to doIpod.com. Supposedly, it reports the iTunes rankings in real time so it’s more up to date than the iTunes store’s rankings (which currently shows it at #80). So David’s appearance on SNL definitely is helping out his sales.

In a nutshell, he does not live and breathe the song – he merely mouthes ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦. And that is a killerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

I have to 1000% disagree. David lives, breathes every note that comes forth. That is what I so loved about him on AI. I got to see my first AI concert this year. It was the last one and here in Tulsa. David was definitely the star. He had the whole audience in his hands. He moved us all, as seen by any youtube of that concert. I don’t have enough words for how *moved* he was during that concert, nor for how moved the audience was. David *live* is an experience I will not forget as long as I am here on this earth.

Yeah, David Cook lives his songs. I think just how much he manages to emote onstage is what sets him apart from some other performers, especially in his genre.

Maybe if you only judge by last night’s SNL, I could see where nerves and stress blocked some of that off, but really, only on parts of LO. I thought Declaration was one hell of a performance, and I definitely felt it.

Cannot wait and cannot get enough of David Cook. This album is going to rock so damn much.

Itunes uses a 2-3 day rolling chart. We won’t see the effects until late tomorrow at the earliest.

All the talk about originality, “importance”, changing the industry, etc kinda doesn’t matter. Nobody cares about that outside the idol bubble. Most people haven’t read all the interviews and don’t have the same expectations. All that matters is – are his songs catchy and likeable enough, and will it sell? Does it have enough of a rock sound to fit somewhere on the spectrum? It looks like the answer to all is yes. He’s going to be fine.

Anyway, Fall Out Boyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s new singleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.Saving Abelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Addicted (which, btw, lyrically is far, far inferior to Declarationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.) Buckcherryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Crazy Bitchà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ I heard all of those songs on top 40 radio. (In the case of Crazy Bitch, the lyrics were, erm, toned down, but thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s neither here nor there.) Certainly Declaration is no harder than these tunes and would have been a very viable first single.

I think Declaration is harder than Addicted and the FOB singles. Songwriting wise they are much better than Declaration. I think LO is the better single among the two, which is probably not saying much.

Good job Cook. After watching most musical guests sound like ass on SNL over the decades (those that actually attempted to really sing live) I had pretty low expectations. I really liked Declaration. It will be added to my running playlist when the album comes out. I like Light On but Declaration sounded more like David Cook. I suspect the reason Light On is the single is that it was picked out by TPTB sometime shortly after Cook sang Billie Jean. He made his mark with Chris Cornell’s sound right? Let’s get him a Chris Cornell song! Yes, I think they are just that creative. I have a feeling Crush had been in the works for Archie since Hollywood Week and Light On was in the works from Top 10 for Cook.

Andy is the old lead singer from MWK right? Wow. I knew that lead guitarist from MWK was going to be in the band but not anyone else. Even though he is probably making more money and making contacts in the industry, it must be hard to be singing backup for your old backup guy. (Which he did well. He and Cook sound good together.) I thought the whole group sounded good together.

I’m so proud of his performences on SNL. he is such a STAR!
the band was Amazing! Andy’s voice in the background? just HEAVEN! i want him all over this record with cookie.
joey and Dr. doing their thing like the pros they are
kyle was so in THE MOMENT rocking like crazy
watch out for THE KID!
jolene thanks for the song lyrics
Decleration Lyrics
feels like a pact he is signing with us, his fans.
I LOVE IT DAVID.
i promise to stay loyal to our pact and support you no matter what!
DAVID WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK JUST ENJOY THE LOOOOOOOOOONG RIDE!
Mj thank you for everything.

Full disclosure. I am so biased, so this is not an objective opinion. I lurved it. I know that usually Cook fans go for the intellectual and love to over analyze (I am very guilty of this) but sometimes I just want to fangirl…okay? First the superficial. Wow, David was just all kinds of hot. His eyelids glowed…you know what I mean?

On to the music. That band is shaping up into a solid rock quintet. And they have only been together what, 2 months at the most?

David just blew me away with his vocals. He really was mesmerizing.

I loved LO and Declaration and have been listening to the songs frequently. (understatement)

Good morning everyone! I really like LO, and thought David made it a little “rockier” if you get my drift. It did seem to me also (someone upthread made the comment) that the song was rushed – I felt like I had been running after the song ended. DC seemed nervous!

Declaration – good song.

Really loved the performances – here’s hoping that the publicity from the show makes people head to Itunes for the download.

I love DC’s voice and the nuances to his singing. Couldn’t have had a better vehicle than SNL the weekend before the election to showcase his songs.

Without a doubt “Declaration” is pure David Cook and there is no blurred line about it being “pop” as it’s pure ROCK. Now that’s what I’m talking about….That is what I wanted from Cook and he delivered.

I thought LO was okay initially but…then I liked it better after a few listens. Now watching David Cook perform live made that song so much better. Really missed seeing Cook on TV.

Declaration should have been his first single, no doubt about it. That is pure “go to concert” type of music and what I expected from David Cook.

I don’t agree with comments about Cook screaming though. Believe me screaming is screaming and if you are ever near the speakers when someone is doing that–you can tell the difference. Singing loud and projecting and hitting those high notes while maintaing total control while doing that, is classic rock. He was totally in control.
:clap_tb:

Ok. I literally dragged my husband in front of the computer and forced him to watch both of David’s performances. (By the way, thanks MJ for posting those videos!) I could tell from his face that he was struggling to find something critical to say. But at the end of both performances, he had to grudgingly agree that David did a good job! It seemed almost painful for him to admit it. LOL!!! He preferred “Light On” to “Declaration”, though, which I didn’t expect! Then he asked me all these questions about the rest of David’s band, like he was really interested!

There were some comments upthread on the hope that David gains new fans by this appearance. Judging from my husband’s reaction, I don’t think we have much to worry about. : )

David Cook = Rock Perfection. Love him! Neal is all kinds of intensity and I loved that. They rocked that stage last night. I wasn’t even thinking that this was the guy that won AI, I was thinking this guy is awesome. It’s hard to say, because of course I do know him from AI, but I truly believe had I just tuned in not knowing who he was, I would have definitely taken notice! Brilliant job David, and as always a class act! Congratulations are in order once again! The audience loved it and so did your fans! This album can’t come soon enough for me!

If memory serves, the album was at #24 at iTunes last night before SNL came on. It is now currently at #18.

Thanks MJ for the vids again. So Cookie didn’t do any sketches? My first reaction is that Cookie is looking hot! Man does he clean up well. The drummer’s hair flinging was a little funny at times. LOL… Cook seem really nervous on “Light On” but that is understandable. He still sound great. I actually like the song live better than the recorded version. “Declaration” was da bomb, very cool. Congrats to Cookie anyway and I hope his single sales and album sales soars.

If memory serves, the album was at #24 at iTunes last night before SNL came on. It is now currently at #18.

Someone on DCO made a point of documenting the standings of LO, TOML and the album on iTunes, Amazon, B&N and Walmart before the SNL performance. Apparently the album was actually at #35 before SNL. Not bad!

I have a few more thoughts after listening to both songs more times than I want to admit, and a few hours of sleep. I loved being able to hear Neal’s guitar on LO, especially during the bridge. It felt a little to me like the solo in Makeover (from Analog Heart), in that it meshed so well with the vocal. Why, oh why didn’t they give us more of that on the recorded version?

I’ve also read over the lyrics to Declaration a few times. They are so much better as just plain old poetry than LO’s lyrics, IMHO. Spare, but full of meaning and emotion at the same time. They also fit the rhythm of the song perfectly. One of my problems with LO has been that it sounds (to me) like the rhythm of the music and the rhythm of the lyrics don’t quite mesh, which is probably part of what makes it hard to sing. Declaration, on the other hand, flows beautifully, which makes sense, since David has an amazing sense of rhythm.

It is nice to have a version of LO that I can enjoy listening to! :smile2_ee:

Sorry, I had to manually change a setting to fix for the clock change, so the comments may be a bit out of order…

Still loving Declaration the morning after. Absolutely 100% not Butt Rock which I think is what a lot of people didn’t like about “Light On.” (Thanks Brian Howes!)

As for the “inferior songwriting,” I guess RCA just wanted to flush some money down the turlet (TM SNL Target Lady) since they let David write the whole album. I don’t think it’s any harder rock than what’s on the radio, although I have to admit that I’ve never really listened to Addicted because I’m too busy changing the station. Style-wise, David’s songs are likely to be closer to Boys Like Girls, 30 Seconds to Mars, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, bands that are played on modern rock stations, than to Top 40 butt rock . So yeah, maybe it will have Top 40 issues. And yes, as the Idol winner, he will also have issues getting played on rock stations.

As a fan, I’m just happy that the song was pure David. I can’t wait to hear the songs David considers his favorites on the album.

I have to admit that I’ve never really listened to Addicted because I’m too busy changing the station.

“Addicted” is a horrible song, both musically and lyrically. I can’t get that crap off my radio fast enough. “Declaration” is a better song, and very much in the pop/rock vein. It’s not hard rock at all. And I’m betting the recorded version isn’t quite as “grungy” sounding as the live version. It will fit fine on HAC (best here) and Top 40.

LOVE Declaration SO much. I liked the studio version of Light On, but did not like this live version of it. His notes sounded off to me, and they did not adapt it to be sung live. He was cutting off the verses to get to the chorus, they need to find a better way to do that. Didn’t like this Light On. But I’ve always been critical about live Cookie, because I know how good it can be.

Declaration was amazing. The band as a whole was better on that song, probably because Cook was more comfortable with it as well. It was amazing(oops, I think I said that already, oh well). I agree that should have been the single, but then again I only listen to rock stations and never top 40 or AC or anything like that. So whether not it would work there means little to me. All the music I listen to doesn’t work there.

I still don’t get the screaming comments. Is it because he scrunches his face up to look like he’s screaming, or because he doesn’t switch to his fals. or what? Makes no sense. I’ve only heard Cook screaming in one song, and that was a pre-Idol song that Dr. actually wrote for him (Dear Heaven).

Loved hearing Andy back Cook again. He did that in the song Hold too and I always thought they sound great together.

Did I mention that Declaration was amazing? I didn’t? Oh, how silly of me. :biggrin_wp:

And Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m betting the recorded version isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t quite as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“grungyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  sounding as the live version.

That’s the key– what will the recorded track sound like? If it sounds like the live rendition, then I have to agree that I don’t hear it on Top 40. It could still work its way into the mix on HAC, but it also could go to AAA, Active, and even Alternative… if those formats will consent to (widely) play an Idol.

And I have to admiit, Ill be a little disappointed if the studio track doesn’t sound more like that. But, commercially, it would be better for it to sound more top-fourtyish.

Also, there’s NO way this could have been the first single. For people introduced to DC via the Magic Rainbow, he couldn’t come off of that and then drop Declaration on them. At least LO is in some sense a ballad– a “power ballad on Red Bull” is what Rolling Stone called it, I think, which sums it up pretty well….

I am really, really in love with Declaration. I like the lyrics a lot, too. I think the music suits the lyric really well, and at first, the heart-on-sleeve and you’re-my-inspiration bits seemed way too sweet for the angsty music. But listening more closely, this is not an ordinary love song. It’s almost angry about the need for a declaration, like “Okay, I told the world that you’re my inspiration, I’m wearing YOUR heart on my sleeve, are you happy now? Will it ever be enough?” Very intriguing. I can see how that would fit his relationship with the demanding fans. Or a demanding girlfriend. Or maybe the combined demands of family, friends, girlfriend, fans. Or maybe it’s like Sara Bareilles, writing NOT a love song because her label demanded it.

Light On sounded way better to me when not listening live. Huh. I encountered the same phenomenon watching him live on AI. I would freak myself out or something and think there were wobbles and weirdness that just weren’t there when I listened again.

But listening more closely, this is not an ordinary love song.

That’s interesting, because I don’t get the angry vibe at all. In fact, looking at the themes of LO/ Declaration in tandem (in comparison with AH where like every song was about a breakup), my thought was, well, he’s obviously pretty happy in his relationship right now.

Well, like so many people, I’m very happy with the SNL performance. Declaration was such a breath of rockin’ fresh air — the “real” David Cook again.

And the more stripped-down arrangement and clearer mix of LO was also refreshing and a big relief. I think it was a great lesson in what a difference an arrangement can make — just the fact that they didn’t have the studio version’s over-the-top synthesizer during the last chorus made all the difference in the world — I didn’t feel like I was being beaten over the head, as I do with the studio version.

The whole thing gave me more hope. Even if the whole album is as over-produced as LO, at least we can look forward to some good live performances.

Oh, and Kyle — keep bangin’ that head! :smile2_ee:

This part is where I see the not-so-lovey a love song:

And are there any words to say
That would ever mean enough?
When the light runs from the day
Will the darkness be too much?
Will I ever be enough?

The pre-order album was at #35 on iTunes 6 hours before SNL started. It is now at #18.

See, now, guys, my impression was that Declaration isn’t about THAT kind of relationship. I think the “person” he is singing to isn’t flesh and blood, but made of notes and chords and rhythm and all that jazz. It’s like he’s singing a song to his mythological muse, saying okay, here I am, I am answering your call and taking the leap of faith and opening myself up to rejection and adulation…which will it be….. I like lyrics that can be interpretted different ways though. It’s definitely not as, um, literal as that Addicted song. :tongue_wink_ee:

Wow, idolgirl from d-c.org said she went to the SNL show and gave a wonderful behind the scenes recap:

My hubby and I were fortunate enough to get tickets to last night’s SNL show! We had amazing seat with a great view of David both on and off stage.

I’ll fill you in on the behind the scenes stuff – what you wouldn’t see on TV as I assume most of you watched or recorded the performance.

Just before he sang Light On David was side stage pacing around a bit. He looked nervous but excited! After a terrific performance, he stayed on stage to soak it all in – bowing and enjoying the crowd who seemed to really enjoy the song. We watched it again today and even tho it sounded great on the show, we both felt that it was even better live. He managed to make Light On a bit edgier. The band rocked!

David had a minute or so on stage before they went live for DECLARATION! Again he looked excited, yet nervous. He stretched a bit, and then did a ‘running man’ and laughed..kind of like what you would have seen the Mavids do during PDSTM. It was truly a David moment.

Declaration got the attention of the audience – lots of people were rocking and clapping, which is amazing considering very few people would have heard the song prior to the show. I was sitting beside a young woman who was also a David Cook fan. We were both cheering and clapping for him. She made the comment that a song is great when you can really connect with it the first time you hear it. Again the band rocked it out for David, and you could see how happy he was afterward. There was a lot of cheering after the camera cut away, and David jumped around the stage, clearly thrilled with the experience and reaction. He also looked relieved that it was over (but in a good, satisfied way)

She also commented that the “stretch” is the one we noticed that Cook did on Idol with rolling his neck around. I loved that!

There is nothing like a happy Cookie!
:clap_tb:

Light On sounded way better to me when not listening live. Huh. I encountered the same phenomenon watching him live on AI. I would freak myself out or something and think there were wobbles and weirdness that just werenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t there when I listened again.

Same here. I wasn’t as bad as some of my friends who could barely even watch his live AI performances *cough* , but I was always nervous as heck for him. LOL. Anyway, I only watched the live show last night and didn’t do any rewatches before bed. Mostly because I was so tired, I knew I would be disappointed and nitpick every little thing.

But after a good night’s sleep, when just now rewatching with my roommate who didn’t get to watch last night, I was really impressed with both performances. I barely heard any vocal wobbles or pitchiness and, though I figured he HAD to be nervous, I thought he masked it well for the most part. My roommate didn’t get any such sense until the big “whew” at the end before they cut to commercial. And she liked both performances.

Really, really love “Declaration.” I’m with cheese in that I’m really glad to hear a song that actually sounds like the David we know and love. My first reaction last night was “YAY!” (as evidenced by my post last night LOL), whereas my first reaction to LO when it premiered was “WTF IS this? This is not what I was expecting!!!”

Are the lyrics to “Declaration” posted somewhere? Anyone have a link?

ETA: I also love head-banging Kyle. If that’s what it takes to get him going to set the vibe for the band, that’s what it takes. And hey, at least he doesn’t have nappy hair. It’s actually quite pretty. LOL.

I read a newspaper TV critic’s blog regularly. He didn’t comment much on SNL as he didn’t watch the whole show, but he asked “how was David Cook?” at the end of his post and a number or readers responded with very positive comments about his performances, many of them making a point to note that had not watched AI but really liked what they heard. One person even went so far as to say something along the lines of “I would have never know from that performance that he had been on AI if you hadn’t told me.”

From Youtube.com someone posted the lyrics under “more info:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycfpN59Kzbo

Declaration:

I’ll take you just the way you are
imperfect words inside the perfect song
I feel you closer than you are
I’ve been waiting far too long
too long

It’s my declaration
to anyone whose listening
you’re my inspiration
as I stand alone against the world
Cause you love

Can you bleed
cause you stole my soul
and set me free
it’s my declaration

do you care what i believe
or that i wear a heart upon my sleeve
sometimes i think you never knew
the only truth i see is you
it’s you

It’s my declaration
to anyone whose listening
you’re my inspiration
as I stand alone against the world
Cause you love

Can you bleed
cause you stole my soul
and set me free
it’s my declaration

And are there any words to say
that i would ever mean enough
when the light runs from the day
will the darkness be too much
will i ever be enough

it’s my declaration
to anyone whose listening
You’re my inspiration
as i stand alone against the world
Cause you love

and you bleed
and you stole my soul
and set me free

It’s my declaration
so tell me you can hear these words tonight

It’s my declaration

There is not much else to say that the past 5 pages haven’t conveyed. DC was outrageous in both performances. :thumbup_tb:
Thanks for posting the YouTube of Declaration and the lyrics.

David and the guys were great last night!

My only request? Can RCA hook up w/ the ppl over at SNL so they can see/understand what it looks like to take a GOOD picture? The SNL ones of DC are way better than the ones RCA has for the singles and album cover, imo.

And hey, at least he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have nappy hair. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s actually quite pretty. LOL.

Okay, I’ll bite (although, I’m afraid to). What on earth is wrong with nappy hair? I don’t get it. I think ratty hair might be an issue, but I see nothing wrong with curly hair. A lot of people have curly hair naturally and I see no reason to straighten it if they don’t want to. And it can be pretty too. Am I missing something?

I’m glad so many people like Pert Commercial Dude, but I thought he was over-the-top. I love Animal, but he is a caricature. There is getting into the music, but I simply thought he was pretending to get into the music. It just didn’t appear natural to me. And that annoyed me. LOL. Viva la difference! Perceptions differ. I’m not into angst rock anyway, so that may be why I don’t appreciate it. I’m with Slezak, I hope there is an ABMB type song on the album.

I did get a chance to see the second song this morning and I think it is better than LO.

I think that version of the lyrics has some mistakes, at least from what I can tell.
I think it’s “And you stole my soul to set me free”
also “Imperfect words inside imperfect song”
And some other nitpicks.

This YouTube has a version I like better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0Nc-xdV0Vc

Sorry to be so anal-retentive. LOL

Declaration
I’ll take you just the way you are
Imperfect words inside imperfect song
I feel you closer than you are
But I’ve been waiting far too long
Too long.

It’s my declaration
To anyone who’s listening
You’re my inspiration
As I stand alone against the world
Cause you love, and you bleed
And you stole my soul to set me free
It’s my declaration.

Do you care what I believe?
(cause I’m still breathing)
That I wear your heart upon my sleeve.
Sometimes I think you never knew
The only truth I see
Is you
It’s you.

It’s my declaration
To anyone who’s listening
You’re my inspiration
As I stand alone against the world
Cause you love,
And you bleed
And you stole my soul to set me free
It’s my declaration.

And are there any words to say
That would ever mean enough?
When the light runs from the day
Will the darkness be too much?
Will I ever be enough?

It’s my declaration
To anyone who’s listening
You’re my inspiration
As I stand alone against the world
Cause you love,
And you bleed
And you stole my soul to set me free
It’s my declaration
So tell me you can hear these words tonight.

I must be the only one who didn’t even notice the drummer.

David has said in interviews that there are a number of “delicate” songs on the album, and we know there’s at least one that is just piano, strings and his vocal. Fans who love ABMB will probably find at least a couple of songs to love on the album. People who are expecting an album full of that type of song will probably be disappointed. Maybe they should check out the Gavin Rossdale album.

However, I think the high energy Declaration was a good choice to introduce the real David and a good balance with Light On. I wouldn’t have expected him to perform two ballads on SNL and his next single probably won’t be a ballad after TOML and LO.

TV Guide article recaps and critiques the sketches and performances of the cast and guests.

What on earth is wrong with nappy hair? I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get it.

When I said nappy, I meant unkempt, as in the slang definition of the word, not the literal definition. (those links go to the same place, the definition that I am referencing is #1 on each particular page.)

Sorry, next time I’ll pick a better word.

his next single probably wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be a ballad after TOML and LO.

Thank God! I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m ready to see and hear the David of “All Right Now” again. “Declaration” was a taste of that, for me.

I really liked Light On, but I love Declaration. I smell a hit!

I like declaration better than LO definately! The live performance of LO didnt exactly change my opinion of it either.
Anyone notice Declaration’s chorus is kinda similar to Best of Both Worlds? lol Thoughy that was interesting.

Guess I’m in the minority – I kinda thought Light On was a mess last night and I really love the studio version.

I did like Declaration a lot. So glad to see the curve of his smile while he sang it.

Anyone notice Declarationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s chorus is kinda similar to Best of Both Worlds? lol Thoughy that was interesting.

That video is lol. Miley’s phrasing of “best” is the same as Cook’s phrasing of “Declaration.” Some other similarities in chorus too. Maybe Declaration is not as hard as I think.

yeah thats what i noticed amy. lol

Must be a mileage thing. If anything, the phrasing of “declaration” and “inspiration” is way more similar to David’s own phrasing of “fallll forever, with no ennnd in sight” in the chorus of Searchlights from AH.

That video is lol. Mileyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s phrasing of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“bestà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  is the same as Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s phrasing of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Declaration.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Some other similarities in chorus too. Maybe Declaration is not as hard as I think.

:laugh_tb: ianamy and frogcooke. You guys are so funny. You have a good sense of humor. Comparing Cook to Miley. So funny! (Hopefully it was meant as humor and I am not misinterpreting!)LOL

You guys really know your Miley/Hannah Montana.

Actually, the chorus of Declaration reminds me a lot of David’s “Searchlights” too. I think that was a pre-Hannah Montana song written in 2005, lol.

IMO, the phrasing of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“declarationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“inspirationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  is way more similar to Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s own phrasing of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“fallll forever, with no ennnd in sightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in the chorus of Searchlights…..

OMG!!! That’s it! No wonder it seemed so familiar.

lol I havent heard searchlights.. lol But I just thought it was interesting. haha

lol I havent heard searchlights.. lol But I just thought it was interesting. haha

Enjoy.

Anyone notice Declarationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s chorus is kinda similar to Best of Both Worlds? lol Thoughy that was interesting.

LOL. Although I can totally see the “Searchlights” connection, I’m having a hard time seeing the similarities with this Miley Cyrus song, though the suggestion made me laugh. However, I’ve noticed that David is becoming quite popular on Radio Disney, so maybe the kids are making connections that I can’t hear ….who knows what they are thinking when they listen to Light On?” :rolleyes_wp:

LOL. Although I can totally see the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Searchlightsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  comparison, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m having a heard time seeing the similarities with this Miley Cyrus song, though the suggestion made me laugh. However, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve noticed that David is becoming quite popular on Radio Disney, so maybe the kids are making connections that I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t hear à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.who knows what they are thinking when they hear Light On?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

A lot of people have suggested it..but I don’t know Miley Cyrus’ songs so I can’t tell..Declaration is a bit like Searchlight..but Declaration is definitely better.

Lol@the miley cyrus comparison. I heard some archy fans were talking about miley cyrus in a chatroom last night, but for the life of me I couldnt figure out why..now I know. Of all the things said about david and his performance last night, this is the most preposterous, buy hey, everybody has different music ears. I still say David Cook rawked the house last night!!!

thanks for the searchlights link lol *totally not a kid though lol lol*

lol caringgirl It was just a comparision thing… just one of those weird ones that happens to pop up. I still like declaration though. lol

btw i can see the searchlights comparision too. heh

Didn’t listen to that Cook song. But it is not big deal for Cook to borrow from Miley’s hit or it’s just a similarity thing. Rock can channel pop, too.

I must be the only one who didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even notice the drummer

I didn’t notice him until the second or third time I watched it. Didn’t see him at all during “Light On”.

Its not nessicarily a bad thing. Hey some of us hear on ‘Barriers’ similar sound like in the jurassic park theme song.. lol So people will hear what they will lol

I never noticed the drummer either Gwen. I mostly kept my eyes glued to david hoping he hit those high notes (AND HE DID LOL) OH and the miley thing didnt bother me at all..in fact I l laughed my ass off about it. Nothing can spoil my thoughts on how Cook and mates rocked that stage last night. I think he gained alot more fans last night.

I noticed the drummer right away on Declaration.. it was kinda distracting really… lol

toma- That is exactly what I said to my 20 year old daughter- that the drummer looked just like Animal from the muppets. She laughed and then said, that’s what rock drummers do!

I was reading comments over at EW, and there are several posters saying things like, “Don’t know who that dude was, but he rocked” and “He was on Idol? Seriously?” Male screen names, too. If they’re for real, things sound promising.

Luved the drummer. Liked Declaration immediately, and that’s more than I can say about LO (which has grown on me, nevertheless).

I was a little surprised that Affleck didn’t mention Idol in his Intros. I would think that’s something 19 would have written into every contract.

“Itunes uses a 2-3 day rolling chart. We wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see the effects until late tomorrow at the earliest.”

This is true but songs can explode on iTunes as Crush did when it went to #1 on the first day it was released. Ditto – Adele’s album which went to #1 on iTunes within 24 hours after her SNL performance. This is not to make odious comparisons with Cook because I think his numbers will consistently improve but rolling chart or not, songs and albums can show big changes on iTunes fairly quickly.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Itunes uses a 2-3 day rolling chart. We wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see the effects until late tomorrow at the earliest.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

His Album is already leaped back up into the teens as of this afternoon. Think Declaration is the next single?

Ditto – Adeleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s album which went to #1 on iTunes within 24 hours after her SNL performance.

Adele had the advantage of already having an album out. That is the only thing I did not like about the timing of David’s SNL gig (but hey, who can complain…he was on SNL!!!!). I know that I have never pre-ordered an album before and I think many will be leery of pre-ordering especially when they have heard only two songs on the album. Hopefully the people who saw the performance will remember him, and buy the album when it is released. Or when they hear the song on the radio, they will say, Hey..that was the guy we saw on SNL. The album is still rising in iTunes. It is at 16 in my iTunes.

I still think there’s strong interest in the album but if LO doesn’t make a big move on iTunes after SNL, it’s not connecting as well as they hoped.
While the album is a pre-sale, you can buy LO for 99 cents if you liked it on SNL. But the pre-sales for Cook’s album are actually very good so who knows how it plays out.

Thank you mj for the great videos! I thought David did awesome last night, I was nervous about him singing LO but thought he nailed it. Also loved Declaration, thought he sang it great and loved it immediately. For what it’s worth my 12 and 13 year old heard me listening to it on the computer and immediately asked who was singing, and both said they liked it a lot. My 13 year old who usually rolls her eyes when she hears me playing Cook, actually listened to the whole song and commented (unprompted by me) that it was better than LO and would have made a better single.

Think Declaration is the next single?

Better be. But, I have an inkling that there are actually songs better than “Declaration” on the album. I really do.

Also, Light On is up about 10 spots since this morning.

When the election is over and I have a shiny new David Cook cd in my hands, all will be good again.

Sometimes if I really like songs performed on SNL I’ll look up the artist, find the album, listen to samples and then decide if I want to purchase the whole thing. He doesn’t even have samples up for listening so I think going from #35 to #16 on iTunes in one day and shooting up to #3 on Amazon with little to go on is a good thing. I have to wonder if the spike in actual pre-orders is a result of people wanting “Declaration”. I noticed TOML which wasn’t even in the Top 120 songs yesterday is now 99.

If anything, the phrasing of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“declarationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“inspirationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  is way more similar to Davidà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s own phrasing of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“fallll forever, with no ennnd in sightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in the chorus of Searchlights from AH.

DUH. Why didn’t I see that? I kept thinking it sounded familiar and that is so it. Now I’m gonna be singing “Searchlights” all night. LOL.

I agree that not having any part of the album available to sample (other than LO) is a bit of a detriment as far as generating pre-sales. I wouldn’t download an album from an artist I wasn’t familiar with based on one or two songs.

I think the 30 second snippets should surface by the end of the week and some people who are holding off on pre-ordering might change their minds. The Light On video is coming this week so that might give the song a boost. If not, I hope RCA is willing to move on to another single earlier than planned, if necessary. Meanwhile, David’s album is up to #2 on Amazon.

I absolutely think there will be better songs than Declaration on the album, but I just like it so much more than I like Light On, it’s easy for me to get excited about. If it’s not the next single, I think they should at least go with something similarly upbeat.

Well, something must have worked, because the pre-order on Amazon is currently #2 altogether, and #1 on both Pop and Rock. Damn you, Twilight soundtrack! LOL

I think when all is said and done, I won’t be surprised if LO is my least favorite track on the entire album. I don’t want to hate too much on the current single, but damn, I hope RCA puts their eggs into more than just this one basket. I want another single soon.
I guess I just really love David’s writing, and it’s what I’ve been waiting to hear since Analog Heart was first brought to my attention, many months ago. Declaration is just the first of many, and I for one can’t wait for more original DC songs.

Oh, and thanks for the Searchlights link (horrible sound quality, though, compared to the clean CD version) – I think I’ll go have another listen to AH and think about all the goodies in store on the new album.

Well, something must have worked, because the pre-order on Amazon is currently #2 altogether, and #1 on both Pop and Rock. Damn you, Twilight soundtrack! LOL

YAY!!

Anyone notice Declarationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s chorus is kinda similar to Best of Both Worlds? lol Thoughy that was interesting.

wow, it totally does. i didn’t think of that! And I SWEAR the only reason I know that song is because I used to nanny 2 pre-teen girls when I was in college! LOL

Those choruses are nothing alike. Yes you actually got me to listen to Hannah Montana.

Much like myself, I doubt David has ever even listened to a Miley Cyrus song. So if there is even an infinitesimal similarity, I’m sure it is completely coincidental.

I wouldn’t put David past listening to some Miley Cyrus. He did own some Mariah C. after all.

I seriously believe that any similarity is purely coincidental, though. I refuse to listen to Miley. What she does to music should be illegal.

ah completely coincidental, thought it was funny none the less lol Just kinda laugh at it. lol *pokes peoples humor bones*

You got me to listen to Hanna Montana, and it sounds nothing alike. I do appreciate the creative thinking that went into this comparison, though, not to mention the wealth of knowledge in all things Miley. LOL

As for Searchlights vs. Declaration, I see the similarity between “Declaraaaaaaaation” and “Fallllllllllll forver” but that’s pretty much it.
And for the record, I still love Searchlights more. That might change once I have more than a low quality live audio rip.

Did anyone decipher the clue we got from DCO re. the LO video? Are we actually going to see all of it tomorrow? If so, this might be the first exclusive ever on DCO that wasn’t leaked somewhere else first. LMAO

That might change once I have more than a low quality live audio rip.

I take it you’ve never been here. Or, have you?

However, those two parts you mentioned from the choruses are the similarities I think we’re talking about.

I take it youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve never been here. Or, have you?

Oh no, I have been, but thank you for that link, it brought back fond memories! Funny to think back on how I waited (im)patiently for them to upload more songs. It took them forever to post The Truth, IIRC.

I was refering to Declaration re: the song I need to get a better version of. For AH, I have the Amazon.com quality files from back when the album was available for purchase.
And BTW – have we given up hope that AH will ever be sold legally again?

Just to give a more unbiased perspective (because at this point I love everything DC does), I watched SNL with my mom and aunt. Both are very casual AI viewers who knew who David was, and that they liked his past performances, but that’s about it. Their first comments were “He has a really nice smile” and “Oh, he’s adorable” respectively, but by the end of LO they were both humming the chorus. After “Declaration” they both said they were excited for his CD. These are both women who wouldn’t have known David Cook was releasing a CD otherwise, so SNL won him some new fans!

And for the record, I still love Searchlights more.

Can’t say I blame you. :happy_tb: That’s the very first song I fell in love with on AH. I did have a similar instalove reaction to Declaration, which is why I probably made the connection. But yeah, it was only the phrasing on certain words that did it.

“Anyone notice Declarationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s chorus is kinda similar to Best of Both Worlds? lol Thoughy that was interesting.”

I’m so glad I wasn’t the only person to notice that. There’s like 7 notes in each that are practically identical. My roommate was an avid watcher of Hannah Montana, and now every time I get Declaration stuck in my head it morphs into Best of Both Worlds.

*shivers*

Loved Declaration. Band was rocking it out. Can’t wait until the next time we get to see them perform together. Wonder when Cook shows up on AI, will the band be front & center with him? Can not wait.

lol Sam, glad Im not crazy either. lol

I am sorry but Declaration does not sound anything like The best of both worlds. I have listened multiple times and there is not a thing that is similar. They do play some of the same notes like every other song in the world.

I wish I didn’t hear a similarity.

It’s just the notes on the words “this is my declaration” and “you get the best of both worlds” are similar, except Miley has more varied notes and David’s is more simple.

I lurve “See You Again.”

Sue me.

(Cookie will always rock both my worlds.)

According to my husband (John M), the “music expert” in our house, the first four syllables of each chorus are similar (the words “declaration” and “best of both worlds”). They use the same rhythm and the same notes, but in a different sequence. He’s 99% positive that he’s heard both of those note sequences before in other songs, because, as someone else said, there are only so many notes to use in songs, so of course they get repeated sometimes, whether the songwriter has heard that note sequence before or not.

So, not so much copying each other as having inevitable similarities. Personally, I couldn’t stand to listen to Miley Cyrus long enough to find out how close the songs are. I give John a lot of credit for braving enough of her to analyze the songs.Listening to Declaration is way, way more enjoyable for both of us. Too bad some of you have apparently had to listen to Miley instead of David Cook!

I have to admit, reading the comments here have made me laugh out loud so much the people in Starbucks, where I am, are staring.

Anyway, the reason being in a span of two days, Declaration has been declared both “too hard for Top 40″ and “practically identical” to a Hannah Montana song. As such, I feel confident in my earlier pronouncement that this song is going to kill on varied formats. People hear different things when they listen to it. Tell me that isn’t songwriting talent!

Personally, I hear similarities but then again similarities in songs isn’t anything new. Whether it’s the same chords in a chorus, the same baseline or the same first 5 notes in an intro. Happens all the time. IMO, it’s closer to the Searchlights’ chorus than Best of Both Worlds but hey, if you hear it, then you hear it.

I am not going to claim to be a Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana expert, nor do I have any intention of trying to become one, but I don’t see the similarity that is being claimed. I first saw this claim on Pulse—I don’t know why I keep checking that out, as it often seems that the majority of people who post on DC threads there dislike him and some even have expressly anti-DC taglines , but dammit, sometimes there’s information in those threads—and just shook my head.

The song I find it most similar to (in my head, anyway) is The World I Know. Which is fine by me.

I already know my brain makes strange connections and segues between songs. If I started out singing TOML, I would end up in “You and Me,” the Lifehouse song. They don’t have anything in common as far as I know except the swirly waltz time. That’s why I guessed TOML would be a waltz on SYTYCD in no time. And I won that bet!

LOL, nobody can make me listen to Miley, not even if she and David sing the exact same song. I don’t want to look at her either, eyes too close.

Funny to think back on how I waited (im)patiently for them to upload more songs. It took them forever to post The Truth, IIRC.

I remember that! But we got the live version. That site and their newsletter are so made of win. David’s got some really funny friends.

ETA:

I think the Jonas Brothers had 4 as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“iTunes specialsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  just before their album came out.

I don’t know about Jonas Bros., but Metallica did that. FOB kind of is too, they have “album countdown”, I love it. But that doesn’t seem possible for David at all.

Thanks CathyMK for your husbands analysis. It was interesting to hear. I also find it interesting that this issue was discussed somewhere else before it was discussed here. Curious. I do love the song and cannot wait to hear the studio version. November 18th cannot come soon enough. The record I believe will be awesome.

Anyway, the reason being in a span of two days, Declaration has been declared both à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“too hard for Top 40à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ³ and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“practically identicalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  to a Hannah Montana song. As such, I feel confident in my earlier pronouncement that this song is going to kill on varied formats. People hear different things when they listen to it. Tell me that isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t songwriting talent!

Amen, sister! Let’s hope RCA is smart enough to release this one (or an even better one) as the next single before too long. I’ve seen several artists with more than 1 single at a time on the iTunes chart over the past several months, so why not David, especially now that TOML is down at the bottom sliding on and off the chart. I think the Jonas Brothers had 4 as “iTunes specials” just before their album came out.

Yeah, I’m gonna refuse to listen to any Miley Cyrus just to see if a handful of notes someone wrote for her are similar to a handful in Declaration. But I doubt the DC and Hannah Montana fanbases are gonna overlap much anyway. The chorus DOES remind me strongly of DC’s Searchlights, and for some reason, I think of Boys Like Girls’ Great Escape too.

I’ve heard so many opinions on Declaration: that it’s about his fans / his lover / Adam / Andrew / his Mom. My take: it’s a song to all of them, all of us, to the world if you like.

It’s my deeeeeeeee-cla-ra-tion! To anyone who’s listening….

He wrote a ton of songs right after Idol right? He said there was a 2 week span that he felt all the pent up songwriting during Idol just poured out, and I have a feeling that Declaration is one of them. He spoke about “exhaling” and “feeling validated about choosing this path (being a musician)” and “getting a new lease of life”. Being an Idol contestant was both grueling and isolating, when he got off Idol he discovered that as the American Idol it was going to be even harder. I think that David finds inspiration from everything: his family, friends, co-workers, fans….

You’re my inspiration, As I stand alone against the world

These are the people who cheered for him, cried for him

Cause you love, And you bleed

And he has repeatedly mentioned being so touched and amazed by it – he said in one interview that he is a little freaked out at how much people have invested in “some guy who just sings on a tv show”. But he also says that he doesn’t know what he’ll be doing 5 years from now, but that he knows he’ll always be a musician (note that he doesn’t say: singer / rockstar (!)) and that he’ll be happy doing whatever he’s doing – a capacity to find happiness is the mark of a truly free soul.

And you stole my soul to set me free

And he wants to shout it out to the whole world

It’s my deeee-cla-ra-tion

So there!
I can hear echoes of this message throughout the whole song, but some of my favourite lines:

That I wear your heart (meaning our hearts / the listener’s hearts – everyone who invested in him) upon my sleeve
Sometimes I think you never see, the only truth I see, Is you, It’s you (I like the play of words here)
And are there any words to say, That would ever mean enough,
When the light runs from the day, Will the darkness be too much, Will I ever be enough
(he wears his own heart on his sleeve here….)

daenarys I tend to agree with your interpretation

If anything because:
“I’m taken just the way you are,
Imperfect words inside imperfect song”

I took to mean maybe AI isn’t the way he envisioned getting here, but here he is and it’s working out pretty well so far! (Also…shout out to ToML? which certainly has imperfect words in an imperfect song, but represents such a wonderful thing that we fans have learned to love it)

And
“Will I ever be enough?”

Sounds to me like he is talking about all the expectations being put on him since he became famous so fast and in such a way.

“Anyway, the reason being in a span of two days, Declaration has been declared both à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“too hard for Top 40à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ³ and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“practically identicalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  to a Hannah Montana song.”

LOL, Hey now, I didn’t say the whole song, I said 7 notes of the song. That’s a very small part.

And I hope the former claim is more correct, that ups it’s cances of being played on a station I listen to.

Another comment on the tv critic’s blog I read, about SNL:

I had no idea who David Cook was ….if I had known he was the AI winner, I would have fast forwarded…..after hearing him, I think I am going to get his album…he was great.

I’m loving all the positive feedback from the uninitiated, because things tend to get a little murky fangirl land. I didn’t realize though that there was still such a strong perception that people coming out of AI are not really legit.

Great analysis, daenarys. This line really gets me thinking…

When the light runs from the day, Will the darkness be too much, Will I ever be enough

I know he’s talked about being realistic, knowing that winning AI is not a magic ticket, etc. So “will the darkness be too much, will I ever be enough” could be asking, “How would I really feel if I step off that stage and it’s the last time I feel this way? How would I feel if it all ends tomorrow?” Or it could also be about the day to day weirdness of his new situation, where one minute he’s on stage and basking in the all that positive energy (light) from the audience, and then the next minute, when he leaves the stage, he would kind of have to decompress and go back to being just Dave until the next performance. Kind of the dichotomy of being David Cook, The American Idol, and just Dave, goober from the Midwest, and not letting the fame consume him… :ponder_tb:

I had the great honor of meeting David (albeit for a few short minutes) at the end of the Carrie Underwood concert on Nov 5. I was a little star struck to be honest! He told me (after watching Carrie’s concert) “I’ve got a lot of work cut out for me!” How humble of him! I told him I thought he and the band rocked on SNL and that he was going to be awesome. He smiled and told me “Thanks”. Although our conversation was short he seemed almost in awe of what he had just experienced (watching Carrie). Now this is only my opinion of what I felt his mood was, only he can really say. I think anyone would be in awe of her after the 5 minute video they played of all of her successes (Winning AI, Grammys, CMA awards, platinum records, etc). I think that would put a lot of pressure on him as to what is expected of an AI winner. Anyway, my point is, the lyrics of “Declaration” perfectly encompass the short conversation I had with him!

BTW you can read my story on david-cook.org under the title “I met DC @ the Carrie Underwood concert!”