Davis graduated at 16 from Lubbock High School in Lubbock, Texas. He spent his childhood years with his sister Linda, living and working at the former College Courts, an efficiency apartment complex owned by his father, T. J. Davis, located at the intersection of College Avenue and 5th Street. Davis describes his father, who was divorced from Davis's mother, as "very religious, very strict, and very stubborn." Though Davis was physically small, he had a penchant for getting into fistfights. "In those days, it was all about football, rodeo, and fistfights. Oh, man, I got beat up so much while I was growing up in Lubbock," Davis said in a March 2, 2008, interview with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal newspaper. "I was 5 feet, 9 inches, and weighed 125 pounds. I joined Golden Gloves, but didn't do good even in my (own) division." After he finished high school, Davis moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where his mother lived, to get out of Lubbock.
Once he was settled in Atlanta, he organized a rock and roll group called the Zots, and made two singles for OEK Records, managed and promoted by OEK owner Oscar Kilgo. Davis also worked for the Vee Jay record company (home to such R&B stars as Gene Chandler, Jerry Butler, and Dee Clark) as a regional manager, and later also served as a regional manager for Liberty Records.
Davis became famous as a songwriter and got his start as an employee of Nancy Sinatra's company, Boots Enterprises, Inc. Davis was with Boots for several years in the late 1960s. During his time there, he played on many of Sinatra's recordings, and she worked him into her stage shows. Boots Enterprises also acted as Davis's publishing company, publishing songs such as "In the Ghetto", "Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife", "Home", "It's Such a Lonely Time of Year", and "Memories", which were recorded by Elvis Presley, Nancy Sinatra, B. J. Thomas, and many others. Davis left Boots Enterprises in 1970 to sign with Columbia Records, taking all of his songs with him.
One of the songs he wrote in 1968, called "A Little Less Conversation", was recorded by Elvis Presley (and would become a posthumous success for Presley years later). Presley recorded "In the Ghetto" in sessions in Memphis. According to maverick record producer Jimmy Bowen, "Ghetto" was originally pitched to Sammy Davis, Jr. Mac, guitar in hand, played the song in a studio, with onlookers such as Rev. Jesse Jackson and other members of the black activist community. Mac Davis, the only white man in the room at the time, eventually told Bowen, "I don't know whether to thank ya, or to kill ya." Mac Davis eventually recorded the tune after Presley's version became a success, and was released in a Ronco In Concert compilation in 1975. It was later released on a campy Rhino Records Golden Throats compilation in 1991. The song became a success for Presley and he continued to record more of Davis's material, such as "Memories", "Don't Cry Daddy", and "Clean Up Your Own Backyard". Bobby Goldsboro also recorded some of Davis's songs, including "Watching Scotty Grow", which became a #1 Adult Contemporary success for Goldsboro in 1971. Other artists who recorded his material included Vikki Carr, O.C. Smith, and Kenny Rogers and The First Edition. "I Believe in Music", often considered to be Davis's signature song, was recorded by several artists (including Marian Love, B.J. Thomas, Louis Jordan, Perry Como, Helen Reddy, and Davis himself) before it finally became a success in 1972 for the group Gallery.
Later, he also became known as a country singer. During the 1970s, many of his songs "crossed over", successfully scoring on both the country and popular music charts, including "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" (a number one Grammy-nominated success), "One Hell of a Woman" (pop no. 11), and "Stop and Smell the Roses" (a no. 9 pop hit). Also, during the 1970s, he was very active as an actor, appearing in several movies, as well as hosting a successful variety show.
Davis soon decided to pursue a career of his own in country music; he was signed to Columbia Records in 1970. After several years of enriching the repertoires of other artists, his big success came two years after signing with Columbia. He topped the Country and Pop charts with the song "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me". It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America in September 1972.
Some of Davis's lyrics invoked overtly sexual relationships. In the song "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me", he pleads with a woman not to become too enamored with him, because he does not want to commit to a full-time relationship. Other successful songs, such as "Naughty Girl" and "Baby Spread Your Love on Me", contained similar lyrics.
In 1974, Davis was awarded the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year award. Some of Davis's other successes include the songs "Stop and Smell the Roses" (a number one Adult Contemporary success in 1974) (pop no. 9), "One Hell of a Woman" (pop no. 11), "Rock'n'Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)" (pop no. 15), and "Burnin' Thing" (pop no. 53). At the end of the 1970s, he moved to Casablanca Records, which was best known at the time for its successes with disco star Donna Summer and rock'n'roll band Kiss. His first success for the company in 1980 was the novelty song "It's Hard To Be Humble", a light-hearted look at how popularity and good looks could go to one's head. The song became his first Country music top 10 and a rare top 30 hit in the UK. (It was translated into Dutch as "Het is moeilijk bescheiden te blijven" and became a hit for the Dutch singer Peter Blanker in 1981). Later that year, he also had another top 10 song with "Let's Keep It That Way". In November, "Rock'n'Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)" was played by KHJ in Los Angeles as its last song before it switched from Top 40 to Country music. He achieved other successful songs, such as "Texas In My Rear View Mirror" and "Hooked on Music", which became his biggest Country music success in 1981, going to no. 2. In 1985, he recorded his last top 10 country music success with the song "I Never Made Love (Till I Made Love With You)".
On January 19, 1985, Davis performed "God Bless the USA" at the 50th Presidential Inaugural Gala, held the day before the second inauguration of Ronald Reagan.
Davis was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000.
Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me
Mac Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it's startin' to worry me
I ain't ready for no family ties
Nobody's gonna hurry me
Just keep it friendly, girl
'Cause I don't wanna leave
Don't start clinging to me, girl
'Cause I can't breathe
Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me
Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me
'Cause I'll just use you, then I'll set you free
Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me
Girl, you're a hot-blooded woman, child
And it's warm where you're touchin' me
But I can tell by your tremblin' smile
You're seein' way too much in me
Girl, don't let your life get tangled up with mine
'Cause I'll just leave you
I can't take no clingin' vine
Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me
Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me
'Cause I'll just use you, then I'll set you free
Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me
Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me
Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me
'Cause I'll just use you, then I'll set you free
Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me
The song "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me" by Mac Davis is about a man who is not ready for a serious commitment but fears that the woman he is with is developing feelings and attachment towards him. He wants to keep things friendly and casual, and warns her not to get too invested in their relationship. The man is self-aware of his own tendencies to use women and then leave, and tries to convince the woman to not become emotionally attached to him. The lyrics highlight the challenges of navigating a casual relationship and the fear of someone getting hurt.
The opening lines of the song reveal the man's unease with the woman's interest in him, and his reluctance to commit to a serious relationship. He knows that he is not ready for family ties and is wary of anyone who may try to hurry him. He wants to keep things friendly and uncomplicated.
The chorus, "Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me. Cause I'll just use you, then I'll set you free," reveals the crux of the song. The man is aware of his tendency to use women and leave them, and he wants to be clear with the woman that he is not looking for anything serious. He wants her to be aware of his intentions and not get emotionally attached to him.
The song also highlights the fear of being tied down in a relationship. The man sees the woman as a warm, passionate woman who he enjoys being with, but he does not want to be tied down to her. He wants to be able to leave without feeling guilty or responsible for her feelings. Ultimately, the song speaks to the difficulties of managing the dynamics of a casual relationship and the fear of someone getting hurt.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl you're gettin' that look in your eyes
And it's startin' to worry me
You're becoming too attached and I don't want to lead you on.
I ain't ready for no family ties
Nobody's gonna hurry me
I'm not looking for a serious commitment right now, and no one will rush me into one.
Just keep it friendly, girl
'Cause I don't wanna leave
Let's just keep it casual so that I don't end up hurting you.
Don't start clinging to me, girl
'Cause I can't breathe
Don't become too dependent on me, as it will make me feel suffocated.
Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me
Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me
'Cause I'll just use you, then I'll set you free
Baby, baby, don't get hooked on me
Please don't fall in love with me as I'll only take advantage of you, and then leave you.
Girl, you're a hot-blooded woman, child
And it's warm where you're touchin' me
You have intense passion, but I'm only interested in the physical aspect of our relationship.
But I can tell by your tremblin' smile
You're seein' way too much in me
I can sense that you're becoming emotionally invested and seeing me as more than just a fling.
Girl, don't let your life get tangled up with mine
'Cause I'll just leave you
I can't take no clingin' vine
You shouldn't intertwine your life with mine as I'll eventually abandon you, and I can't tolerate a needy partner.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Mac Davis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gregg Gregory
on Me 'n Fat Boy
I worked along side Bill Pruitt aka "fat boy" as an electrician in 1990 in NYC. Nicest guy yay ever wanted to meet ! And he wasn't fat anymore!