Thomas was raised in and around Houston, Texas, graduating from Lamar Consolidated High School in Rosenberg. Before his solo career, he sang in a church choir as a teenager, then joined the musical group The Triumphs. During his senior year he made friends with Roy Head of Roy Head and The Traits. The Traits and the Triumphs held several Battle of the Bands events in the early 1960s.
In 1966, B.J. Thomas and The Triumphs released the album I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (Pacemaker Records). It featured a hit cover of the Hank Williams song "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". The single sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. The follow-up single, "Mama", peaked at No. 22. In the same year, Thomas released a solo album of the same name on the Scepter Records label.
Thomas came back to achieve mainstream success again in 1968, first with "The Eyes of a New York Woman", then five months later with the much bigger "Hooked on a Feeling", which featured the sound of Reggie Young's electric sitar and was first released on the album On My Way (Scepter Records). "Hooked on a Feeling" became Thomas's second million-selling record. A year later Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid featured Thomas performing the Bacharach/David song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", which won the Academy Award for best original song that year and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1970. Sales of it also exceeded one million copies, with Thomas being awarded his third gold record. The song was also released on an album of the same name. Other hits of the 1970s were "Everybody's Out of Town", "I Just Can't Help Believing" (No. 9 in 1970, covered by Elvis Presley), "No Love at All", "Mighty Clouds of Joy", and "Rock and Roll Lullaby".
Thomas's earlier hits were with Scepter Records, his label for six years. He left Scepter Records in 1972 and spent a short period, in 1973 and 1974, with Paramount Records, during which time he released two albums, Songs (1973) and Longhorns & Londonbridges (1974).
In 1975, Thomas released the album Reunion on ABC Records, which had absorbed the Paramount label; it contained "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" (the longest titled No. 1 hit ever on the Hot 100). It was Thomas's first big hit since 1972 and secured him his fourth gold record. It won the 1976 Grammy Award for Best Country Song, awarded to its songwriters, Larry Butler and Chips Moman.
In 1976, Thomas released Home Where I Belong, produced by Chris Christian on Myrrh Records, the first of several gospel albums. It was the first Christian album to go platinum, and Thomas became the biggest contemporary Christian artist of the period.
On MCA Records, Thomas and Chris Christian recorded what would be his last Top 40 hit single, "Don't Worry Baby", on his last pop album, which also included the Adult Contemporary hit "Still the Lovin' Is Fun".
During the 1980s, his success on the pop charts began to wane, but many of his singles reached the upper regions on the country singles chart, including two 1983 chart toppers, "Whatever Happened to Old-Fashioned Love" and "New Looks from an Old Lover" (see 1984 in music), as well as "Two Car Garage", which reached No. 3. In 1981, on his 39th birthday, Thomas became the 60th member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Thomas scored another hit, recording "As Long As We Got Each Other", the theme to Growing Pains, with Jennifer Warnes. A later version, used for the show's fourth season, was recorded with British singer Dusty Springfield. Thomas first released this track on his 1985 album Throwing Rocks at the Moon (Columbia Records).
Thomas has also authored two books including the autobiography Home Where I Belong, and starred in the movies Jory and "Jake's Corner". Several commercial jingles including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Bell, have featured his singing voice and music. On December 31, 2011, Thomas was the featured halftime performer at the 2011 Hyundai Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
On April 2, 2013, Thomas released The Living Room Sessions, an album with acoustic arrangements of well known hits. It features guest appearances with established and emerging vocalists accompanying Thomas on seven of twelve tracks.
On December 3, 2013, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced that his 1969 single "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" would be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Thomas was married to singer-songwriter Gloria Richardson since December 1968. They had three daughters: Paige (born 1970), Nora (adopted from Korea in 1978), and Erin (born in 1979). Shortly after Thomas's career began, he became dependent on drugs and alcohol which led to his marriage nearly ending and himself even coming close to death. Gloria became a Christian in 1975, and less than a month later, so did B.J.; most press sources indicate that Thomas had been sober since their separation was reconciled in 1976.
Any Day Now
B.J. Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Comes up to me a bit too fast
Talking to himself in tongues and English
It's been seven days without I don't know what
Any other day
I'd talk to you
Any other day
I'd ask what you're going throughHe starts to shout I'll slit your throat
Lucky for me, his legs are unwell
He can't keep up with a young buck
Any other day
I'd talk to you
Any other day
I'd ask what you're going through
The lyrics of B.J. Thomas's "Any Day Now" tell a story of heartbreak and betrayal. The singer of the song has just gone through a painful breakup with someone who he thought he loved. However, he has since discovered that this person was not who he thought they were. In particular, he has learned that they are a liar and a hater. Despite this discovery, the singer is still struggling with his feelings for his ex-partner. He knows that he should move on, but he can't help but feel hurt by what has happened.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses a range of emotions, from anger to sadness to resignation. He acknowledges that he and his ex-partner were never really there for each other, even when they were together. Now that everything is over, the singer is left feeling lost and adrift. He doesn't know what to do with himself, and he can't find a way to let go of the pain that he feels.
In short, "Any Day Now" is a song about the pain of heartbreak and the struggle to move on. It speaks to the universal experience of losing someone we love and the difficulty of coming to terms with the end of a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Well it's over now
The relationship has ended.
You don't even want me to be better now
You don't want me to improve or be a part of your life anymore.
Taking back my feelings just forget it now
I'm withdrawing my emotions and moving on.
Never really knew that it was over now
I was unaware of the relationship's problems and didn't realize it ended until now.
Someone told me that you were a liar
I received information that you were dishonest.
Now you've come to be a hater
Now you resent me.
Now I'm gonna be far away from you
I'm leaving and distancing myself from you.
I know you gonna hate me when I get back
I expect you to react negatively when I return.
I know I'm gonna hate you when you attack
I anticipate feeling anger towards you when you confront me.
I know you left me for a devil in disguise
I believe you left me for someone who appeared innocent but was actually bad for you.
But you wouldn't blame me when I get red eyes
You won't hold me responsible when I react emotionally to the situation.
Talking 'bout revenge when I see you clearly
I contemplate seeking revenge when I understand the situation.
Never thought twice 'bout the way you were hurting
I didn't realize how much you were hurting me until now.
Little did you know I were always aching
You were unaware that I was continually in emotional pain.
Nah, you never cared about me
You were never concerned about my well-being.
I know friends can have a laugh and a joke
I understand that friends can joke around and have fun.
But me and you never took that chance
But we never had that kind of friendship.
You were never there when my heart just broke
You weren't there for me when I was emotionally distressed.
I wanna let it go up into smoke
I want to release my emotions and move on.
I have nothing else to say
I have expressed everything I needed to say.
'Cause you were never the same after the seventh of may
Because our relationship changed after May 7th.
You say you love me, you tellin' the truth
You claim to love me and are being truthful.
Fell in love with a -, I'm used to the abuse
You fell in love with someone who's toxic, and I'm accustomed to being treated poorly.
But I got not proof, got stomped on with combat boots
But I have no evidence, I was figuratively trampled on.
Everyday I swear man I'm closer to that -
I'm getting closer to a breakdown every day.
It's hangin' from the tree, someone set me free
It feels like death is imminent, and I want to be freed from my pain.
I can't deal with these demons, get a felony
I can't handle these emotional problems, and I feel guilty about it.
'Cause I fell on knee, feel like I'm goin' off of the deep
Because I'm struggling emotionally, I feel like I'm going crazy.
I die in my car, there's nothin' but a beep
I'm not doing well mentally, and I might die alone in my car.
'Cause I'm just gettin' number every time I see the numbers
Because I'm being ignored every time I try to reach out.
Every time we see each other, wanna hide under my covers
Every time we interact, I just want to avoid you.
They say you'll find the right one, but I just date another
People say I'll find love again, but I just go through the motions of dating.
I'm stuck out somewhere but I don't know where, huh, yeah
I'm lost and unsure about my present situation.
Lost in the charts, put life in park, it's past dark
I'm stagnating in life and it's already dark outside.
I've lost the spark, give me a new arc
I've lost my motivation, and I need a fresh start.
The sadness I guess at this point it's just a - landmark yeah
My sadness has become a permanent landmark in my life.
I never popped -, 'cause I got no skills, imma end up killed
I've never been aggressive, and my lack of skills might lead to my demise.
Then the people'll be thrilled, they don't like me
People who don't like me will be pleased if I fail.
No wonder I got this anxiety, nothin' is inspirin' me
It's no surprise that I'm anxious because nothing motivates me.
I might just retire today need another vacay
I might just quit everything and go on another vacation.
My mind needs to vacate, maybe I just need a break
I need to clear my head, and taking a break might be necessary.
I put everything at stake but now I guess I might just flat quit this game
I invested a lot into this situation, but I may need to give up now.
I don't know what to say
I'm unsure of what to say in the current situation.
I'm gone and it's over now
I'm leaving and ending this relationship.
I wanna help myself go
I want to move on and help myself heal.
It's over now
The relationship is officially over.
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Thomas Flynn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@willyreyniers544
Great version, thanks D !