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.
Everybody's Out of Town
B.J. Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seems like there's no one hangin' on
Look through the window
The houses are empty
Hey
Everybody's out of town
Seems like
All of the streets are bare
No traffic tie ups anywhere
Don't have to wait for a seat at the movies
Hey
Everybody's out of town
Seems like
I'm the only one around
Everyone moved out from the ghetto
Lots of space
Empty apartments
No more pollution
Plenty of classrooms everyplace
And it looks like we're ready
To give it one more try
This time there'll be no alibis
I'm gonna send out a message to Noah
Hey
Better send some people down
Everyone on earth
Is out of town
The lyrics to B.J. Thomas's "Everybody's Out of Town" convey a sense of loneliness and isolation. As the song's title suggests, the singer finds himself in a town completely devoid of people. The lyrics paint a picture of an empty town with empty houses, bare streets, and no traffic. The singer observes that everyone has moved out of the ghetto, leaving empty apartments and plenty of space. The emptiness of the town seems to offer some promise of renewal or growth, as the singer notes that there is no more pollution and plenty of classrooms.
Despite the promise of renewal, the singer seems to long for the presence of others. He laments that he is the only one around, and suggests that even Noah should send some people down to keep him company. The repeated refrain - "Hey, everybody's out of town / Seems like I'm the only one around" - underscores the sense of loneliness and isolation.
The song's lyrics are likely meant to provide commentary on urban decay and isolation, as well as the promise of renewal and growth. The image of a "deserted" town provides a powerful metaphor for the ways in which communities can be abandoned and left to decay, but also hints at the potential for new growth and renewal.
Line by Line Meaning
Where have the people gone
I am observing that there is no one around these days. So, I am wondering where did they all go?
Seems like there's no one hangin' on
It appears as if nobody is staying in this town anymore.
Look through the window
I am peering through the windows of the houses to confirm if there is anyone inside.
The houses are empty
I see that the houses are unoccupied and there is no one residing in them.
Everybody's out of town
It seems like every person has left this town and gone somewhere else.
Seems like I'm the only one around
It appears as if I am the only person present in this town at the moment.
All of the streets are bare
I see that the roads are empty and there are no vehicles or pedestrians in sight.
No traffic tie ups anywhere
There are no traffic jams or congestions of any sort and the roads are deserted.
Don't have to wait for a seat at the movies
Since no one is around, I do not have to face any delays or queues while buying movie tickets.
Everyone moved out from the ghetto
All the people who used to live in the poor and overcrowded areas of this town have relocated somewhere else.
Lots of space
Since there are no people in the town anymore, we have ample empty spaces for new constructions or renovations.
Empty apartments
There are unoccupied flats and dwellings in every corner of this town.
No more pollution
With no people to create waste or drive vehicles, there is no air or noise pollution in the town.
Plenty of classrooms everyplace
There are now numerous unoccupied classrooms and lecture halls in every educational institution of this town.
And it looks like we're ready
Judging from the abundance of empty homes and buildings, it appears as if we're all set for a fresh start.
To give it one more try
We can begin anew by rebuilding this town and starting afresh.
This time there'll be no alibis
We will not make any excuses this time and work hard to establish a better environment here.
I'm gonna send out a message to Noah
I will send a message to Noah, who is known for saving people during an apocalypse in the Bible.
Better send some people down
I request him to bring some people back to the town as it is empty now.
Everyone on earth
Nobody is left in the town after all have migrated somewhere else.
Is out of town
All the people who used to reside in this town have left it now.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@1773JC
I remember this song well. It was Easter time 1973. High school graduation was just about a month away. I was driving around my hometown listening to this song. The family had gone out of town for Easter. I stayed behind to hang around with friends and it did seem like everybody was out of town. I remember still, strange & wonderful feeling. What wonderful days of youth in the 70s.
@Rick-S-6063
It's a wonder this song isn't getting lots of airplay during the coronavirus pandemic. You walk through the malls and you have the place pretty much to yourself.
@downbear
Bacharach and David were clairvoyant.
@johnheinrich1718
This is the song they should play on their current “drive down the strip in Las Vegas” videos.
@davidwebster8004
It will now RIP BJ
@kevinstone3743
Cos nobody knows what decent music is anymore
@williegordon7899
If you didn't know any better you would think that "Hooked on a feeling" is the only song he's ever made.
@vampyros1
It's just amazing how many Bacharach gems one can even though they think they've already got 'em all. Great song, and BJ does well with it.
@michavandam
discover
@juliesmee6467
I'm blown away at his body of work. I knew some of his songs but because it was other artists who played them I never realised they were Burt and Hal. Have been listening and sharing his music for 3 days wait there's more ;)