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.
Grown-Up Christmas List
B.J. Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies
Well I'm all grown up now
But still need help somehow
I'm not a child
But my heart still can dream
My grown-up Christmas list
Not for myself
But for a world in need
No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal the heart
Everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
Oh
This is my grown-up Christmas list
As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree
But Heaven surely knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal
The hurting human soul
No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal the heart
Everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
Oh
This is my grown-up Christmas list
What is this illusion called
The innocence of youth
Maybe only in our blind belief
Can we ever find the truth
No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal the heart
Everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal the heart
Everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
Oh
This is my grown-up Christmas list
This is my only lifelong wish
This is my grown-up Christmas list
The song "Grown-Up Christmas List" by B.J. Thomas is a touching reflection on the innocence of childhood and the dreams we carry into adulthood. Thomas starts off the song remembering his childhood and how he used to write letters to Santa, dreaming of the wonderful things that he would find under the Christmas tree. However, as he has grown up, his Christmas wish has changed, and he now has a longer-term wish for the world.
Thomas's grown-up Christmas list is not about receiving presents or material possessions, but about the values that make a community or society better. He asks for an end to wars, for people to find peace, hope and love in their hearts, and for a world where people look out for and care for one another. He understands that love can heal the hurting human soul, and he yearns for a world where everyone has a friend, where right always wins and love never ends.
The song ends on a hopeful note, with Thomas recognizing that maybe only in our blind belief in the innocence of youth can we ever find the truth. This song is a beautiful reminder that Christmas is about more than just the presents we receive, but about the hopes, dreams and values we hold dear, and the world we wish to see.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you remember me
Do you recall the times when I was a child and had fantasies about Christmas?
I sat upon your knee
I used to spend time with you on Christmas and you would listen to my stories.
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies
In my letters to Santa, I would write about my childhood dreams for Christmas.
Well I'm all grown up now
I am no longer a child and have grown up over the years.
But still need help somehow
Even now, as an adult, I still need assistance in life.
I'm not a child
I have matured and am no longer a child.
But my heart still can dream
Though I have grown up, I still have aspirations and dreams in my heart.
So here's my life long wish
My entire life, my wish has been the same.
My grown-up Christmas list
My adult Christmas wish is different from my childhood Christmas desires.
Not for myself
This wish is not just for me, but for everyone in need.
But for a world in need
It's for the betterment of the world, where people are struggling.
No more lives torn apart
I wish for an end to any kind of tragic events that may disrupt people's lives.
That wars would never start
I dream of a world where there is no war, and people can live in harmony.
And time would heal the heart
Healing is possible over time for people who have been hurt emotionally.
Everyone would have a friend
It would be a wonderful world to have friends and companionship for everyone.
And right would always win
In a fair and just world, what is right would always triumph.
And love would never end
In a perfect world, there would always be love and kindness shown to one another.
Oh
Expressing emotion and enthusiasm for the dream world in sight.
This is my grown-up Christmas list
As an adult, this is what I want most for Christmas.
As children we believed
When we were young, we had an innocent belief that anything was possible.
The grandest sight to see
The most exciting thing to see during Christmas was a beautifully wrapped gift under the tree.
Was something lovely
The gift would be something that was aesthetically pleasing or valuable to us.
Wrapped beneath our tree
The gift would be neatly wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree.
But Heaven surely knows
God or the higher power is aware of the fact that gifts are not enough to heal the pain and suffering of people.
That packages and bows
Gifts are material and temporary items that may bring joy at the moment, but they are not enough to make a lasting change.
Can never heal
The pain and trauma from past events cannot be healed by gifts alone.
The hurting human soul
People need spiritual and emotional healing to overcome past traumas and pains.
What is this illusion called
Challenging the concept of an illusion of pure innocence and joy amongst young people.
The innocence of youth
The purity and naivety of a child towards the happenings around them.
Maybe only in our blind belief
Perhaps it's only because of our innocent and naive view of the world, that we believe in the goodness of people and in magic during Christmas.
Can we ever find the truth
The truth that we can hold onto the goodness and kindness of people if we believe in it wholeheartedly.
This is my only lifelong wish
This is my one and only wish that I cherish from childhood until now.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LINDA THOMPSON, DAVID FOSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alex Allan - Música ao vivo
B. J. Thomas has been singing the soundtrack of my life. Since the 1970s when I was a boy all through the 2020s. Today I listen to his Gospel tracks. What a blessed voice.
Susan Worsfold
Beautiful voice and man.... Bless you BJ. May your soul Test in Peace 🌿🙏🌿
Barbara Dunn
Anything this man sings is beautiful!!! The best voice ever!!! I have loved him since 1966.
Annie Fischer
Bj does this so beautifully,, i love this man
Celia Smith
Went to bed listening to you every night as a young man....Saw you 3 times in concert....inspired me to sing....Still loving your tone, the waver in your voice and your spirit..Could sing your old stuff right with you..
Pannee Tantinukul
You sure have a happy life.
Frank Frometa
One of the best vocalist America's ever had, such a distinctive voice, he could sing anything beautifully he was amazing I'm a big fan ! RIP BJ ! May you be singing in heaven !
Fort Romulo Almendras
Still 2020..love this Xmas tune..back un the day..thnxx B.J. Thomas..👍💖📀💿🇵🇭
Mae Kae
Thank you GOD for this great talented Man. ❤️to listen to his beautiful voice. RIParadise Mr BJ Thomas Sir!
Daniel Lambert
Can you just feel the true deep message..