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.
I Believe in Music
B.J. Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As long as I'm making my music ain't gonna do nobody no harm
And who knows maybe I'll come up with a song
To make people want to stop all this fussing and fighting
Long enough to sing along
I believe in music
I believe in loveI believe in music
I believe in love
Music is love and love is music if you know what I mean
People who believe in music are the happiest people I've ever seen
So clap your hands and stomp your feet and shake those tambourines
Lift your voices to the sky tell me what you see.
I believe in music
I believe in love
I believe in music
I believe in love
Music is the universal language, and love is the key
To peace hope and understanding, and living in harmony
So take your brother by the hand and come along with me
Lift your voices to the sky, tell me what you see
I believe in music
I believe in love
I believe in music
I believe in love
The song "I Believe in Music" by B.J. Thomas is a celebration of the power of music to bring people together and promote love and harmony. The opening lines of the song emphasize the joy that comes from making music and the positive impact it can have on others. The lyrics suggest that music has the power to unite people and that it can serve as a force for good in the world.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "I believe in music, I believe in love" several times, reinforcing the idea that these two concepts are deeply intertwined. The verse goes on to describe the transformative power of music, suggesting that people who believe in music are the happiest people in the world. The lyrics encourage listeners to clap their hands, stomp their feet, and lift their voices to the sky in a collective expression of joy and unity.
The final verse of the song suggests that music is a universal language that can bring people together across cultural and linguistic divides. The lyrics suggest that love is the key to promoting peace, hope, and understanding, and that music can be a powerful tool for spreading this message. The song ends with a call to action, encouraging listeners to take their brother by the hand and join together in a shared celebration of the power of music and love.
Line by Line Meaning
I could just sit around making music all day long
I love music so much that I could spend my whole day making it.
As long as I'm making my music ain't gonna do nobody no harm
Making music is harmless and doesn't hurt anyone.
And who knows maybe I'll come up with a song
I have the potential to create a song that could have a positive impact.
To make people want to stop all this fussing and fighting
My song could possibly bring people together and end conflicts.
Long enough to sing along
People will be so moved by my song that they'll want to join in and sing it too.
Music is love and love is music if you know what I mean
Music and love are interchangeable concepts that are deeply connected.
People who believe in music are the happiest people I've ever seen
Those who truly love music are some of the most content and fulfilled individuals.
So clap your hands and stomp your feet and shake those tambourines
Let's celebrate the joy of music by physically expressing ourselves and having fun.
Lift your voices to the sky tell me what you see.
Let's collectively raise our voices and appreciate the beauty of music and how it connects us all.
Music is the universal language, and love is the key
Music transcends all barriers and limitations, while love is what unlocks the power of music.
To peace hope and understanding, and living in harmony
Music and love can bring about a world where people are united in peace and harmony.
So take your brother by the hand and come along with me
Let's come together as equals and embark on a journey of love and music.
Lift your voices to the sky, tell me what you see
Through the power of music, let's transcend our limitations and connect on a higher level.
I believe in music
I have faith in the transformative and unifying power of music.
I believe in love
Love is the driving force behind the magic of music and the ability to change our world.
I believe in music
Music has the ability to bring people together in a way that no other medium can.
I believe in love
Love is the foundation of music, and it has the power to heal and unite us all.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MAC DAVIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind