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 Can't Help It If I'm Still in Love With You
B.J. Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And my heart fell at your feet
(both) I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
(him) Sombody else stood by your side
And he looked so satisfied
(both) I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
As I brushed your arm and walked so close to you
Then suddenly I got that old time feeling
I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
(her) Still in love with you
(her) Today I passed you on the street
(him) Today I passed you on the street
(her) And my heart fell at your feet
(him) And my heart fell at your feet
(him) I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
(her) Somebody else stood by your side
(him) Somebody else stood by your side
(her) And he looked so satisfied
(him) And you know he looked so satisfied
(him) I can' help it if I'm still in love with you
(him) It hurts to know another's lips will kiss you
And hold you just the way I used to do
Oh heaven only knows how much I miss
How much that I miss yea
I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
(her) Still in love with you
The lyrics of B.J. Thomas's song "I Can't Help It If I'm Still in Love With You" speak about the complicated feelings that arise when seeing an ex-lover. The first verse starts with the singer seeing his former love on the street, and his heart "falling at her feet." However, someone else is standing by her side, and he looks happy. Despite the situation, the singer can't help but feel that he is still in love with her.
The second half of the song features the female protagonist singing the same lines with the same melody. In the third verse, the male protagonist describes a picture from the past that "slowly stole" upon him. When he brushed her arm and walked so closely to her, he suddenly got that old-time feeling. The female protagonist echoes the same feelings in the final verse.
The song paints a vivid picture of the complexity of love and relationships. The first verse shows that despite the singer's attempts to move on, his heart still beats for his former lover. The second verse hints at another person standing by her side, subtly suggesting that she has moved on. In the third verse, the male protagonist expresses his longing for the past, and in the final verse, the female protagonist expresses the same longing.
Line by Line Meaning
(him) Today I passed you on the street
I saw you today while walking on the street
(him) And my heart fell at your feet
I felt overwhelmed and moved by my emotions when I saw you
(both) I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
I cannot control or deny the feelings I still have for you
(him) Somebody else stood by your side
I saw you with another person
(her) And he looked so satisfied
It seems like he is happy with you
(him) And you know he looked so satisfied
I am aware of how content and happy he appears to be
(him) A picture from the past came slowly stealing
An image from our shared past suddenly came to mind
As I brushed your arm and walked so close to you
I remember the times we shared together, walking side by side
Then suddenly I got that old time feeling
My heart was filled with the same emotions that I used to feel for you
I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
I am unable to control the fact that I still have feelings for you
(her) Still in love with you
I am aware and accepting of the fact that you are still in love with me
(him) It hurts to know another's lips will kiss you
It pains me to think about another person sharing physical intimacy with you
And hold you just the way I used to do
I miss holding you and being close to you in the same way that I used to
Oh heaven only knows how much I miss
I am filled with a deep longing and yearning for you
How much that I miss yea
I am aware of how much I am missing you
I can't help it if I'm still in love with you
Despite my efforts, I cannot change the fact that I am still in love with you
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Hank Williams, Sr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cmmacneil1
One of my all-time favs from BJ with a soul-soothing voice that's the best ....thank you to the poster for this timeless and soothing classic!
@japanesesamuraiguy4259
DEFINITELY ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!!
@valquiriadiasdasilva7030
Amo essa música
@awildgarden
BJ Thomas Has always been a great singer and musician!
@LordReskiy
stay strong 77
@infernokid1990
One of my favorite B.J. Thomas songs from one of my favorite Thomas albums. This was on an album called ''Songs For Lovers & Losers'' from 1967.
@sherriejardine6876
One of the best singer in my book.
@samuelsheneman1904
my mom saw Hank Sr in 1950. I grew up with this music. BJ did a wonderful, more soulful version. I still respect Hank's version who wrote it and was the original.
@The01nanuska
I'm a Hank Williams fan, but I gotta say: BJ sings this one better than the man himself! He is a great singer, and I do remember my father, who never enjoyed English this much, mentioning his song "Rock'n'roll Lullaby" when I was 7 or 8... I've been listening and enjoying his songs ever since!
@davidgleason3046
I think BJ owns this song. They all own a few. BJ owns this and Suspicious Minds.
But Johnny Rivers is a close second on Suspicious Minds if you can find it.