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.
If You Ever Leave Me
B.J. Thomas Lyrics
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Don't worry at all
If you ever leave me
Just smile when I fall
The world will still be turning
Without you life goes on
And spring will be returning
Each year though you're gone
If you ever leave me
I won't show the tears
If you ever leave me
I'll hide all my fears
And even though I try
And still pretend that I
Don't need your warmth
Don't need your touch
Don't want your love
So very much
I know if you ever leave me
I need your warmth
I need your touch
I want your love so very much
If you ever leave me
I'll die
These lyrics portray the idea of how heart-wrenching and difficult it is to move on and hold on to hope when the person you love has left. The first stanza of these lyrics acknowledges that life will go on, but it also emphasizes that the absence of the loved one will still be felt. Despite this, the second stanza of the song suggests that the person who is left behind will pretend that they don't need the one who left, which hints at the idea of masking one's emotions after a break-up. The final stanza of the song admits the truth that, despite trying to hide it, the person still needs their lover's warmth, touch, and love, and without it, they feel empty and alone.
In summary, the song If You Ever Leave Me is an emotional depiction of the pain and suffering that results from a broken relationship. It highlights the devastation of pretending that everything is alright even when it isn't, and the honesty of needing our loved ones in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
If you ever leave me
The singer imagines a scenario where their partner leaves them.
Don't worry at all
The singer doesn't want their partner to worry about the consequences of leaving.
If you ever leave me
The singer repeats their opening monologue to emphasize the importance of the situation.
Just smile when I fall
The artist wants their partner to have a positive outlook on life despite this adversity.
The world will still be turning
The artist acknowledges that life will continue even if their partner leaves.
Without you life goes on
This line reinforces the previous sentiment of life continuing and that the singer will have to move on without their partner.
And spring will be returning
The singer uses the cyclical nature of nature to show that things will get better.
Each year though you're gone
This line reinforces the previous line and shows that time will slowly ease the pain of their partner leaving.
If you ever leave me
The artist repeats the opening line once again.
I won't show the tears
The artist won't outwardly display their sadness.
If you ever leave me
Repetition is used once again to show the gravity of the situation.
I'll hide all my fears
The artist doesn't want their partner to know how worried they are about the future.
And even though I try
The singer acknowledges that they're trying to be strong, but it's difficult.
And still pretend that I
This line acknowledges that the singer is putting on a facade for their partner.
Don't need your warmth
The singer doesn't want their partner to think that they're completely dependent on them.
Don't need your touch
The artist continues with their act of not needing their partner to survive.
Don't want your love
The artist is trying to convince themselves that they don't need their partner's love to be happy.
So very much
This line is a modifier to the previous one - the singer actually craves their partner's love.
I know if you ever leave me
The singer is aware of the impact their partner leaving would have on them.
I need your warmth
The artist reveals that they really do need their partner's warmth to be happy.
I need your touch
The artist needs physical contact from their partner.
I want your love so very much
The artist isn't afraid to admit that they need their partner's love.
If you ever leave me
The singer once again repeats the opening line.
I'll die
This is an extreme statement that shows how important the partner is to the artist, giving it a sense of urgency.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TONY HATCH, YVONNE HARVEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind