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.
Most Of All
B.J. Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm at the railroad station in St. Paul
How are all the folks, I'd love to see 'em
But, girl, I'd love to see you most of all
Well I've been starin' at the rain
And I've been thinking
Ever since the train left Montreal, You know I thought I'd always love
This life I'm living
But now I know I love you most of all
Many times before
I know I swore
That I'd come home to stay
But it always seems
That the foolish dreams
And trains got in my way
Tomorrow there'll be snow in Minnesota
But I won't be around to watch it fall
Oh I'll be heading for an old familiar station
Just hopin' you still love me...most of all
And girl, you know I love you
Most of all
I miss ya baby, most of all
Mm
Mm
Oh I miss ya baby,
I miss ya most of all
Mm
Oh I miss ya baby
I miss ya most of all
Mm
Mm
Mm
Oh I miss ya baby
I miss ya most of all
Mm
The song "Most of All" by B.J. Thomas is a nostalgic and bittersweet reflection on a life spent traveling and chasing dreams. The lyrics are addressed to a loved one who Thomas is separated from, as he calls from a train station in St. Paul, Minnesota. He expresses a desire to see his loved ones, but most of all, he wants to see his significant other. He admits that his previous dreams and ambitions were not as important as his love for this person.
Thomas reflects on the many times he promised to come home, but he was always sidetracked by foolish dreams and trains. He acknowledges that he has been staring at the rain and thinking since he left Montreal, and he now realizes that he loves this person more than anything else. The song ends with Thomas lamenting that he won't be there to see the snow in Minnesota fall because he will be heading to the station to hopefully reunite with his loved one.
Overall, the song captures the feeling of regret and longing for what could have been while still holding onto hope for the future. It portrays the idea that despite all of our dreams and goals, love is the most important thing we can have in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello darlin', my it's good to hear you
The singer is relieved and happy to hear from their significant other
I'm at the railroad station in St. Paul
The singer is at a train station in St. Paul
How are all the folks, I'd love to see 'em
The singer is checking in on the significant other's family and would like to see them soon
But, girl, I'd love to see you most of all
Despite wanting to see the significant other's family, the artist wants to see the significant other the most
Well I've been starin' at the rain
The artist has been lost in thought, looking at the rain
And I've been thinking
The singer has been thinking deeply about something important
Ever since the train left Montreal,
The singer has been thinking since leaving Montreal by train
You know I thought I'd always love
The artist felt like they would always love their current way of life
This life I'm living
The artist is referring to their current lifestyle
But now I know I love you most of all
The artist realizes they actually love their significant other the most
Many times before
The singer has been in this situation before
I know I swore
The artist made a promise in the past
That I'd come home to stay
The singer promised to come back home for good
But it always seems
However, something always seems to happen
That the foolish dreams
The singer's dreams and desires get in the way
And trains got in my way
The trains have acted as an obstacle to the artist fulfilling their promise
Tomorrow there'll be snow in Minnesota
The artist is aware that it will snow in Minnesota the next day
But I won't be around to watch it fall
The singer will not be there to experience the snow in Minnesota
Oh I'll be heading for an old familiar station
The singer will be going to a familiar train station
Just hopin' you still love me...most of all
The artist hopes that the significant other still loves them more than anyone or anything else
And girl, you know I love you
The artist loves the significant other
Most of all
Above everything else, the artist loves the significant other the most
I miss ya baby, most of all
The singer is missing the significant other the most
Mm
A verbal expression of the artist's feelings
Mm
A further expression of the singer's feelings
Oh I miss ya baby,
The singer again expresses their feelings of missing the significant other
I miss ya most of all
Above everything else, the singer misses the significant other the most
Mm
Another verbal expression of the artist's feelings
Mm
Yet another expression of the artist's feelings
Mm
One more expression of the singer's feelings
Oh I miss ya baby
The singer reiterates that they miss the significant other
I miss ya most of all
Above everything else, the artist misses the significant other the most
Mm
A final verbal expression of the artist's feelings
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HANK THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind