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.
Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head
B.J. Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothing seems to fit
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling
So I just did me some talking to the sun
And I said I didn't like the way he got things done
Sleeping on the job
But there's one thing I know
The blues they send to meet me
Won't defeat me, it won't be long
Till happiness steps up to greet me
Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Crying's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining
Because I'm free
Nothing's worrying me
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me
Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Crying's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining
Because I'm free
Nothing's worrying me
The lyrics to B.J. Thomas's song Rain Drops Keep Fallin’ On My Head speak to the emotional resilience of the singer in the face of adversity. The metaphor of raindrops falling on the singer's head represents the challenges and difficulties that life brings. The comparison to a man with oversized feet who cannot find proper footwear emphasizes the feeling of not fitting in, and nothing seeming to go right. Despite these obstacles, the singer addresses the sun as an authority figure and vocalizes his displeasure with the way things are going, recognizing that sometimes the powers that be need to be reminded to do their job properly.
The singer then asserts that he knows the blues that he is currently facing will not defeat him, and happiness will eventually come to meet him. The repetition of the phrase "raindrops keep falling on my head" represents the relentless nature of challenges in life, but the singer remains optimistic and steadfast in his belief that complaining and crying will not halt the rain from falling. Instead, he acknowledges his freedom and lack of worry, encapsulating the idea that even in the face of hardship, he is still in control of his emotions and attitude towards life.
Line by Line Meaning
Raindrops are falling on my head
I am experiencing hard times
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
I feel like I don't fit in anywhere
Nothing seems to fit
Everything feels out of place
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling
My problems keep piling up and won't go away
So I just did me some talking to the sun
I tried to talk to a higher power to solve my problems
And I said I didn't like the way he got things done
I expressed my frustration with the situation
Sleeping on the job
The higher power is not helping and ignoring me
But there's one thing I know
I am confident in myself
The blues they send to meet me
Negative situations do not bring me down
Won't defeat me, it won't be long
I will overcome these hard times soon
Till happiness steps up to greet me
My situation will improve and be happier
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red
I am strong and won't let the problems get to me
Crying's not for me
I won't let my emotions get the best of me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining
I understand that complaining won't solve anything
Because I'm free
I am free to live my life and make my own choices
Nothing's worrying me
I am not going to worry about the things I cannot change
Lyrics © Roba Music Verlag GMBH, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, CTM Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Burt F. Bacharach, Hal David
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LORRIEVIVALASVEGAS
May 29 , 2921
Very sad news this evening The Legendary BJ Thomas has passed away.🌹🙏🏼😢🎵
😭😢A Talented Beautiful Kind Spirited Man Legendary!!!
Rest In Love ❤️
My thoughts and prayers are with your wife and children family and friends.
😢🙏🏼💔❤️🌹🎵God Bless..
So happy we we’re able though the years to see this Legend in person. What a talented man. You will be missed. 💔😢
@jeffg592
My mother so loved this song, I can see her in my memories of 45 yrs ago, singing it and smiling... ❤️
@nitakate10
🌹❤️🇦🇺
@sunrice1974
Sorry to hear that. Today B.J. Thomas is gone.
@starmnsixty1209
So did my mom, gone many years now herself. Music can be bittersweet, can't it?
@modrenwarefare
I bet your mom and B.J. Thomas are giving a concert in heaven right now. RIP your mom and B.J. Thomas!
@garykass114
My favorite song as a kid. I even had a music box that played it.
@kathleenarcure7907
This has been my favorite song since I was 12. I am now 64. I was lucky enough to see B.J. perform 3 times and get his autograph. Rest in Peace B.J.
@jameslawson4131
Hello Kathleen how are you doing today?
@robertburns3087
Set Kathleen bless you and I love the raindrops at 63
@user-qe5ko2ss2w
I was 11old🥹