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.
Send My Picture to Scranton PA
B.J. Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Write them and say I'm the kid they used to laugh at
Send my picture along with the news
Of all the good things I've done
Since they said
Nothing good ever would become of me
They were so sure
Get someone to
Paste my picture all over the walls
In all the halls of the school I used to go to
I was mixed up and kind of confused
No one around to took the time to find out
What was wrong and to try to understand
They ignored me
Maybe now they'll give kids a helping hand
That's how it really ought to be
Not like the way it was with me
Well, no one there ever tried to understand
They ignored me
Maybe now they'll give kids a helping hand
I hope to God they cast aside
So I went out and really tried
Now they can point to me with pride.
The song "Send my picture to Scranton, PA" by B.J. Thomas is a reflective piece about a man's past and the desire to prove wrong those who doubted his ability to succeed. The singer asks for his picture to be sent to his hometown of Scranton, along with news of his accomplishments, to show that those who laughed at him in the past were wrong. He wants his picture to be posted on the walls of the school he attended so that the students can see that there is always hope for those who may be struggling.
The singer reflects on his own experiences of being "mixed up and kind of confused" and feeling ignored by those around him. He hopes that his success will inspire others to give children a helping hand, and not to brush them aside as he was. The song emphasizes the importance of understanding and support, as well as the negative impact of ignoring or misunderstanding those who may be struggling.
Overall, "Send my picture to Scranton, PA" is a message of hope and redemption. It shows that even those who may have been dismissed or overlooked in the past are capable of achieving great things with hard work and perseverance.
Line by Line Meaning
Send my picture to Scranton, PA
Please mail a copy of my photo to Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Write them and say I'm the kid they used to laugh at
Inform them that I am the person they used to mock.
Send my picture along with the news
Include my photo as well as the information.
Of all the good things I've done
Of all the positive achievements I have accomplished.
Since they said
After they made a statement about me.
Nothing good ever would become of me
I was unlikely to attain any success.
They were so sure
They had complete confidence in their prediction.
Let them know just how wrong they all can be
Inform them about how incorrect they were.
Get someone to
Please ask another individual to help.
Paste my picture all over the walls
Place my photo on every wall.
In all the halls of the school I used to go to
Throughout the corridors of the educational institution I once attended.
I was mixed up and kind of confused
I was uncertain and lacked clarity.
No one around to took the time to find out
There was no one accessible who made the effort to comprehend.
What was wrong and to try to understand
To recognize the issue and attempt to comprehend it.
They ignored me
They disregarded my situation.
Maybe now they'll give kids a helping hand
Perhaps they will assist children in need.
That's how it really ought to be
This is truly how it should be done.
Not like the way it was with me
Unlike my previous experience.
Well, no one there ever tried to understand
No one at that location attempted to comprehend.
They ignored me
They disregarded my situation.
Maybe now they'll give kids a helping hand
Perhaps they will assist children in need.
I hope to God they cast aside
I hope they abandon their preconceptions.
So I went out and really tried
As a result, I tried my hardest.
Now they can point to me with pride.
They can now refer to me with a sense of satisfaction.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BURT BACHARACH, HAL DAVID
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gilbertobartras8151
Send my picture to Scranton, PA
Write them and say I'm the kid they used to laugh at
Send my picture along with the news
Of all the good things I've done
Since they said
Nothing good ever would become of me.
They were so sure
Let them know just how wrong they all can be.
Get someone to
Paste my picture all over the walls,
In all the halls of the school I used to go to
I was mixed up and kind of confused
No one around took the time to find out
What was wrong and to try to understand.
They ignored me
May be now they'll give kids a helping hand.
That’s how it really ought to be.
Not like the way it was with me.
Well, no one there ever tried to understand.
They ignored me.
Maybe now they'll give kids a helping hand.
I hope to God they cast aside
So I went out and really tried.
Now they can point to me with pride.
@stuartbritton4811
One of my favourite Bacharach compositions and also my favourite BJ Thomas one.
@wmbrown6
The label shown was a pressing by Columbia's Pitman, NJ plant, with the label design way off center. Pitman did their own label type, and Queens Litho likely printed the label blanks. This was a window into what specs went into the printing of 45 label sheets, especially styrene. The bleed for a 3.5" trim label was 3.75", spaced 3.75" center-to-center. The inner bleed was ~1.2421875" (a shade under 1.25"). That purplish-graying looking middle was ~20% halftone, with black and the slightly dark warm red as used by Scepter mixed in. The circles in-between that halftone were about 3.875" diameter. The paper on which this was printed was 70 lb. C1S (from Nashua Corporation, formerly Nashua Gummed & Coated Paper Co.), treated on the back with adhesive that glued onto the record when pressed. (Newton Falls Paper manufactured 70 lb. C2S which was used for vinyl in both 45 (for Santa Maria, CA pressings) and LP.)
@tvgator1
Man, this is a TOUGH find! Thanks so much for putting this up. I haven't heard this since I played this 45 years ago.
@carlcarro7291
tvgator1
@kristineb.mcanelly3304
I own one. Lived there. *wiggles eyebrows.
@scottmcewan2744
A rare gem. Thanks for sharing.
@dennistedder3384
Loved this since '68. Dennis Tedder
@willyBOB77
One of the best B-side songs of all time. What a message! Glad you finally posted it, 45rpmMike.
@pibly7784
Thanks so much for this !
@ritamunz4735
My current ear worm love this song