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.
Suspicious Minds
B.J. Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't walk out
Because I love you too much baby
Why can't you see
What you're doing to me
When you don't believe a word I say?
We can't go on together
With suspicious minds
And we can't build our dreams
On suspicious minds
So, if an old friend I know
Drops by to say hello
Would I still see suspicion in your eyes?
Here we go again
Asking where I've been
You can't see these tears are real
I'm crying
We can't go on together
With suspicious minds
And be can't build our dreams
On suspicious minds
Oh let our love survive
Or dry the tears from your eyes
Let's don't let a good thing die
When honey, you know
I've never lied to you
Mmm yeah, yeah
The song "Suspicious Minds" by B.J. Thomas is a lamenting ballad about a relationship that is plagued by lack of trust and suspicion. The singer is expressing his love for his partner and how he is trapped in the relationship because he loves her too much to let go, and yet he cannot leave since his partner does not believe a word he says. The issue here is that the singer is being constantly accused of infidelity, and he is tired of this mistrust, which is destroying their relationship. He tries to reason with his partner, telling her that they cannot go on with suspicious minds, and that they cannot build their dreams on such a foundation. The final straw seems to be when the singer questions whether his partner would always find a reason to be suspicious, even if an old friend comes to say hello.
The song thrives on its emotions of suspicion and tumultuous love, which a lot of people can relate to. It is a distinctively sad song that captures the hearts of many. The lyrics show that the singer is unhappy, despite his ardent love for his partner. The singer conveys a deep sense of sorrow and despair by using metaphors like being trapped in a cage, which emphasizes the feeling of powerlessness. The vocals of BJ Thomas add to the depths of the lyrics, making the listener feel every emotion that the singer is going through.
Line by Line Meaning
We're caught in a trap
Our relationship is troubled and we seem to be stuck in a difficult situation.
I can't walk out
I can't bear to leave you because of how much I love you.
Because I love you too much baby
It's because of my deep feelings for you that I'm finding it hard to leave.
Why can't you see
I wish you could understand.
What you're doing to me
Your actions are causing me pain and confusion.
When you don't believe a word I say?
It's difficult for me to believe that you don't trust me.
We can't go on together
Our relationship can't survive.
With suspicious minds
If we keep doubting each other and being suspicious, it will only hurt us more.
And we can't build our dreams
We won't be able to create a better future for ourselves.
On suspicious minds
If our perceptions of each other are negative and untrusting, we are bound to fail.
So, if an old friend I know
If I run into an old friend and we catch up,
Drops by to say hello
And they come to greet me,
Would I still see suspicion in your eyes?
Would you still be doubting me and our relationship even then?
Here we go again
We keep having the same argument and doubts over and over again.
Asking where I've been
You keep questioning my whereabouts when I'm not with you.
You can't see these tears are real
You're not recognizing the pain and anguish I feel.
I'm crying
I'm showing my emotions to you by shedding tears.
Oh let our love survive
Please, let's try to save our love and relationship.
Or dry the tears from your eyes
Let's try to ease the pain and sadness you're feeling.
Let's don't let a good thing die
We shouldn't let something good and valuable end or be destroyed.
When honey, you know
I hope you understand and trust me when I say,
I've never lied to you
I've always been truthful with you and our relationship.
Mmm yeah, yeah
I hope you believe and trust me because I truly love you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Francis Zambon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind