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.
Tennessee Christmas
B.J. Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give us a forecast snowy white.
Can't you hear the prayers
Of every childlike heart tonight?
Rockies are calling,
Denver snow falling,
Somebody said it's four feet deep.
But it doesn't matter,
I'm gonna choose to keep
Another tender Tennessee Christmas,
The only Christmas for me.
Where the love circles around us,
Like the gift around our tree.
Well I know there's more snow
Up in Colorado
Than my roof will ever see,
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.
Every now and then,
I got a wanderin' urge to see
Maybe California,
Maybe tinsel town's for me.
There's a parade there;
We'd have it made there;
Bring home a tan for New Year's Eve.
Sure sounds exciting,
Awfully inviting,
Still I think I'm gonna keep
Another tender Tennessee Christmas,
The only Christmas for me.
Where the love circles around us,
Like the gift around our tree.
Well they say in L.A.,
It's a warm holiday;
It's the only place to be.
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.
(Ooh, yeah, yeah.)
(Oh, you know I wanna be home.)
(Ooh-ooh.)
Well I know there's more snow
Up in Colorado
Than my roof will ever see,
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.
A tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.
The song "Tennessee Christmas" by B.J. Thomas captures the nostalgic feeling of spending Christmas in Tennessee, with its simple and cozy celebrations that are full of love and warmth. The opening lyrics beg the weatherman to give a forecast of snowy white conditions, implying that the song is set during a time when a white Christmas was the norm. The singer wishes for the prayers of every childlike heart to be answered, highlighting the magical and innocent spirit of Christmas.
The first verse goes on to describe the snowy conditions in Denver and the Rockies, but the singer seems unfazed by this because what really matters to them is the happiness and laughter that comes with Christmas. The chorus then repeats the sentiment that Tennessee is the only place to celebrate Christmas, where love is abundant and encircles the family like a gift around a tree.
Later in the song, the singer briefly contemplates the idea of spending Christmas in California, where the holiday is supposedly warm and exciting. However, they ultimately decide that they would rather be in Tennessee, where the familiar traditions and warm atmosphere create the perfect setting for a special Christmas.
Overall, "Tennessee Christmas" is a heartwarming song that celebrates the love and joy that comes with spending the holiday season with loved ones. It paints a picture of a simpler time when the magic of Christmas was not overshadowed by extravagance, and the emphasis was on the simple pleasures of family, love, and laughter.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on weatherman,
Give us a forecast snowy white.
The singer is asking the weatherman for a white snowy forecast.
Can't you hear the prayers
Of every childlike heart tonight?
The singer believes that every child is praying for a white snowy weather this Christmas.
Rockies are calling,
Denver snow falling,
Somebody said it's four feet deep.
The singer is acknowledging that in Rocky Mountains the snow is four feet deep and it's falling in Denver.
But it doesn't matter,
Give me the laughter;
I'm gonna choose to keep
The artist is saying that despite the snowy weather, he only cares about laughter and good times with loved ones.
Another tender Tennessee Christmas,
The only Christmas for me.
The artist is saying that Christmas in Tennessee is the only one that is meaningful to him.
Where the love circles around us,
Like the gift around our tree.
The singer describes the family gathering at Christmas and how love circulates in the air like the Christmas gift around the tree.
Well I know there's more snow
Up in Colorado
Than my roof will ever see,
The singer acknowledges that there is more snow in Colorado than he can ever experience at his home in Tennessee.
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.
The artist says that despite the snow in Colorado, Christmas in Tennessee is still the only meaningful Christmas for him.
Every now and then,
I got a wanderin' urge to see
Maybe California,
Maybe tinsel town's for me.
The artist admits to having an urge to visit California, possibly Hollywood.
There's a parade there;
We'd have it made there;
Bring home a tan for New Year's Eve.
The artist talks about the possibility of attending a parade in California, having a great time and coming home with a tan for New Year's Eve.
Sure sounds exciting,
Awfully inviting,
Still I think I'm gonna keep
The singer acknowledges that California sounds inviting, but he still decides to stick with his beloved Tennessee Christmas.
Well they say in L.A.,
It's a warm holiday;
It's the only place to be.
The artist references rumors that Christmas in Los Angeles is warm and that it's the only place to be.
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.
The singer is emphasizing that even though California may be warm and inviting, Christmas in Tennessee is still the only Christmas that matters to him.
(Ooh, yeah, yeah.)
(Oh, you know I wanna be home.)
(Ooh-ooh.)
These lines serve as a musically expressive interjection and emphasize the singer's desire to be home for his beloved Tennessee Christmas.
A tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.
The singer reiterates that Christmas in Tennessee is the only Christmas that is special to him.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Amy Grant, Gary Chapman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind