Born in Valdosta, Georgia, and raised in Marietta, Georgia, Royal became a local star at the Bamboo Ranch in Savannah in the 1950s and 1960s. He is best known for the 1965 US Top 10 pop hit "Down in the Boondocks", which, along with the singles "I Knew You When" (Top 20, 1965) and "Hush" (1967), were written and produced by Joe South. Another South composition, "Yo-Yo," just missed the top 40 in Canada and charted poorly in the U.S. when Royal released it in 1967, but a later remake by The Osmonds was a much greater success. His 1969 single, "Cherry Hill Park", peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the 1970s his recording of "Heart's Desire" gained popularity among Northern soul enthusiasts and was regularly played in Northern soul nightclubs.
During the 1980s, Royal had a successful comeback with several Top 10 country hits, including "Tell It Like It Is", "Burned Like a Rocket", and "I'll Pin a Note on Your Pillow".
Royal's career experienced a second major period during the 2000s due to regular airplay on "oldies" radio stations. His music was further exposed to younger generations through a movement known as The Beat Army, an online music forum based on Facebook which is operated by author and music producer Paul Collins. Royal continued to tour regularly, performing concerts at casinos, music festivals and clubs in Canada, the United States, Japan and throughout Europe. His set lists include a mixture of songs representing multiple genres from the 1960s to the present.
Royal played Robert Ally in the indie Western film Billy the Kid (2013), co-starring country singer Cody McCarver.
Royal died in his sleep on October 6, 2015 in Morehead City, North Carolina.
Nobody but You
Billy Joe Royal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somebody might give you a moment's pleasure
And offer gifts for you to treasure, oh, yeah
But always remember, girl
Wherever you may be
Nobody loves you but me
With lovely promises he'll whisper
But through the glitter of it all
I think you're gonna see
Nobody loves you but me
Nobody loves you but me, baby
Nobody cares the way I do
Though we're apart
I know in my heart
Nobody loves me but you
Some days were happy
Some were sad, girl
We shared the good times
And the bad, girl
But if you stopped and count them all
I'm sure you will agree
Nobody loves you
Nobody loves you, baby
Nobody loves you but me
No, no, no, no, nobody but me
Nobody but me
Whoa, girl I'm the one that loves you
Nobody but me
Nobody but me
Whoa, la, la, la, la, la
The lyrics of Billy Joe Royal's song Nobody But You speaks of the deep connection he has with his lover that he firmly believes cannot be broken by someone else. He recognizes that others may offer her momentary pleasure or gifts to treasure, but none of them will ever love her the way he does. Even if someone were to paint her a pretty picture and whisper lovely promises, he knows that deep down, she will see that no one loves her the way he does. He emphasizes this by repeating "Nobody loves you but me" throughout the song.
In the second verse, he acknowledges that they have had both happy and sad days together, sharing both the good and the bad. But no matter the experiences they have shared, he asserts that nobody can love her the way he does. He ends the song with a repetition of the chorus, emphasizing that she is special to him, and he is the only one who truly loves her.
Line by Line Meaning
Somebody might give you a moment's pleasure
Someone might make you happy for a brief moment
And offer gifts for you to treasure, oh, yeah
And give you presents that you'll cherish
But always remember, girl
But don't forget, girl
Wherever you may be
No matter where you go
Nobody loves you but me
No one loves you except for me
Somebody might paint you a pretty picture
Someone might make things seem perfect
With lovely promises he'll whisper
And make beautiful, sweet promises
But through the glitter of it all
But despite all the shiny things
I think you're gonna see
I believe you'll discover
Nobody loves you but me
No one loves you except for me
Nobody loves you but me, baby
Only me, baby
Nobody cares the way I do
No one cares like I do
Though we're apart
Even when we're not together
I know in my heart
I am certain in my heart
Nobody loves me but you
No one loves me except for you
Some days were happy
Some days were joyful
Some were sad, girl
Some days were full of sorrow
We shared the good times
We experienced happy times together
And the bad, girl
And the tough times, girl
But if you stopped and count them all
But if you stopped and added them all up
I'm sure you will agree
I'm confident you'll realize
Nobody loves you
No one loves you
Nobody loves you, baby
No one loves you, baby
Nobody loves you but me
No one loves you except for me
No, no, no, no, nobody but me
No, no, no, no, no one except for me
Whoa, girl I'm the one that loves you
I'm the one who loves you, girl
Nobody but me
No one but me
Whoa, la, la, la, la, la
Whoa, la, la, la, la, la
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KEVIN SAVIGAR, STEPHANIE MANTERIS TYRELL, STEVE TYRELL, JAMIE WALTERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind