Bruce was born in Keiser, Arkansas and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1957, at the age of 17, he went to see Jack Clement, a recording engineer for Sun Records. Bruce caught the attention of Sun owner Sam Phillips, for whom he wrote and recorded "Rock Boppin' Baby" (as "Edwin Bruce"). In 1962, he wrote "Save Your Kisses" for pop star Tommy Roe and in 1963 he reached No. 109 on the Billboard "Bubbling Under" chart with his own recording of "See the Big Man Cry" (Wand 140). Charlie Louvin recorded "See the Big Man Cry" (Capitol 5369) in 1965; Louvin's version reached No. 7 on the Billboard "Country Singles" chart.
In the early 1960s, Bruce recorded for RCA and some smaller labels like Wand/Scepter, singing rockabilly music, as well as more pop-oriented material such as "See the Big Man Cry." However, he didn't achieve significant success as a vocalist during this period.
In 1966, he returned to RCA and recorded "Puzzles", "The Price I Pay to Stay" and "Lonesome Is Me". He still did not achieve great charting action. He made money doing voice-overs for television and radio commercials.[1] He scored his first charted single with "Walker's Woods" in 1967, and also charted with his version of The Monkees' "Last Train to Clarksville." Both of these singles were minor hits. In 1969, Bruce signed with Monument Records, where he continued to have minor successes with "Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven" and "Song For Jenny". Meanwhile, he continued to write songs like "The Man That Turned My Mama On," which was a major hit for Tanya Tucker in 1974 and "Restless" for Crystal Gayle the same year. He signed with United Artists Records in 1973 and released several singles, but only one single in 1974 became a minor hit. He finally made the upper regions of the charts when he made the Top 20 on the country charts with his version of "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" in 1976.
In 1978, "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to Be Cowboys" was recorded by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. It became a major hit, and put Bruce on an upward swing. Two more Top 40 hits followed for Bruce in 1976, and in 1977, he signed with Epic Records where he would score minor hits. In 1979, Tanya Tucker took Bruce's song "Texas (When I Die)" into the country Top 5.
In 1980, Bruce signed with MCA Records, where he would score his biggest successes. His early hits with MCA included "Diane", "The Last Cowboy Song", "When You Fall In Love (Everything's A Waltz)", "Evil Angel", and "Love's Found You And Me". His biggest hit, "You're the Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had" went to number one on the country chart in 1982. This also was Bruce's first Top 10 as a singer after 15 years. He had other hit songs that made the Top 10 like "Ever, Never Lovin' You", "My First Taste of Texas", and "After All".
In 1984, he returned to RCA Records and scored a No. 3 hit with "You Turn Me On Like A Radio" in 1985. His last Top 10 single was "Nights" in 1986 and his last Top 40 single (and last chart single to date) was "Quietly Crazy" in 1987.
During this time, Bruce began to act and do commercials. One of his biggest acting roles was as the second lead on the television revival of 1957's Maverick, called Bret Maverick. Starring James Garner as a legendary western gambler, the series ran on NBC-TV during the 1981-82 season but was unexpectedly cancelled despite respectable ratings. Bruce played the irascibly surly town lawman who found himself reluctantly co-owning a saloon with Maverick, with whom he seemed to maintain a surreally adversarial relationship more or less throughout the entire season. Bruce also sang and wrote the theme song to the show, while Garner himself sang the same song over the end titles at the show's close, albeit while being relentlessly interrupted by network announcements about upcoming programming.
After the 1986 album entitled Night Things and a 1988 self-titled follow-up, Bruce made a conscious decision to cut back on his music to focus on his acting career, appearing in several made-for-TV films. He hosted two shows in the late 1980s, Truckin' USA and American Sports Calvacade Bruce has also appeared in several theatrical releases, including Fire Down Below with Steven Seagal.
Bruce's son, Trey Bruce, is a songwriter and record producer.
Nights
Ed Bruce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's when your memory comes around and gets me down
Nights, there's a star for every tear
That's fallen from my eye oh how I cried
Oh those nights alone thinking back to you and I
Yes those nights I know I never should have said goodbye
That's when your memory comes around and gets me down
Oh those nights alone thinking about to you and I
It's those nights I know I never should have said goodbye
I said nights, there's a star for every tear
That's fallen from my eye oh how I cried
Nights are the loneliest part of day
That's when your memory comes around and gets me down
The song "Nights" by Ed Bruce talks about the pain of heartbreak and the struggle of dealing with the memories of a past relationship. The lyrics explicitly convey how the nights are the loneliest time of day, as this is when the thoughts and memories of the lost love come flooding back. The mention of stars for every tear that the singer has shed indicates the magnitude of his pain and sadness. Despite the fact that the singer knows that he should never have said goodbye, he still can't shake off the memories that haunt him every night.
The song's chorus repeats the line "Nights are the loneliest time of day" twice, stressing the immense feeling of loss and sadness that comes with a broken heart. The lyrics use the imagery of the night sky and stars to accentuate the depth of the singer's emotions. The use of first-person point-of-view adds a personal touch to the song, making it more relatable to anyone who has gone through the same ordeal.
In conclusion, "Nights" is a heartfelt song that delivers a poignant message about the pain of losing someone you love. Its lyrics reflect the universal emotion of heartbreak that everyone can relate to. The song's melody compliments the lyrics and helps to convey the sadness of the singer's sentiments.
Line by Line Meaning
Nights are the loneliest time of day
Nighttime is the saddest and most lonesome part of the day.
That's when your memory comes around and gets me down
During night, I recollect our memories and feel sad and lonely.
Nights, there's a star for every tear
Every tear that I shed at night has a star that symbolizes my sadness and sorrow.
That's fallen from my eye oh how I cried
I cried a lot while remembering the past and it adds to the sadness of being alone at night.
Oh those nights alone thinking back to you and I
I spend my nights alone, thinking about the time spent with you and me.
Yes those nights I know I never should have said goodbye
I regret leaving you every night and wish I could undo my actions.
Oh those nights alone thinking about to you and I
I spend my nights alone, thinking about the time spent with you and me.
It's those nights I know I never should have said goodbye
I am aware that leaving you was a mistake, especially during those lonely nights when you're all I can think about.
Nights are the loneliest time of day
Nighttime is the saddest and most lonesome part of the day.
That's when your memory comes around and gets me down
During night, I recollect our memories and feel sad and lonely.
Contributed by Camden L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Enrique Sanchez Gonzalez
Que gran canción y que gran voz de este señorón
Shawn Duncan
I was 13 years old and in the 8th grade when I first heard this song in the fall of 1986. It still sounds as good as it always has. It never lost its touch. He was really great
Dave Wollenberg
Ed hit #4 in Billboard, 7-12-86. God bless!
formula351
My absolute favorite song by Ed Bruce. R.I.P. Ed, irreplaceable.
nemesisgenius
When I first heard this gem back in the spring of 1986, I was 100% certain this would be a #1 Billboard country hit and should have been. Peaked at #4 that summer.
Mike Morrissey
A great country song....very well sung.
Tom Thomson
13 years old when it came out and still love it!
Chuck Ellis
My absolute favorite country singer of that era and my favorite EB song of all time! :)
Joy Zumbrunn
GREAT SONG - GREAT VOICE!!!
Calamity Jane - (#2988)
came close to burning a hole in the tape with all of the rewinding/fast forwarding. he truly had one of the smoothest voices in the industry at the time. they just don't make 'em like they used to.