Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (initially credited as The Union Gap featuring… Read Full Bio ↴Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (initially credited as The Union Gap featuring Gary Puckett) was an American pop rock group operating in the late 1960s. Their biggest hits were "Woman, Woman," "Young Girl," and "Lady Willpower." Singer Gary Puckett (born October 17, 1942, Hibbing, Minnesota) grew up in Yakima, Washington - close to the city of Union Gap - and Twin Falls, Idaho. He began playing guitar in his teens, and graduated from Twin Falls High School before attending college in San Diego, California. There, he quit college and played in several local bands before joining the Outcasts, a local hard rock group comprising bassist Kerry Chater (born August 7, 1945, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada),[1] keyboardist Gary 'Mutha' Withem (born August 22, 1946, San Diego), tenor saxophonist Dwight Bement (born December 28, 1945, San Diego), and drummer Paul Wheatbread (born February 8, 1946, San Diego).
In 1966, the band toured the Pacific Northwest without Wheatbread, who was recruited as the house drummer on the television series, Where the Action Is; he later rejoined the line-up. Under manager Dick Badger, the band were renamed The Union Gap in early 1967, and fitted themselves out with Union Army-style Civil War uniforms as a visual gimmick. They then recorded a demo, which was heard by CBS record producer and songwriter Jerry Fuller. Impressed by Puckett's baritone voice and the band's soft rock leanings, Fuller signed them to a recording contract with Columbia Records.
The band recorded their first single, "Woman Woman", a song written by Jim Glaser and Jimmy Payne, in August 1967. It became their first hit, reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and being certified as a gold disc. This was followed during the next two years by "Young Girl" (#2), "Lady Willpower" (#2), "Over You" (#7), and "Don't Give In To Him" (#15). All were produced by Fuller, who also wrote "Young Girl," "Lady Willpower," and "Over You". Although the band never had a #1 record in the United States, "Young Girl" reached #1 on the UK singles chart, and #6 when it was reissued in the UK six years later. Controversial at the time and later for its risqué lyrical references to underage romance, Allmusic labeled the groups lyrics "bizarrely pedophilic". "Young Girl" was the second million selling disc for the band, which it reached less than two months after issue; "Lady Willpower" and "Over You" also won gold discs. The band headlined at a White House reception for Prince Charles and at Disneyland in 1968, and were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1969, losing out to José Feliciano.
The band, however, wanted to write and produce its own material, and Puckett resented singing the power ballads written by Fuller. In 1969 Fuller prepared a 40-piece studio orchestra to record a new song he had written, but Puckett and the group refused to record it, the session was canceled, and Fuller never again worked with the group. The band returned to the charts with "This Girl Is a Woman Now," produced by Dick Glasser, but later releases failed to make the Billboard Top 40. Chater and Withem left the band; Bement took over on bass guitar and keyboardist, Barry McCoy, and horn player, Richard Gabriel, were added. In 1970 Puckett began recording as a solo act, but with limited success; the Union Gap remained his live backing band until they were dismissed following an appearance at the 1971 Orange County Fair. Puckett's recording contract was terminated one year later.

In 2009, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap were inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.

Believe Me
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Believe me
Believe me

Just ask me and I'll tell you why
But you won't believe me until the day you die
You've got a skeptical mind
You don't believe in trust
But you'll change your mind when you find that you must

Believe me
Believe me

You question me, girl, and I'll give you the truth
Now don't try to change it cause it ain't no use
You've got a funny way of thinking and you can't understand
But you give in when you find that you can

Believe me
Believe me

As a one time loser
I lost your love
And you can't tell what I'm thinking of
Please try to see it when you hear me say
That you wish tomorrow was yesterday

When morning comes and dark turns to light
You begin to remember your dreams in the night
You keep on thinking and you can't help but cry
You wished you had listened and you know that you'll try to believe me
Believe me
Believe me

Believe me (believe me)
Believe me (believe me)
Believe me (believe me)

Believe me (believe me)
Believe

Overall Meaning

The song "Believe Me" by Gary Puckett & The Union Gap seems to be addressing a woman who is skeptical and has trust issues. The singer is trying to convince her to trust him, but he knows it won't be easy. The repetition of "Believe me" serves to intensify the message and convey the urgency of the situation.

The first two lines suggest that the singer has a good reason for wanting the woman to trust him, but he knows she won't believe him until it's too late. The third and fourth lines describe her character traits: she has a "skeptical mind" and doesn't believe in trust. The singer is confident that she will change her mind eventually, but only after she realizes that she must.

In the second verse, the singer tries to appeal to her sense of reason by promising to give her the truth. He warns her not to try to change it because it "ain't no use." However, he acknowledges that she has a "funny way of thinking" and may not understand him at first. Nevertheless, he believes that she will come around eventually.

The third verse is more personal, as the singer admits that he has lost the woman's love before. He asks her to try to see things from his perspective and to remember that sometimes we wish we could go back in time and fix our mistakes. The final lines suggest that the woman will eventually come to regret not trusting the singer and that she will wish she had listened to him.

Line by Line Meaning

Believe me
Trust me

Just ask me and I'll tell you why
If you ask, I'll explain

But you won't believe me until the day you die
You're a skeptic and won't trust me until you're dead

You've got a skeptical mind
You're doubtful

You don't believe in trust
You don't trust people easily

But you'll change your mind when you find that you must
You'll have to trust me eventually

You question me, girl, and I'll give you the truth
I'll tell you the truth if you ask

Now don't try to change it cause it ain't no use
Don't try to alter the truth

You've got a funny way of thinking and you can't understand
Your mindset is strange and you don't comprehend

But you give in when you find that you can
You'll eventually agree with me

As a one time loser
After losing once