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.

Daylight Stranger
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Ah ah ah)
If we meet by chance today, pretend that you don't see me
I love you, but if she knew I know she'd never free me
Long as I am tied to her we care not for the danger
So be discreet & meet me later, daylight stranger

She believes that I go out on real important business
She's so right 'cause every night I taste your tender kisses

That's what happens when a home is filled with pain & anger
So be discreet & meet me later, daylight stranger

For a while just be my lover
With the darkness as our cover
So that she may not discover you

(Ah ah ah, ah ah ah)
Soon enough she'll realize that we were both mistaken
Walk & talk 'cause in my hand, one day I'll soon awaken
Turn the sunlight in your eyes without the thrill of danger
So be discreet & meet me later, daylight stranger

(backing, repeat & fade):
Meet me later, daylight stranger

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Gary Puckett & The Union Gap's song "Daylight Stranger" speak about a forbidden love between two individuals who are unable to publicly acknowledge their affection due to one of them being already in a committed relationship. The singer instructs the other person to pretend not to know him if they accidentally run into each other, and to meet him later in private as a 'daylight stranger.' The singer is deeply in love but cannot leave his current partner, as it would result in grave consequences. He repeatedly emphasizes the need for discretion, as this relationship could ruin his life.

The singer's desire to have an affair outside his marriage has stemmed from the pain and anger he feels at home. The singer's home life is miserable, and he finds solace in the arms of the other person. However, he wishes to keep their relationship a secret, as he fears that his partner will take away everything that's precious in his life. The song has a melancholic tinge to it, with the singer yearning to be with the other person freely but being unable to do so.

Line by Line Meaning

(Ah ah ah)
The song begins with a vocalization with no lyrics.

If we meet by chance today, pretend that you don't see me
If we happen to encounter each other today, let's pretend as if we didn't see each other.

I love you, but if she knew I know she'd never free me
I love you, but if my partner finds out about us, she won't let me go and I'll be stuck.

Long as I am tied to her we care not for the danger
As long as I am committed to my partner, we don't care about the risks of being together clandestinely.

So be discreet & meet me later, daylight stranger
Let's keep this a secret and meet later when it's daylight, but we will still be strangers.

She believes that I go out on real important business
My partner thinks that I go out for important work.

She's so right 'cause every night I taste your tender kisses
She's right because every night I taste your loving kisses.

That's what happens when a home is filled with pain & anger
This is what happens when a home has an atmosphere of pain and anger.

So be discreet & meet me later, daylight stranger
We should stay secretive and meet when it's daylight, but we're still strangers.

For a while just be my lover
Just be my lover for a while.

With the darkness as our cover
Let the darkness of the night be our covering.

So that she may not discover you
So that my partner won't discover you.

(Ah ah ah, ah ah ah)
The song repeats the vocalization.

Soon enough she'll realize that we were both mistaken
Soon my partner will realize that both of us were wrong.

Walk & talk 'cause in my hand, one day I'll soon awaken
Walk and talk with me because one day I'll awaken to the fact that you're the one I want to be with.

Turn the sunlight in your eyes without the thrill of danger
Let's enjoy the sunlight in your eyes without any danger or risk involved.

So be discreet & meet me later, daylight stranger
Let's keep it clandestine and meet later when it's daylight, but we're still strangers.

(backing, repeat & fade):
The song ends with the backing vocals repeating the chorus and gradually fading out.

Meet me later, daylight stranger
Meet me later, but we're still strangers in the daylight.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JERRY FULLER, GARY DALE PUCKETT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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