Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (initially credited as The Union Gap featuring Gary… 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.

Paindrops
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I can't get my mind off of this one track
Ever hoping somehow you will come back
I'm sure we could reconcile
If you stop and think for awhile
And, baby, bring your sunshine smile to dry my paindrops

In my loneliness my thoughts enslave me
Thinking of what little time you gave me

Love had only begun
When you decided to run
And, baby, you're the only one who stop these paindrops

Paindrops keep falling cause I can't stop recalling you and me running hand and hand through years of used to be

I can't get my mind off of this one track
Ever hoping somehow you will come back
I'm sure we could reconcile
If you stop and think for awhile
And, baby, bring your sunshine smile to dry my paindrops

In my loneliness my thoughts enslave me
Thinking of what little time you gave me
Love had only begun
When you decided to run
And, baby, you're the only one who stop these paindrops

Yes, baby, bring your sunshine smile to dry my paindrops
And, baby, you're the only one who stop these paindrops

Say, baby, bring your sunshine smile to dry my paindrops
And, baby, you're the

Overall Meaning

only one who stop these paindrops

The lyrics of Gary Puckett & The Union Gap's song Paindrops revolve around the theme of heartbreak and longing for a lost love. The singer cannot get their mind off their ex-lover and hopes for their reconciliation. They acknowledge that love had only just begun when the lover "decided to run" and left them alone to cope with the pain. The singer expresses their deepest emotions and how they are enslaved by thoughts of their lost love. They long for their sunshine smile to return to dry their tears and stop the paindrops from falling.

The lyrics of this song capture the essence of unrequited love and emotional turmoil. The mourning of a failed relationship is a universal experience that many can relate to, and the song brings out the raw emotions associated with it. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, and the listener can feel the pain and longing of the singer. The use of poetic devices such as alliteration and repetition adds a sense of melancholy to the lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

I can't get my mind off of this one track
I can't stop thinking about my relationship with you

Ever hoping somehow you will come back
I keep wishing for your return

I'm sure we could reconcile
I believe we can fix our relationship

If you stop and think for awhile
If you take some time to reflect

And, baby, bring your sunshine smile to dry my paindrops
If you come back with your happy presence, it will ease my pain

In my loneliness my thoughts enslave me
When I'm alone, my mind is consumed by thoughts of you

Thinking of what little time you gave me
I'm dwelling on the short time we had together

Love had only begun
Our love had just started

When you decided to run
When you chose to leave

And, baby, you're the only one who stop these paindrops
Only you can stop my pain

Paindrops keep falling cause I can't stop recalling you and me running hand and hand through years of used to be
I can't stop thinking about our past and how we used to be together

Yes, baby, bring your sunshine smile to dry my paindrops
Again, if you come back with happiness, it will help me heal

Say, baby, bring your sunshine smile to dry my paindrops
I'm begging you to come back and bring joy to my life

And, baby, you're the only one who stop these paindrops
Echoing the previous meaning, only you can stop my pain and make me happy again

Contributed by Lila V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS