Pitney, a pop rock pioneer, had his greatest success overall in Britain, first travelling there after his first self penned hit in 1961. "I Wanna Love My Life Away" hit #26 on the UK singles chart & just broke into the top 40 in the US.
His early music recorded for the "musicor" label was romantic, lonely and dramatic, fitting in alongside contemporaries like Buddy Holly, Neil Sedaka, Roy Orbison & serves as an audio time capsule of a more innocent time.
Gene Pitney - Yesterday's Hero...
Gene was a Brill Building songwriter who even before his singing career took off, had written one of Ricky Nelson's biggest hits "Hello Mary Lou". He had been helped out initially in his career by Burt Bacharach & Hal David, and later recorded some of their songs which became big hits like "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and the classic "Only Love Can Break A Heart". At the time his "Only Love..." recording was a #2 chart hit, he had written the number 1 song that week; "He's A Rebel" (A Phil Spector production recorded by The Crystals). All in all Pitney himself recorded 16 top 40 songs in the US from 1961 to 1968.
Gene's biggest popularity was in England, where he used the Rolling Stones publicist Andrew Loog Oldham to get his fame established, which lasted there to the day of his death. In the UK, Gene had 40 top-40 charting hits through 1974. He finally hit #1 in the UK in 1990, performing a duet with Marc Almond of Soft Cell. Pitney died April 5 on tour in 2006. He was found by his tour manager fully clothed on his bed at a Hilton Hotel in Cardiff , shortly after performing a concert.
Last Chance to Turn Around
Gene Pitney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tonight that girl of mine will be yearnin' for not learnin' to see things my way
She hurt me for the very last time, I'm not hangin' around
I'll show her I can leave her behind
I'm gettin' out of town (I'm gettin' out of town)
I won't back down (I won't back down)
I won't back down (I won't back down)
Last exit to Brooklyn, gonna keep these wheels of mine coverin' ground.
Last night I caught that girl lyin', tryin' to deceive me
And now all of these tears she's cryin' I'm not buyin' you better believe me
She swore that she was mine alone, our love would never die
I'm leavin' now for parts unknown
I saw her with that guy (I saw her with that guy)
That's the reason why (that's the reason why)
I'll be passin' by (I'll be passin' by)
The last exit to Brooklyn, the last chance to turn around
The last exit to Brooklyn, gonna keep these wheels of mine coverin' ground
On the last exit to Brooklyn, the last chance to turn around
The last exit to Brooklyn, the last chance to turn around
The last
Chance to Turn Around by Gene Pitney tells the story of a man who has had enough of his girlfriend's lies and deceit. The wheels of his old car are burning up the highway as he decides to leave town and never look back. He has come to the realization that his girlfriend will never see things his way, and he's not going to waste any more time trying to change her mind. The chorus of the song repeats the line "last exit to Brooklyn, last chance to turn around" emphasizing the fact that this is the last opportunity for his girlfriend to make things right before he's gone for good.
The second half of the song details the reason behind the man's decision to leave. He caught his girlfriend lying to him and saw her with another guy, which ended up being the final straw. He's not willing to forgive her anymore, and it's clear that he has made up his mind. The repetition of the phrase "I won't back down" confirms that he's not going to change his mind, and his girlfriend has one final opportunity to make things right.
The song's theme is relatable, as many people have been in a situation where they feel they have to leave a relationship for their own well-being. The song's upbeat melody helps to convey a sense of liberation and freedom that comes with this decision.
Line by Line Meaning
The wheels of my old car are a'turnin, burnin' up the highway
My car moves swiftly on the highway, carrying me away from a girl who failed to see things my way
Tonight that girl of mine will be yearnin' for not learnin' to see things my way
My ex-girlfriend will regret not agreeing with me as she misses me tonight
She hurt me for the very last time, I'm not hangin' around
My last interaction with my girlfriend was her hurting me, and now I refuse to stick around
I'll show her I can leave her behind
I'm determined to make sure my ex-girlfriend knows I'm moving on without her
I'm gettin' out of town (I'm gettin' out of town)
I'm leaving town and not coming back
I won't back down (I won't back down)
I won't give in or change my mind about leaving
Last exit to Brooklyn, last chance to turn around
I'm metaphorically at the last exit to Brooklyn, and this is the last opportunity for me to change my mind and stay
Last exit to Brooklyn, gonna keep these wheels of mine coverin' ground.
I'm continuing my journey, not stopping until I reach my intended destination
Last night I caught that girl lyin', tryin' to deceive me
I discovered that my ex-girlfriend was lying to me, attempting to trick or mislead me
And now all of these tears she's cryin' I'm not buyin' you better believe me
Despite my ex-girlfriend's tears, I still don't trust her and won't be fooled by her lies
She swore that she was mine alone, our love would never die
My ex-girlfriend promised me that she would always be faithful and our love would last forever
I'm leavin' now for parts unknown
I'm leaving immediately for somewhere new and unknown to me
I saw her with that guy (I saw her with that guy)
I witnessed my ex-girlfriend with another man
That's the reason why (that's the reason why)
That's why I won't be changing my mind about leaving
I'll be passin' by (I'll be passin' by)
I'll continue on my journey without looking back
On the last exit to Brooklyn, the last chance to turn around
This is my final opportunity to reconsider before I reach Brooklyn
The last exit to Brooklyn, the last chance to turn around
I'm reiterating that this is the final chance to turn back before it's too late
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BACHARACH, BAYER SAGER, DIAMOND, NEIL DIAMOND, BURT F. BACHARACH, CAROLE BAYER SAGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Stephen Borer
Wanted to thank you for your posting - besides hearing this classic , I’ve never seen so many photos of Gene ! Kudos !
John Franklin
I remember hearing this song when I was 7 on the radio in our 58 Cadillac many times. My older brother bought it and we played it on our Zenith hi fi stereo. Way to loud !! Lol Big Gene Pitney fan.
I've still got my parents 58 Cadillac they bought in 1960, i was 1. Still driving it too, and playing this song in it. Rest in peace mom, dad.
shoulderlift
Thank you for posting this song with so many nice pictures. All of them are so clear, making the viewing so enjoyable!
maxine Gray
Great song by Gene
Debbie Michaels
Just heard this on a local radio station
Jenny Holmes
Fantastic love this song ❤️❤️❤️👏👏👏
Sue Davies
Love this
Jackie O'Brien-Murphy
Wow beautiful sad song. 👏🍀
Kathline Taylor
Like 👍👍👍👍song love Gene pitney songs best singer ever my favourite singer brilliant thank you very much Jim still play his songs. To day rest I in peace ✌
David Ellis48
In the UK this was the B side of ‘ Looking through the eyes of love’