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.
That Girl Belongs to Yesterday
Gene Pitney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was alone and feeling sad
But now that I recall
You left me after all
The only girl I've ever had
I never ever made you cry
No, no I didn't even try
You said you loved me too
My only girl told me a lie
And maybe there'll come a day
When I can smile and say
She used to be my girl
But now there's nothing left to say
She only wanted me for play
I learned my lesson fast
But now I know at last
That girl belongs to yesterday
My only girl
My only girl
I learned my lesson fast
But now I know at last
That girl belongs to yesterday
That girl she belongs to yesterday
The lyrics in Gene Pitney's song "That Girl Belongs to Yesterday" tell the story of a man who is reflecting on a past relationship. He starts by admitting that he needed his former lover badly the previous night because he was alone and feeling sad. As he thinks back on their relationship, he realizes that she left him after all and that she was the only girl he ever had. He acknowledges that he never made her cry or even tried to, and that she had promised to be true and that she loved him too. However, he now knows that was all a lie.
The man comes to the realization that his former lover only wanted him for play and that she belonged to yesterday. He has learned his lesson and knows that there is nothing left to say. He hopes for a day when he can smile and say she used to be his girl, but for now, he knows that the relationship is over and that she belongs to the past.
Overall, the song highlights the pain and heartbreak of a failed relationship and the realization that sometimes love doesn't last forever. It speaks to the emotions that many experience after a breakup and the need for healing and moving on.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I needed you so bad
I was in desperate need of you last night
I was alone and feeling sad
I was feeling lonely and unhappy
But now that I recall
As I look back on it now
You left me after all
You ended up leaving me anyway
The only girl I've ever had
You were the only girl I've ever been with
I never ever made you cry
I never intentionally hurt you or made you upset
No, no I didn't even try
I didn't even attempt to make you cry or upset
You promised you'd be true
You made a promise to me that you would always be honest and faithful
You said you loved me too
You also claimed to love me
My only girl told me a lie
But in reality, you lied to me - the only girl I've ever been with
And maybe there'll come a day
Perhaps in the future
When I can smile and say
When I can think back on this with happiness and say
She used to be my girl
That you used to be mine
But now there's nothing left to say
But now our relationship is over and there is nothing more to be said
She only wanted me for play
I realize now that you were just using me for your own entertainment
I learned my lesson fast
I quickly learned from my mistake
But now I know at last
And I understand now
That girl belongs to yesterday
That you are a thing of the past and our relationship is history
My only girl
The only girl I've ever been with
That girl she belongs to yesterday
But now, you are a thing of the past and no longer present in my life
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KEITH RICHARDS, MICHAEL (MICK) JAGGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Timothy Johnson
Supreme Gene...
WOW
An incredible musical talent, that will live as long as people have 👂 and can hear!
His singing voice had such range and power. My grandson is 7 weeks old and its OBVIOUS, he loves Gene too. Never too early to introduce kids to TRUE TALENT!!
MARIO JOHNSTON
This man had a once in a lifetime voice , so glad my father listened to him as I have the songs etched in my memory 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪
GrindfreakMike
Exactly, its the same for me. My dad would play this song and I'd listen to it.he's gone now but ill always remember that time of my life.
sampson1959
the most underrated artist of all time. never made a bad record.
leslie oliver
I AGREE.
Classic Australian TV
That's very true - one of the best singing stars by far. Another one I can think of is Petula Clark, never made a bad record either in my opinion.
tvgator1
Gene Pitney's voice is UNBELIEVABLE. He's such a great vocalist......
tracey hayward
When so many Gene tunes still gives me them goosebumps. ♥️♥️
david
Pitney such a great singer every new song i hear is just great. There is no song that is bad.
Jason Wayne
They don’t make music like this anymore an absolute legend in his own right