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.
Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa
Gene Pitney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Cause something happened to me while I was driving home
And I'm not the same anymore
Oh, I was only twenty four hours from Tulsa
Ah, only one day away from your arms
I saw a welcoming light and stopped to rest for the night
And that is when I saw her as I pulled in outside of the small motel she was there
And she showed me where
Oh, I was only twenty four hours from Tulsa
Ah, only one day away from your arms
She took me to the café, I asked her if she would stay, she said okay
Oh, I was only twenty four hours from Tulsa
Ah, only one day away from your arms
The jukebox started to play and night time turned into day as we were dancing
Closely, all of a sudden I lost control as I held her charms
And I caressed her, kissed her, told her I'd die
Before I would let her out of my arms
Oh, I was only twenty four hours from Tulsa
Ah, only one day away from your arms
I hate to do this to you but I love somebody new, what can I do?
And I can never, never, never go home again
The song Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa by Gene Pitney is about a man travelling from Oklahoma to Tulsa to see his girlfriend. He stops in the middle of the journey and decides to stay at a motel for the night, where he meets a young woman who they begin to dance with. As they danced, he loses control and caresses and kisses the new woman. The man then realizes he has fallen in love with the woman as the new woman tells him to stay in town with her instead of returning to his girlfriend in Tulsa. The song ends with the man informing his girlfriend about the new love, and that he cannot return to her.
The lyrics can be interpreted in many ways. One interpretation of the song is that it shows how love and temptation can get the better of people, and often lead to impulsive behavior, as seen in the man's infidelity towards his girlfriend. Another interpretation of the song is that it reflects how the man's circumstances have changed and how he is unable to return to his old life after falling in love with someone else, even if he wanted to.
Line by Line Meaning
Dearest darling I had to write to say that I won't be home anymore
The singer is informing his loved one that he will not be returning home.
'Cause something happened to me while I was driving home
There was a life-changing event that occurred while the singer was on his way back home.
And I'm not the same anymore
The event he witnessed has caused a change within him.
Oh, I was only twenty four hours from Tulsa
The singer was very close to returning home.
Ah, only one day away from your arms
He was only a day away from being reunited with his loved one.
I saw a welcoming light and stopped to rest for the night
The singer found a place to stay for the night.
And that is when I saw her as I pulled in outside of the small motel she was there
He saw a woman outside of the motel as he pulled up.
And so I walked up to her, asked where I could get something to eat
The singer approached the woman and asked for a restaurant recommendation.
And she showed me where
The woman showed him the location of a nearby restaurant.
She took me to the café, I asked her if she would stay, she said okay
The woman took him to a café and agreed to stay with him.
The jukebox started to play and night time turned into day as we were dancing
The singer and woman danced as the jukebox played.
Closely, all of a sudden I lost control as I held her charms
The singer was overwhelmed by the woman's beauty and lost control.
And I caressed her, kissed her, told her I'd die
The singer expresses his love and adoration for the woman.
Before I would let her out of my arms
The singer refuses to let her go.
I hate to do this to you but I love somebody new, what can I do?
The singer expresses regret in having to tell his loved one that he has fallen in love with another person.
And I can never, never, never go home again
The singer realizes he can never go back to his previous life and must face the consequences of his actions.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: HAL DAVID, BURT BACHARACH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ricparks7441
I'm 79 years old and this song, "Mecca", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence", "Only Love can Break a Heart" and others of his have been my favorites for something like 60 years now. His voice had a very special quality to it and his songs always related a message that people could feel and relate to. God Bless him.
@CeesVitamine
At this moment not even 1 artiest can compare to this quality and songwriter
@li-german4139
i am 69 and i think the same as you - it is great music - I am from Germany
@user-nj1qu1cs7s
I'm 74 and lucky to be here I died on the operating table last year but they brought me back many thanks to the people who stuck with it so I'm still her in her arms after 52 years.
@CeesVitamine
Mecca, with the new schottisch woke law, he would be in jail for adultery. Fucking great song lyrics&sound would make mo the pedo false profet think twice . Funny thing mo was a mix and the camel was his best friend. He was left behind and that why he had those attacks & deliriums. Whats now called epilepsie.
@josephhooks2387
In August of 1967 I saw this artist in concert in my hometown of Va. Beach, Va. at the VA. Beach Dome. That was a small venue where they had 2,000 chairs all lined from side to side starting not far from the stage going to the back of the Dome. Giant fans were at the back of the Dome to blow the hot air around as there was no A/C. It was hot in there but nobody cared. What a performer! A hand pulled the curtain to one side at the left side of the stage and Pitney came out in a black suit, white shirt and a black tie. He had a 10 piece band in back of him. Hundreds rushed the stage with their flash cameras. He sounded exactly like his records. Now those were the days when concerts were worth going to. It was worth every minute!
@user-sk9tg5wb6p
I moved to Va. Beach area in July of '75 and the Dome was still there. Gone now of course. Never saw a concert there. Heard of many great people performed there...
@josephhooks2387
Before Gene Pitney performed, there were 3 acts before him. It was an amazing show. One of the acts on stage was The Easybeats from England. I don't think many people remember them. Their only hit record was "Friday on my mind". Yes, they had Beatle haircuts. They were good!
@user-sk9tg5wb6p
Loved Friday on my mind... I was 16 then.
@opencurtin
Gene Pitney and Roy Orbison two of my favourite voices from this era .