The guys auditioned for the seminal music team of Leiber and Stoller, who gave the group its name in 1960. In the manner of the time, Leiber and Stoller wanted to extend this to "Binky Jones and the Americans", but Traynor declined to be known as "Binky Jones" his whole career. He instead offered up "Jay", a family nickname, and it suited everyone.
They first hit the Billboard charts in 1962 with the tune "She Cried". Later covered by several other artists, the track's highest charting was #5, inspiring the group. The next two singles didn't fare nearly as well, however, and John Traynor left the band. David Black (né David Blatt) of The Empires took his place (after first agreeing to adopt the name Jay Black), and Empires guitarist Marty Sanders also joined. Black sang lead for the rest of the group's existence.
They returned to the charts in 1963 with "Only In America", a song originally meant for The Drifters. Other notable hits for the Americans were "Come a Little Bit Closer" in 1964, which hit #3, and "Cara Mia" in 1965, which hit #4. The Americans also recorded a commercial for H.I.S. Slacks, and a public service announcement for the Ad Council, featuring a backing track by Brian Wilson and Phil Spector.
In 1968, they recorded an album of their favorite oldies remade fresh, called Sands of Time, and its single was "This Magic Moment", which also came through the Drifters. That track proved to be the last Top Ten record for the group. However, the band's follow-up album, titled 'Wax Museum', yielded the #19 hit "Walkin' In The Rain". First recorded by The Ronettes, the emotive love song has remained a classic on oldies themed stations along with the group's earlier work.
Their next singles failed to chart, nonetheless, and the band grew apart. The demand for live appearances remained. While the other members moved on to solo musical careers in 1973, Jay Black continued to perform as "Jay and the Americans" or "Jay Black and the Americans" until the 1980s, with a variety of musicians, including Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, who would later found Steely Dan. ."
The group reunited in the 1990s for special performances, most notably the 45 Years of Motown special on PBS.
in 2006, Jay Black filed for bankruptcy due to gambling debts, and his ownership of the name "Jay & The Americans" was sold by the bankruptcy trustee to Sandy Deanne (Yaguda), Black's former band mate and original member of Jay & The Americans for $100,000 to pay Black's debts. With the name purchase, former members Deanne, Howard Kane, and Marty Sanders reunited, and recruited a sound-alike singer from Chicago, coincidentally nicknamed "Jay." Thus, John "Jay" Reincke became the third "Jay" and the band returned to playing both national and international music venues. Their show covers the history of Jay and The Americans, acknowledging all three Jays and featuring all of the top hits in their original arrangements.
David Blatt still tours under his stage name, "Jay Black". Kenny Vance is currently the lead singer of Kenny Vance and the Planotones, a neo-doo wop band that he formed in the 1970s. After leaving the group, John Traynor recorded a handful of songs on the Coral label, including "I Rise, I Fall" in 1964. None were hits, but "I Rise, I Fall" became a minor hit for Johnny Tillotson. The label billed Traynor as "JAY formerly of Jay and the Americans." Traynor now tours with Jay Siegel's Tokens.
Come A Little Bit Closer
Jay & The Americans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was just sitting there givin' me looks that made my mouth water
So I started walking her way
She belonged to bad man, José
And I knew, yes I knew I should leave
When I heard her say, yeah
Come a little bit closer
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I'm all alone
And the night is so long
So we started to dance
In my arms, she felt so inviting
That I just couldn't resist
Just one little kiss so exciting
Then I heard the guitar player say
"Vamoose, José's on his way"
Then I knew, yes I knew I should run
But then I heard her say, yeah
Come a little bit closer
You're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I'm all alone
And the night is so long
Then the music stopped
When I looked the café was empty
Then I heard José say
"Man you know you're in trouble plenty"
So I dropped my drink from my hand
And through the window I ran
And as I rode away
I could hear her say to José, yeah
Come a little bit closer
You're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I'm all alone
And the night is so long
La la-la-la la-la
La la-la-la la-la
Ho ho la-la
La la la-la
The lyrics of "Come A Little Bit Closer" by Jay & The Americans tell a story of a man who becomes infatuated with a woman he meets in a café just beyond the border, despite the fact that she is with a dangerous man named José. The woman encourages him to come closer, and they dance while José's men are watching. The guitar player warns him that José is on his way, but the man cannot resist and kisses the woman. As a consequence, he has to run away from José's wrath. At the end of the song, the woman repeats her invitation to come closer, but it is now too late for the man to do so.
Line by Line Meaning
In a little café just the other side of the border
I was in a small coffee shop, right across the border
She was just sitting there givin' me looks that made my mouth water
She seemed to be interested in me with her irresistible glance
So I started walking her way
I approached her step by step, wondering if she would accept me
She belonged to bad man, José
She was in a relationship with a notorious man named Jose
And I knew, yes I knew I should leave
I was well aware that it was better to just walk away from the situation
When I heard her say, yeah
Then she uttered these words
Come a little bit closer
Can you please move a little closer to me?
You're my kind of man
You seem to be the kind of man I'm attracted to
So big and so strong
You seem to have a great physique which impresses me
Come a little bit closer
Would you mind coming a bit closer to me?
I'm all alone
I'm here all by myself
And the night is so long
I'm afraid this long night seems to be never-ending for me
So we started to dance
We began to move together in a rhythmic manner
In my arms, she felt so inviting
She seemed to feel comfortable and safe in my embrace
That I just couldn't resist
I was unable to control myself
Just one little kiss so exciting
We shared a moment of passion and kissed each other briefly
Then I heard the guitar player say
Suddenly, I heard the guitar player utter these words
"Vamoose, José's on his way"
"Leave quickly, Jose is coming here"
Then I knew, yes I knew I should run
I realized I had to get out of there as soon as possible
But then I heard her say, yeah
However, I still heard her saying
Come a little bit closer
Please come closer to me
You're my kind of man
I really like your type
So big and so strong
You seem to be so powerful and impressive
Come a little bit closer
Just come a bit closer to me
I'm all alone
There's no one here beside me
And the night is so long
I'm so lonely on this never-ending night
Then the music stopped
Suddenly, the music turned off
When I looked the café was empty
As I looked around, the coffee shop was already vacant
Then I heard José say
All of sudden, Jose spoke
"Man you know you're in trouble plenty"
"Dude, you're in deep trouble now"
So I dropped my drink from my hand
I was so scared that I accidentally dropped my drink
And through the window I ran
I immediately rushed out of the window
And as I rode away
As I was getting away from there
I could hear her say to José, yeah
I was able to hear her saying to Jose
Come a little bit closer
Can you please come a bit closer?
You're my kind of man
You're the kind of person I like
So big and so strong
You're so powerful and impressive
Come a little bit closer
Just move closer to me
I'm all alone
I'm here by myself
And the night is so long
This night is just so never-ending
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTINE MCVIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Cerph
"Come A Little Bit Closer"
In a little café just the other side of the border
She was just sitting there giving me looks that made my mouth water
So I started walking her way
She belonged to bad man José
And I knew, yes I knew I should leave
When I heard her say
Come a little bit closer, you're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer, I'm all alone
And the night is so long
So we started to dance, in my arms she felt so inviting
That I just couldn't resist just one little kiss so exciting
Then I heard the guitar player say
Vamoose, José's on his way
And I knew, yes I knew I should run
But then I heard her say
Come a little bit closer, you're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer, I'm all alone
And the night is so long
Then the music stopped, when I looked the café was empty
Then I heard José say, "Man, you know you're in trouble plenty"
So I dropped my drink from my hand
And through the window I ran
And as I rode away I could hear
Her say to José
Come a little bit closer, you're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer, I'm all alone
And the night is so long
@musicchartsplay3461
US BILLBOARD HOT 100
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 12, 1964
NEW NUMBER 86
PEAKED NUMBER 3
"Come a Little Bit Closer" is a song by the 1960s rock and roll band Jay and the Americans. It reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 21, 1964, making it the band's highest-charting single. It also peaked at number 4 on the Cashbox chart and at number 1 on RPM's singles chart. The song was their first top 5 recording in two years, since 1962's She Cried.
It was written by songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, as well as Wes Farrell, and became Boyce and Hart's first top 10 hit.
Jay and the Americans also recorded a Spanish version of the song.
@taylorarmour340
72 years old that was my hot rodmusic
@skipmiller3812
I'll be glad when a song like this is rediscovered by our younger generation. How can you possibly not move when you hear this tune? A classic.
@friedrice8256
I heard it from just looking at old songs and listening to them. I found out that "oldies" are better then the new rap.
@alexwiese1029
Like Father and Son?
@ryanchapman6570
i have heard and love this song and mr blue sky im part of the younger generation
@jxpenxseonxbox5967
I'm from 2004 I hope I'm young enough 👍
@jmn31871
Yes Sir. I find myself looking back to find new music now a days. And my names in the song :p
@bobbillings
I love how a movie can introduce a whole new generation to this music we been listening to for decades. Fantastic
@VideoJames1019
Bob Billings I wish more people reacted this way instead of being elitist.