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.
Why Can't You Bring Me Home
Jay & The Americans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why do we have to wait till the sun goes down?
Where do you live and why don't you even give me a place to go?
Come on baby, why can't you bring me
Baby baby, why can't you bring me
Come on baby, why can't you bring me home?
I'll ask around but nobody knows for sure
But they agree that your folks are mighty rude
Are you ashamed of the way you were raised,
And that's why it stays unknown?
Come on baby, why can't you bring me
Baby baby, why can't you bring me
Come on baby, why can't you bring me home?
You may not wear such pretty clothes
But when you're in my arms, you love like a rose
What do I care if I see a broken chair?
Why do I need the best kind of silverware?
All that I need to make me complete is your tender love alone
Come on baby, why can't you bring me
Baby baby, why can't you bring me
Come on baby, why can't you bring me home?
Jay & The Americans's song Why Can't You Bring Me Home is a song about unrequited love and a search for a place of belonging. The song asks several questions that the singer wants the girl he is singing to answer. The first question is why they always meet on the edge of town and why they have to wait until the sun goes down. This suggests that they are hiding something from the rest of the world or that the girl is uncertain of their relationship.
The second question is where the girl lives and why she doesn't give the singer a place to go. This suggests that she is hiding something from him or that she doesn't want him to know where she lives. The third question is about the girl's parents and why they're rude. This indicates that the girl may have a troubled past or that the parents don't approve of the singer.
The chorus of the song repeats the question of why the girl can't bring the singer home. This suggests that the singer wants to be closer to the girl and that he wants to feel like he belongs somewhere. The final verse of the song suggests that the singer is willing to overlook other things, like broken chairs and simple silverware, as long as he has the girl's love.
Overall, the song is about the search for love, acceptance, and a place of belonging. The questions asked throughout the song are a reflection of the singer's uncertainty about the relationship and his desire for clarity.
Line by Line Meaning
Why do we always meet on the edge of town?
Why is our relationship always confined to the outskirts of society?
Why do we have to wait till the sun goes down?
Why can't our love be openly displayed in the light of day?
Where do you live and why don't you even give me a place to go?
Why won't you tell me where you live and let me be a part of your life?
Come on baby, why can't you bring me
I'm asking you to take the initiative in our relationship
Baby baby, why can't you bring me
I want you to bring me closer to you
I'll ask around but nobody knows for sure
I'm trying to find out more about your past, but it seems like a mystery
But they agree that your folks are mighty rude
Others have told me that your parents are not very friendly
Are you ashamed of the way you were raised,
Is there a reason why you don't want to introduce me to your family?
And that's why it stays unknown?
Is your reluctance to bring me home because of your upbringing?
You may not wear such pretty clothes
I love you for who you are and not what you wear
But when you're in my arms, you love like a rose
I find your love sweet and tender
What do I care if I see a broken chair?
Material possessions are not important to me
Why do I need the best kind of silverware?
I don't need fancy things to be happy
All that I need to make me complete is your tender love alone
Your love is what makes me feel whole and fulfilled
Come on baby, why can't you bring me
I want to be closer to you and have our love out in the open
Baby baby, why can't you bring me
I need you to take the lead in our relationship
Come on baby, why can't you bring me home?
I want to be a part of your life and share our love with others
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: AL KASHA, JOEL HIRSCHHORN, WES FARRELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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