Born Joan Drost in Buffalo, New York, as a child growing up Sommers would often sing to herself as a way of dealing with her difficult upbringing. Though having not received any musical training, Sommers began her career as a jazz singer in Los Angeles, California. In 1960, she recorded a demo with composer/arranger Tommy Oliver, earning her a recording contract with Warner Bros. Sommers. Her debut single, "One Boy" from the musical Bye Bye Birdie, reached #54 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Throughout the 60s, she also maintained a byline as a singer of jingles for Pepsi-Cola (specifically, "It's Pepsi, for Those Who Think Young" and "Come Alive! You're in the Pepsi Generation"), earning her the nickname of "The Pepsi Girl." Years later, she also recorded a jingle for Diet Pepsi, though her work was uncredited. Fittingly, two of her albums -- For Those Who Think Young and Come Alive! -- were named after her classic jingles.
Despite being a hit single,"One Boy" was passed over for inclusion on her debut album, Positively the Most!, whose cover touted the teenaged Sommers as "the greatest discovery in singing talent in the last fifteen years." This marked the beginning of a continuing trend for Sommers: alternating between commercial pop singles and more artistically challenging and varied albums, more often than not keeping the two completely disparate.
In 1962, "Johnny Get Angry" (co-written by legendary songwriter and lyricist Hal David) became Sommers' biggest hit, driven by an anachronistic dark bass line and unusual instrumentation such as kazoos. However, the song drew noted criticism aimed at its lyrical content, perceived by some as having sexist or masochistic overtones. The follow-up single was "When the Boys Get Together", which reached #94 on the charts, becoming her final Hot 100 single, though she would later have two songs on the Adult Contemporary charts.
In 1970, Sommers temporarily retired as a singer to focus on raising a family, making only one recording during the following decade, a soundtrack single for scrapped animation film The Peppermint Choo Choo. She resumed her career at the turn of the decade, recording the album Dream in 1980. She has maintained a sporadic career of recording and performing ever since, continuing to experiment with a variety of musical styles.
Meditation
Joanie Sommers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you're gone and I'm all by myself and I need your caress,
I just think of you,
And the thought of you holding me near
Makes my loneliness soon disappear.
Though you're far away,
I only have to close my eyes and you are back to stay.
And the sadness that missing you brings
Soon is gone, and this heart of mine sings.
Yes, I love you so,
And that for me is all I need to know.
I will wait for you,
Till the sun falls from out the sky, for what else can I do?
I will wait for you,
Meditating how sweet life will be
When you come back to me.
The song "Meditation" by Joanie Sommers is an emotional ballad that speaks about the feeling of loneliness one experiences when the person they love is away. The opening line itself sets the mood of the song, and we can feel the melancholic atmosphere which the singer is trying to convey. The lines "When you're gone and I'm all by myself and I need your caress, I just think of you" suggest how the singer is dependent on her lover's presence, and without them, her life seems incomplete. However, the singer finds solace in the thought of her lover holding her near, which helps her overcome her loneliness.
The song's second verse emphasizes the singer's belief in the power of imagination, as she says, "Though you're far away, I only have to close my eyes, and you are back to stay." By closing her eyes, the singer can bring her lover to her mind and feels their presence again. The chorus of the song emphasizes the depth of the singer's love as she asserts that her love for her lover is all she needs to know, and she will wait for them patiently until they come back.
Overall, "Meditation" is a beautiful and romantic song that portrays the emotions that one goes through when they are missing their significant other. Through the song, the singer expresses the idea that the power of love can help one overcome the feeling of loneliness, and the hope of reunification with the beloved can keep one going in tough times.
Line by Line Meaning
In my loneliness,
During the times when I am alone
When you're gone and I'm all by myself and I need your caress,
When you're not with me and I yearn for your touch
I just think of you,
I simply bring to mind thoughts of you
And the thought of you holding me near
The idea of you holding me closely
Makes my loneliness soon disappear.
Eases my feelings of isolation and loneliness
Though you're far away,
Even though you are distant
I only have to close my eyes and you are back to stay.
I can bring you back by simply shutting my eyes
I just close my eyes,
I just need to shut my eyes
And the sadness that missing you brings
The sorrow that comes from being apart from you
Soon is gone, and this heart of mine sings.
Quickly subsides, and my heart is filled with joy
Yes, I love you so,
My feelings for you are much more than fondness
And that for me is all I need to know.
That's the only important thing to me
I will wait for you,
I am willing to be patient for you
Till the sun falls from out the sky, for what else can I do?
Until it's no longer possible, because there’s nothing else I can do
Meditating how sweet life will be
Reflecting on how wonderful life will be
When you come back to me.
Once you return and we are together again
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Norman Gimbel, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Newton Mendonca
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
arlene smith
Perfection! Great voice for this kind of music. Love Joanie Sommers!
Ray Szymarek
Joanie had that stamped trademark of Fabulous Love in Music. Every time Joanie sang she made sure that every word of her beautiful voice was a shining star of magnificent Love and the singing of an angel. Really really impressed by her voice no doubt about that. thank you for posting A number one music. greatly happy to hear Perfection.
swa hi
Beautiful voice !
magajazzfan Lee
"Quem acreditou No amor, no sorriso, na flor Entao sonhou, sonhou... E perdeu a paz".. The Japanese love Brazilian music, I love the Japanese ^ ^ Thanks for posting -Bossa nova-Meditation Domo arigato Jobim and Laurindo Almeida ℳѦḠÅ ℒ€€ Guarani Kaiowá -Nadeshiko
ecardon1
Nice song from the 60s by Joanie backed by Laurindo Almeida and his guitar.
paul m
Miss Originality!!....her tone is copied every season on the likes of "The Voice"... "American Idol" etc. She was tops.
rainlori
Thanks for posting this.
Barbara Goodbye
so good.
坂巻洋
☀️🎶🍎🙂
blackandtanful
ﾛｰﾘﾝﾀﾞ･ｱﾙﾒｲﾀﾞと共演した、ｷｭｰﾄなｼﾞｮﾆｰ･ｿﾏｰｽﾞの隠れジャジー・ボッサ盤の名作”ﾒﾃﾞｨﾃｲｼｮﾝ"､粋な節廻しだﾈ! #jazzm