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.
What's New
Joanie Sommers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How is the world treating you
You haven't changed a bit
Handsome as ever I must admit
What's new
How did that romance come through
We haven't met since then
What's new
Probably I'm boring you
But seeing you is grand
And you were sweet to offer your hand
I understand
Adieu
Pardon my asking what's new
Of course you couldn't know
I haven't changed
I still love you so
Adieu
Pardon my asking what's new
Of course you couldn't know
I haven't changed
I still love you so
The lyrics to Joanie Sommers's song What's New are a conversation between two former lovers who have not seen each other in a while. The singer asks the question "What's new?" to the person they are talking to, expressing curiosity about their life and any new developments that may have occurred since they last saw each other. The singer also compliments the person's appearance, saying that they still look handsome as ever.
The second half of the song focuses more on the singer's own feelings. They express gratitude for seeing the person again, despite feeling like they may be boring them with their small talk. However, the singer recognizes that the other person could not know what they are feeling, which is that they still love them deeply. The repeated phrase "Adieu" serves as a farewell, but it also underscores the singer's sadness at the situation.
Overall, the song seems to be about nostalgia and the feeling of reconnecting with someone from one's past. The lyrics suggest a lingering love and emotional attachment that continues despite the time that has passed.
Line by Line Meaning
What's new
What news do you have to share?
How is the world treating you
How have you been doing?
You haven't changed a bit
You still look the same to me.
Handsome as ever I must admit
You still look attractive to me.
How did that romance come through
How did your romantic relationship turn out?
We haven't met since then
It's been a while since we last saw each other.
Gee but it's nice to see you again
I'm glad to see you again.
Probably I'm boring you
I might be repeating myself and being uninteresting.
But seeing you is grand
But I still enjoy being with you.
And you were sweet to offer your hand
And I appreciate your gesture of kindness.
I understand
I comprehend that you don't have any news to share.
Adieu
Goodbye.
Pardon my asking what's new
Sorry for asking if there is any news to share.
Of course you couldn't know
Obviously, you couldn't know what was new.
I haven't changed
My feelings haven't changed.
I still love you so
I still have strong feelings of love for you.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHNNY BURKE, BOB HAGGART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert Heckman
Thank you for all your postings of Joanie Sommers music. The world needs to see what a great jazz singer she is not just a "pop" singer. She had some great orchestras behind her and great arrangements too.
Linda Honeycutt
She was such a great singer back in the day. Wish I could find a CD of her hits somewhere.
Ted A. McElroy
I still have and love her version of When Sunny gets blue. She did some great jazz vocals. She got identified as a Pop Artist with her Pepsi Cola commercials back in the day "For those who think young, now it's Pepsi." jingle.
Johnnyc drums
Anyone else remember having this chart thrown in our little musical faces?
Barbie Burnett
oh wow? i can hear this on a classic channel? something to play lightly in the background as you try to sleep? how relaxing
EARL TROMBLEY
It's hard to pick a favorite version of this. Joanie Sommers or Linda Ronstadt.
Larry Staples
Not for me...Joanie is breathless......
Donald Gordon
I MISS YOU JOANIE BLESS YOU THE VOICE TRIUMPH
Ann McEnery
That's easy: Linda Ronstadt can't sing, so it must be Joanie. A sensation version always belongs to Frank Sinatra in the "Only the Lonely" album.
Johnnyc drums
Ann McEnery I wouldn't go quite that far, but the way Joanie goes up and down that register in such a sultry way, Wow! I think she suffered from being positioned in the so called "Easy Listening" box. I would have put her in the "Jazz" box.