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.
You Can't Go Home Again
Joanie Sommers Lyrics
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Gonna put my cheek to the window and watch it sleep
Where the shadow's fall from sycamore trees
Fight off this north wind and I'll be headin' back east
Let the Colorado River roll on the sea
I will be crossing it in changes
This 'ole town never did really care
I don't know why I always come here
In my dreams
It's the hardest to hold but it's the easiest to find
If you'll slip for the dollar I'll fall in the wine
But you cannot save your past for today
It will leave you cold on an outbound train
Let the Colorado River roll on the sea
I will be crossing it in changes
This 'ole town never did really care
That much for me
I don't know why I always come here
In my dreams
Folded memories in my soul
It's that old blue line that you can never go back home
So I'm waiting for the moon to rise
He'll kiss my tears away and set my heart in line
Let the Colorado River roll on the sea
I will be crossing it in changes
This 'ole town never did really care
That much for me
I don't know why I always come here
In my dreams
Let the Colorado River roll on to the sea
I will be crossing it in changes
This 'ole town never did really care that much for me
I only come here to remember my dreams
Sleep tight
Hill Country town
Goodnight
In the song "You Can't Go Home Again" by Joanie Sommers, the lyrics tell a story of someone who has returned to their hometown after being away for some time. However, the town doesn't seem to have changed much, and the singer feels out of place and disconnected from the people there. There is a sense of longing for the past, but also a recognition that it cannot be brought back. The line "Folded memories in my soul, it's that old blue line that you can never go back home" suggests that the memories of the town and the past are always with them, but they can never truly revisit them in the same way.
The Colorado River serves as a metaphor for the changes that the singer has gone through and the journey they have taken. Crossing it represents a new chapter in their life, and the changes they have undergone along the way. There is a sense of acceptance that while the past cannot be regained, it is also in some ways holding them back from moving forward. The line "But you cannot save your past for today, it will leave you cold on an outbound train" speaks to this sense of letting go and moving forward.
Overall, the lyrics of "You Can't Go Home Again" are a reflection on the nature of home, memory, and the passage of time. The song captures the bittersweet feeling of revisiting a place from the past, and the recognition that while the memories of that time may be cherished, it is impossible to truly return to that same moment.
Line by Line Meaning
So much silence to my hometown streets
My hometown streets are quiet and peaceful.
Gonna put my cheek to the window and watch it sleep
I will observe my hometown while leaning my face against the window.
Where the shadows fall from sycamore trees
Shadows are cast by sycamore trees.
Fight off this north wind and I'll be headin' back east
I will brave the cold wind and return to the east.
Let the Colorado River roll on the sea
The Colorado River will continue to flow into the ocean.
I will be crossing it in changes
I will cross the river while undergoing changes in my life.
This 'ole town never did really care, That much for me
My hometown did not show me much love or care.
I don't know why I always come here, In my dreams
I do not understand why I always dream of coming back to my hometown.
It's the hardest to hold but it's the easiest to find
The past is difficult to cling to but simple to remember.
If you'll slip for the dollar I'll fall in the wine
If you succumb to greed, I will indulge in pleasure.
But you cannot save your past for today
Your past experiences cannot be applied to the present.
It will leave you cold on an outbound train
This realization will make you unfeeling as you depart.
Folded memories in my soul
I hold my memories inside my heart.
It's that old blue line that you can never go back home
The past is unattainable and unreachable.
So I'm waiting for the moon to rise
I am waiting for nighttime to arrive.
He'll kiss my tears away and set my heart in line
The moon will provide comfort and peace to my soul.
This 'ole town never did really care that much for me
My hometown never showed much love for me.
I only come here to remember my dreams
I visit my hometown only to recall my dreams.
Sleep tight Hill Country town, Goodnight
Goodnight, sleep well, dear Hill Country town.
Writer(s): Feather Leonard Geoffrey, Ferreira Djalma
Contributed by Peyton G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.