Bonamassa was born in Utica, New York. He started playing guitar at age four, encouraged by his father, who was an avid music fan and exposed him to British blues rock records by Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, greatly inspiring him. At 11 years old Joe was mentored and trained by American guitar legend, Danny Gatton. When he was 12 years old, he had his own band called Smokin' Joe Bonamassa, which gigged around western New York and Pennsylvania, including cities such as Scranton and Buffalo, but only on weekends since Joe had school on weekdays. Bonamassa played a crimson 1972 Fender Stratocaster he called "Rosie", which his father had bought in Utica, New York.
When he was 12 years old, Bonamassa opened for B.B. King. In the last 13 years Bonamassa has put out 15 solo albums through his independent record label J&R Adventures, of which 11 have reached number 1 on the Billboard Blues charts. Bonamassa has played alongside such artists as Stephen Stills, Eric Clapton, Blondie Chaplin, Foreigner, Buddy Guy, Steve Winwood, Warren Haynes, Solomon Hicks,and Derek Trucks among others.[4] His career highlights include performances at the Royal Albert Hall and has had three Grammy Award nominations in 2013, for his collaboration album with Beth Hart "Seesaw", in 2016 for the album "Live at the Greek Theatre" and 2022 for the album "Royal Tea". In addition to his music career, Joe Bonamassa runs a nonprofit organisation called the Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation, whose mission is to further music education by funding scholarships and providing music education resources to schools in need. in 2020, he added an extension to the foundation. Called Fuelling Musicians, it provides $1500 cheques to struggling musicians affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
in 2021, he broke his own record for having more #1 Billboard blues albums than anyone in history. The album "Time Clocks" clocked up his 25th #1 album.
He is also known for his enormous collection of vintage guitars and related gear.
Baby You Gotta Change Your Mind
Joe Bonamassa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You gotta change your mind
You gotta change your mind
I woke up this morning 'bout half past four
Somebody knocking at my back door
If you think I'm crazy about you
You gotta change your mind
Baby if you think I'm crazy about you
You gotta change your mind
You gotta change your mind
Whatcha doin' mama, you'll do it again
I'm setting out bout half past ten If you think I'm crazy about you
You gotta change your mind
I mean you better change your mind
Baby if you think I'm crazy about you
You gotta change your mind
You gotta change your mind
In front of the jury with my eyes full of tears
For beatin up my gal I got forty five years
If you think I'm crazy about you
You gotta change your mind
I mean you better change your mind
Baby if you think I'm crazy about you
You gotta change your mind
You gotta change your mind
My gal likes liquor, like rye and gin
But can't get a whiskey drink, but man, she thinks she can
If you think I'm crazy about you
You gotta change your mind
I mean, you better change your mind
Baby if you think I'm crazy about you
You gotta change your mind
You gotta change your mind
The lyrics of “Baby You Gotta Change Your Mind” by Joe Bonamassa has a story-like structure. The song begins with the singer addressing someone who believes they are crazy about them, indicating that the singer might have found themselves in a situation of unreciprocated love or unhealthy obsession. The chorus repeats this message that the person’s perception of love is not mutual, and they need to change their mind.
The middle of the song leaves the listener with some confusion as the singer shares brief and unrelated events. The verse talks about waking up early and someone knocking on the door and their partner’s alcohol preferences; while seeming disconnected from the main storyline, these smaller details help to give a background to the song's theme.
The song concludes on a more tragic note, with the singer's trial for beating up their partner and receiving a forty-five-year prison sentence. This revelation and context bring the main storyline into focus, indicating that the singer’s obsession or unrequited love might have had severe consequences. The song message can translate to telling a partner or someone with an unhealthy obsession with you that their perception of your relationship is not reciprocated, or it may resonate with anyone who has found themselves in a deadly obsession or relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby if you think I'm crazy about you
If you believe that I am obsessed with you
You gotta change your mind
You need to alter your opinion
You gotta change your mind
Your viewpoint needs to be revised
I woke up this morning 'bout half past four
I woke up at 4:30 AM today
Somebody knocking at my back door
Someone was knocking on my back door
Whatcha doin' mama, you'll do it again
What are you doing, mom? You're going to repeat your mistake
I mean you better change your mind
You really need to change your opinion
In front of the jury with my eyes full of tears
Standing in front of the court with eyes filled with tears
For beatin up my gal I got forty five years
I received a 45-year sentence for beating up my girlfriend
My gal likes liquor, like rye and gin
My girlfriend enjoys drinking alcohol, specifically rye and gin
But can't get a whiskey drink, but man, she thinks she can
Although she can't handle whiskey, she thinks she can
I mean, you better change your mind
You seriously need to change your opinion
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: FULTON ALLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind