He had met and was encouraged by Bill Lowery, an Atlanta music publisher and radio personality. He began his recording career in Atlanta with National Recording Corporation, where he served as staff guitarist along with other NRC artists Ray Stevens and Jerry Reed. South's earliest recordings have been re-released by NRC on CD.
South's compositions have been recorded by many artists. They include Billy Joe Royal's hits "Down in the Boondocks" and "Hush" (later a hit for Deep Purple and Kula Shaker), the Osmonds' hit "Yo-Yo," and Elvis Presley's Las Vegas-era version of "Walk a Mile in My Shoes", also recorded by Bryan Ferry and Coldcut. South's most commercially successful composition is Lynn Anderson's 1971 country/pop monster hit "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden", which was a hit in 16 countries worldwide. Lynn Anderson won a Grammy Award for her vocals and South won a Grammy Award for writing the song. South would go on to write more hits for Anderson such as, "How Can I Unlove You" (Billboard #1) and "Fool Me" (Billboard #3).
South was also a prominent sideman, recording the memorable guitar part on Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools", Tommy Roe's "Sheila" as well as appearing on Bob Dylan's album Blonde on Blonde. He also played the electric guitar part that was added to Simon & Garfunkel's first hit, "The Sound of Silence".
The suicide of his brother, Tommy, drove South into a deep depression.[citation needed] Tommy had been his backing band's drummer and accompanied South not only in live performances, but also on recording sessions when South produced hits for other artists, including Billy Joe Royal, Sandy Posey, and Friend & Lover.
South was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1979.
In 1988 Dutch DJ, Jan Donkers, interviewed South for VPRO-radio. The radio show that aired the interview also played four new songs by South, but a new record was not released.
In 1994 South played several concerts in England.
On 13 September 2003 South was inducted into Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and played together with Buddy Buie, J.R. Cobb and Chips Moman at the induction ceremony.
Chills
Joe South Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You give me chills
A-runnin′ up and down my spine
Well-a-well, whoa whoa
You give me chills
A-when you tell me you're all mine
And pretty babe, my baby, honey child, sweet thing
You give me chills
You got me rockin′ and a-reelin'
'Cause you give me chills
A got this funny, funny feelin′
′Cause you give me chills
My heart's a-wheelin′ and a-dealin'
′Cause you give me chills
You got me walkin' on the ceilin′
'Cause you give me chills
And pretty babe, my baby, honey child, sweet thing
You give me chills
Brrr
Oh, you give me chills
Every night I hold you tight
Oh, well-a-well, whoa whoa
You give me chills
But hon, I see you every night
And pretty babe, my baby, honey child, sweet thing
You give me chills
Whoa
You're my little girl
And you give me chills
I know you got me in a whirl
And you give me chills
I got my heart in a twirl
′Cause you give me chills
I thought you′d tell the whole world
That you give me chills
And pretty babe, my baby, honey child, sweet thing
You give me chills
Ah, you give me chills
Whoa, child, you give me chills
Brrr, huh-huh
You give me chills
Aw, yeah you give me chills
Joe South's song "Chills" is a love song that perfectly captures the intense emotions that come with being in love. The first verse begins with the coldness of "Brrr" which is quickly followed by the intensity of the chills that run up and down the singer's spine. The singer expresses a feeling of being rocked and reeled, sometimes even to the point of walking on the ceiling. The woman in the singer's life is a "pretty babe, my baby, honey child, sweet thing" and she is the source of these chills. In the second verse, the singer describes how every night with her is a "chill" and though he sees her often, her touch never fails to cause this exhilaration. The final verse brings back the feeling of being in a whirlwind due to this special woman and the expectation of her announcing to everyone that she's the source of the singer's chills.
Overall, the song perfectly captures the excitement, the sensations and the passion that come with being in love, with those words building and falling perfectly in every verse. These lyrics could be seen as a reflection of the honeymoon period even in a long-term relationship where a partner still evokes strong emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
Brrr
The sound effect used to suggest chills
You give me chills
Referring to the shivery feeling one experiences when in love
A-runnin′ up and down my spine
Describing the location of the shivery feeling mentioned above
Well-a-well, whoa whoa
An expression of excitement and surprise
A-when you tell me you're all mine
The cause of the shivery feeling is the confirmation of love
And pretty babe, my baby, honey child, sweet thing
A term of endearment towards the lover
You got me rockin′ and a-reelin'
The lover's impact is powerful enough to cause physical reactions in the singer
'Cause you give me chills
Reiterating the cause of the artist's physical reactions (the lover's love)
A got this funny, funny feelin′
The artist is experiencing an unfamiliar and unusual sensation
My heart's a-wheelin′ and a-dealin'
Another physical sensation caused by the lover's love
′Cause you give me chills
The repetition emphasizes the lover's impact on the singer
You got me walkin' on the ceilin′
The artist is full of joy and excitement, as evidenced by the silly image of walking on the ceiling
Every night I hold you tight
The singer is physically close to the lover
But hon, I see you every night
Despite the physical proximity, the singer still experiences shivers due to the lover's love
You're my little girl
The singer sees the lover as their own, and may even feel protective towards them
I know you got me in a whirl
The lover's love has the artist feeling disoriented and dizzy
I got my heart in a twirl
The same physical reaction as before, with a new verb to describe it
′Cause you give me chills
Yet again, the lover's love is the cause of the singer's physical reactions
I thought you′d tell the whole world
The singer was expecting the lover to publicly express their love
Aw, yeah you give me chills
Concluding the song with the same sentiment that was expressed throughout
Writer(s): Joe South
Contributed by Alexander T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
JoeSouth'sgirl
He still gives "Chills"! I love Joe South's voice🥰😘❤