John Berry has one of the most powerful and distinctive voices in country music. It's a stunningly rich, majestic tenor that he uses to its full effect. With multiple gold and platinum albums and nominations from the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music, and the Grammy's, he has clearly forged an appreciation from the music industry and fans alike. One such fan includes former President George H. Bush and wife Barbara, who invited John to sing for Mr. Bush's birthday party.
Born in Aiken, South Carolina, and raised in the Atlanta, Georgia area, John grew up in an eclectic musical household. His father listened to concert pianist Van Clyburn, his mother had a strong taste for gospel, and his brother became an opera singer. John gravitated to both soul and country music and began recording his own albums at home in 1979. Two years later, John started performing solo acoustic shows in northeast Georgia, then expanded around the southeast, building a strong name and following. As his reputation grew, so did the demand for his self-styled recordings. He eventually made six self-produced albums, with the last one selling over 10,000 copies. He was finally signed to Capitol Records in 1992.
John had his first #1 single in 1994 with "Your Love Amazes Me," with "She's Taken a Shine" and "Standing on the Edge of Goodbye" following suit. Other Top 10 releases included "You and Only You" "I Think About It All The Time", "What's In It For Me", "If I Had Any Pride Left At All", and "Change My Mind." "Standing On The Edge", as well as his edgy top 10 hit "Kiss Me in the Car," showed off John's songwriting ability.
Making a difference is John's motivation, and he sees music as a profoundly important calling. He has conscientiously used his influence to improve both the global and local communities. He has contributed his time and talents for several children's charities, and lent his name to such causes as adult literacy and Cystic Fibrosis. John has been quoted as saying "If there are things we can do that may help make a difference in the lives of others, we should make the most of that opportunity".
John has been actively recording his own albums with his new independent label, Clear Sky Records. His album Songs and Stories was released in May 2002, and has sold over 25,000 copies at shows, online, and through his Fan Club. For the 2003 holiday season, he re-released his live Christmas CD, O Holy Night Live, formerly titled Christmas Live. That CD has been snapped up by fans also, creating the need for a fourth pressing.
During the summer of 2003, John hit the road with friends David Lee Murphy and Lee Roy Parnell on the "Paintin' the Town Tour". While on the tour, John and David Lee wrote the romantic single "Will You Marry Me?," which received high praise. On reviewing the single, music critic Robert K. Oermann says John has "still got the goods". Also, that "There's something special about saying something in a song for people who might not be able to express themselves in such a nakedly emotional way." Bill Lewis at WYTZ in Benton Harbor, MI, predicts "Will You Marry Me?" will make those single guys want to run out and get the ring for their lady and married couples will want to renew their vows." One fan did just that. He was inspired by hearing the song on the radio to "pop the question" to his girlfriend when he heard the song on the radio. This fan even called John's Fan Club to get the CD early, in order to use it for the special event.
The ambient/experimental/indie rock artist from Chicagoland, IL and the Upper Peninsula, MI has been in several bands since mid-high school around 2005, most recently Shipwreck Party during his time at the University of Northern Michigan, where he helped form Shipwreck Party. He released his solo debut, Big North on Thanksgiving, 2013, and is continuing to release EP's and other works. His music is freely available on johnberry.bandcamp.com, as well as Spotify, and is available for purchase on iTunes.
Change My Mind
John Berry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everyday your love is slippin a little bit further away from me
So I'll be the one to say good-bye cause your hearts already gone
Pack my bags take the midnight train unless you say I'm wrong
Change my mind say you couldn't live without me
Say you're crazy about me with a look with a touch
Change my mind lookin in your eyes for the love we left behind
Somethings come between us, it's not another lover
Seems one night we just stopped trying to please each other
If it's really over why can't I walk away
Tell me I'm making a big mistake beg me to stay
Change my mind say you couldn't live without me
Say you're crazy about me with a look with a touch
Change my mind lookin in your eyes for the love we left behind
It's not too late to change my mind
Give me half a reason to give it one more try
We could leave this leaving behind
Change my mind say you couldn't live without me
Say you're crazy about me with a look with a touch
Change my mind lookin in your eyes for the love we left behind
It's not too late to change my mind
The song "Change My Mind" by John Berry is a heartbreakingly honest ballad about a man trying to salvage his relationship as he watches his partner's love slip away from him. The lyrics express the singer's reluctance to let go and his hope that his partner will change her mind and come back to him. The song describes the pain and struggle of holding on to a relationship that is on the brink of falling apart.
The opening lines "I don't want to lose you, but even a fool can see, everyday your love is slipping a little bit further away from me" perfectly capture the desperation and pain of a person who wants to cling on to their relationship, but knows it's already slipping away. The singer knows his relationship is slowly crumbling and he wants to fix things before it's too late. He wants his partner to change her mind and come back to him, begging her to say that she couldn't live without him.
The chorus of the song "Change my mind say you couldn't live without me, Say you're crazy about me with a look with a touch, Change my mind lookin in your eyes for the love we left behind, It's not too late to change my mind" repeats the singer's message that he wants his partner to change her mind and make him stay. He's pleading for her to give him half a reason to give it one more try, to leave the past behind and to recapture the love they left behind.
Overall, "Change My Mind" depicts the raw emotions of a man who is in danger of losing the love of his life, and the earnest plea of a lover trying to hold on to a relationship that's slipping away.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to lose you, but even a fool can see
Even though I don't want to, it's obvious to everyone that we're growing apart.
Everyday your love is slippin a little bit further away from me
Your love for me is diminishing every day, and I can feel it slipping away.
So I'll be the one to say good-bye cause your hearts already gone
I'm going to be the one to initiate the breakup since it feels like your heart has already left the relationship.
Pack my bags take the midnight train unless you say I'm wrong
If you can't prove me wrong, I'll pack my bags and leave on the midnight train.
Change my mind say you couldn't live without me
I'm hoping you'll show me that you still need me in your life by changing my mind.
Say you're crazy about me with a look with a touch
I want to see and feel your love for me, hoping that it sparks the connection we once had.
Change my mind lookin in your eyes for the love we left behind
If I see the love we had before in your eyes, that'll be enough for me to change my mind.
It's not too late to change my mind
I'm still open to the idea of salvaging what we have left, and it's not too late to try.
Somethings come between us, it's not another lover
There's a divide between us, but it's not because of another person in our lives.
Seems one night we just stopped trying to please each other
It feels like we gave up on each other and stopped trying to make each other happy one night.
If it's really over why can't I walk away
Even though logically, the relationship is over, I can't seem to move on from it emotionally.
Tell me I'm making a big mistake beg me to stay
Convince me that leaving isn't the right choice, beg me to stay and work things out.
Give me half a reason to give it one more try
Just give me a glimmer of hope, and I'll consider giving our relationship another chance.
We could leave this leaving behind
Our problems could disappear, and we could leave them behind if we work together to fix our relationship.
Lyrics © ZELLS MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: ARTHUR JOHN MASTERS, JASON BLUME
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
lindan96
John is about the best country artist out there in my opinion. His voice has a tone you don't hear in today's country singers. It's so powerful and distinctive. Just saw him tonight in Greenwood, SC with Brit Jones and it was amazing. He sung with his wife of 25 years and their youngest son Caelan was on drums. Talked with him after the show and got that signed CD.
Ryan Buckner
I still say that John has one of the best voices ever! Sure do miss his music!!
tootsie5207
Feeling my heart in this song.
northrockboy
most new music they play on country radio stations sure suck.
Elaine B
He has not gone anywhere. Seeing him Monday! So nice when I met him years ago.
Nancy Toone
Love this man. He has the best voice i have ever heard.
superchef78
Better than George Jones?
Cassie Brown
This song takes me back in time. He has the most powerful voice for a country artist.
Day In Life Of BEG
Truly miss this man and pure, simple, talented artists that don’t have to have machines to alter their voices to help them make it! Just simplicity.......heart and emotion! Miss the older country so badly
Jan Phillips
We saw him back when he first hit big. I bought tickets to his "Singers & Songwriters" show in February for my husband for Christmas and we just saw John and his wife Robin perform an intimate show in August. He is still as awesome a singer as ever!