American blues singer from New Orle… Read Full Bio ↴January 5, 1932 - September 14, 1998
American blues singer from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was known as "The Tan Canary" for the amazing range of his singing voice and his gospel influenced style. He began his career singing gospel, but crossed over to secular music in 1959 and scored a national hit with the single "I Won't Cry." That was followed by a string of regional hits in the 1960s which included "Release Me" and "Reconsider Me."
In the 1980s and 1990s Adams recorded several award-winning albums for Rounder Records. He died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1998 after a long battle with cancer
(2) Renowned around his Crescent City home base as "the Tan Canary" for his extraordinary set of soulfully soaring pipes, veteran R&B vocalist Johnny Adams tackled an exceptionally wide variety of material for Rounder in his later years; elegantly rendered tribute albums to legendary songwriters Doc Pomus and Percy Mayfield preceded forays into mellow, jazzier pastures. But then, Adams was never particularly into the parade-beat grooves that traditionally define the New Orleans R&B sound, preferring to deliver sophisticated soul ballads draped in strings.
Adams sang gospel professionally before crossing over to the secular world in 1959. Songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie -- the woman responsible for cleaning up the bawdy lyrics of Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" enough for worldwide consumption -- convinced her neighbor, Adams, to sing her tasty ballad "I Won't Cry." The track, produced by a teenaged Mac Rebennack, was released on Joe Ruffino's Ric logo, and Adams was on his way. He waxed some outstanding follow-ups for Ric, notably "A Losing Battle" (the Rebennack-penned gem proved Adams' first national R&B hit in 1962) and "Life Is a Struggle."
After a prolonged dry spell, Adams resurfaced in 1968 with an impassioned R&B revival of Jimmy Heap's country standard "Release Me" for Shelby Singleton's SSS imprint that blossomed into a national hit. Even more arresting was Adams' magnificent 1969 country-soul classic "Reconsider Me," his lone leap into the R&B Top Ten; in it, he swoops effortlessly up to a death-defying falsetto range to drive his anguished message home with fervor.
Despite several worthy SSS follow-ups ("I Can't Be All Bad" was another sizable seller), Adams never traversed those lofty commercial heights again (particularly disappointing was a short stay at Atlantic). But he found a new extended recording life at Rounder; his 1984 set, From the Heart, proved to the world that this Tan Canary could still chirp like a champ. With producer Scott Billington, he recorded some nine albums for the label prior to his cancer-related death on September 14, 1998. ~ Bill Dahl, Rovi
There Is Always One More Time
Johnny Adams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wasn't much 'til now
And you've almost lost
Your will to live
No matter what you've been through
Long as there's breath in you
There is always one more time
Every one that you've had
That don't mean that some dreams
Can't come true
'Cause it's funny about dreams
As strange as it seems
There is always one more time
Oh turnin' corners
Is only a state of mind
Keeping your eyes closed
Is worse than being blind
If there's a heart out there
Looking for someone to share
I don't care if it's been
Turned down time and time again
And if we meet one day
Please don't walk away
'Cause there is always one more time
There is always one more time
The song, "There Is Always One More Time" by Johnny Adams, is a poignant and inspiring ballad about never giving up hope even when one feels like giving up. The lyrics encourage the listener to push through their difficult times and remember that there is always hope for one more chance to make things right. The verse, "If your whole life somehow wasn't much 'til now / And you've almost lost your will to live / No matter what you've been through, long as there's breath in you / There is always one more time," emphasizes the idea that no matter how difficult life may seem, it's important to keep going and not give up.
The song continues to inspire with the idea that even if your dreams have gone bad, it doesn't mean that new dreams can't come true. The chorus, "And if we meet one day, please don't walk away / 'Cause there is always one more time," brings home the idea that it's important to stay open to new opportunities and to remember that things can always get better. The lyrics suggest that life is a never-ending journey with endless possibilities and experiences waiting to be discovered.
Line by Line Meaning
If your whole life somehow
If you feel like you haven't achieved much in your life
Wasn't much 'til now
Until this moment, your life feels empty
And you've almost lost
You're on the brink of losing
Your will to live
Your motivation to keep living
No matter what you've been through
Despite all the hardships you've experienced
Long as there's breath in you
As long as you're alive
There is always one more time
There's always a chance for a fresh start
And if your dreams go bad
If your aspirations don't pan out
Every one that you've had
All the dreams you've had
That don't mean that some dreams
This doesn't imply that some other dreams
Can't come true
Cannot become a reality
'Cause it's funny about dreams
Because the nature of dreams is interesting
As strange as it seems
As peculiar as it may appear
There is always one more time
There's always a chance for a new dream or goal
Oh turnin' corners
Making a turn in life
Is only a state of mind
It's all in your head
Keeping your eyes closed
Refusing to see the possibilities
Is worse than being blind
Is more detrimental than not having sight
If there's a heart out there
If there's someone looking for love
Looking for someone to share
Seeking a partner to share their life with
I don't care if it's been
It doesn't matter if it's happened before
Turned down time and time again
Been rejected multiple times
And if we meet one day
If we cross paths someday
Please don't walk away
Please don't turn your back on me
'Cause there is always one more time
Because there's always another chance
There is always one more time
There's always another opportunity
Lyrics Β© POMUS SONGS, INC.
Written by: JEROME POMUS, KENNETH W HIRSCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
LJonny22
Just watched Bowfinger, and this song reached out and grabbed me by my soul. Amazing.
Connie Boyer
I just a heard a few lines and decided it was on of my favorite songs.
june moreland
@Black Kittens I felt the same way too. I did not look at the movie, I just found who Johnny Adam's was. It is good to listen to this kind of soothing music. I c that it has been a while since u wrote this and I hope u got it together since then. Take care of yourself...
Jeremy VetTech
I'm super late to this party, but yeah. Me too.
Joseph Simmons
Bowfinger came out in '99/'00 while I was just a 19 y/o kid General Manager. Every time the opening of the movie came on I would stand at the back of the theater and enjoy this classic! I still revisit the song periodically!
Anthony Sandall
Exactly why I'm here now. Just got through opening credits. You nailed it.
Marcus Doling
What a voice. Just stunning
Lesley B
Just heard this on the movie Bowfinger,too.....paused the movie and ran online to find the song. Love it! Thanks Johnny Adams; you killed it.
Mic
Clearly a man who lived and loved to sing. And the singing loved him too.
murp h
Well said