Johnny Tillotson (born 20 April 1938 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA) is an A… Read Full Bio ↴Johnny Tillotson (born 20 April 1938 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA) is an American singer and songwriter. He enjoyed his greatest success in the early 1960s, when he scored 9 top-ten hits on the pop, country and adult contemporary billboard charts including "Poetry In Motion" and the self-penned "It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'".

In 1957 while still in high school, Tillotson was making records and performing on stage; as a student at the University of Florida, he had his own musical variety show on regional television. Following graduation in 1959 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and Communications, he signed with Cadence Records and moved to New York City to pursue his music career. In 1960, he recorded his first hit, a composition entitled "Poetry in Motion" (written by Anthony/Kaufman), that went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and #1 on the UK Singles Chart.

A "crossover" artist, several of Tillotson's songs were successful on both the country music charts and pop charts. He earned a Grammy Award nomination for another of his own compositions, "It Keeps Right On a-Hurtin," and also for the song "Heartaches by the Number," nominated for Best Vocal Performance of 1965. He also appeared in the 1963 film "Just for Fun" and sang the theme song for the 1965 Sally Field television comedy "Gidget".

In a career spanning more than 40 years, Tillotson has recorded 26 singles that made it onto Billboard's charts, and performed at venues across the United States and other places around the globe.

He was featured in the 1966 camp comedy The Fat Spy starring Jayne Mansfield, Jack E. Leonard, Phyllis Diller, Brian Donlevy and Jordan Christopher & the Wild Ones. This film was featured in the 2004 documentary The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made (#46).

On The Sunny Side Of The Street
Johnny Tillotson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Walked with no one and talked with no one
And I had nothing but shadows
Then one morning you passed
And I brightened at last
Now I greet the day and complete the day
With the sun in my heart
All my worry blew away
When you taught me how to say

Grab your coat and get your hat
Leave your worry on the doorstep
Just direct your feet
To the sunny side of the street
Can't you hear a pitter-pat?
And that happy tune is your step
Life can be so sweet
On the sunny side of the street

I used to walk in the shade
With those blues on parade
But I'm not afraid
This Rover crossed over

If I never have a cent
I'd be rich as Rockefeller
Gold dust at my feet

On the sunny side of the street
Grab your street

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" by Johnny Tillotson portrays a shift in attitude from feeling lonely, sad and depressed to feeling uplifted, happy and optimistic. The singer talks about how they used to walk with nobody to talk to and nothing but shadows, but everything changed when they met someone who brightened up their life. The newfound joy of living is expressed through the metaphor of having the sun in their heart, and feeling worry-free. The chorus encourages the listener to leave their worries behind and walk on the sunny side of the street, where everything is brighter and happier. The singer describes how they used to walk in the shade, feeling blue and sad, but now they have crossed over and embraced the optimistic and joyful outlook on life.

Line by Line Meaning

Walked with no one and talked with no one
I was all alone, didn't interact with anyone

And I had nothing but shadows
I was in a dark place, didn't have anything real or positive

Then one morning you passed
One day I met you or crossed paths with you

And I brightened at last
My life started becoming bright and happy ever since that moment

Now I greet the day and complete the day
I start and end my days with positivity

With the sun in my heart
I have a joyful and positive outlook on life

All my worry blew away
I don't have to worry about anything anymore

When you taught me how to say
You taught me how to be happy

Grab your coat and get your hat
Get dressed to go out

Leave your worry on the doorstep
Don't let your worries come with you

Just direct your feet
Walk towards your destination

To the sunny side of the street
Walk towards the bright and happy side

Can't you hear a pitter-pat?
Listen to the sound of your happy, confident steps

And that happy tune is your step
Your footsteps are full of joy and positivity

Life can be so sweet
Life is beautiful and enjoyable

On the sunny side of the street
When you're happy and positive, life seems bright and beautiful

I used to walk in the shade
I used to live in darkness

With those blues on parade
I was depressed and sad all the time

But I'm not afraid
I'm not scared anymore

This Rover crossed over
I have moved on and become a different person

If I never have a cent
Even if I'm not rich

I'd be rich as Rockefeller
I feel like I have everything I need

Gold dust at my feet
I have a lot of good things in my life

On the sunny side of the street
Because I'm happy, I feel like I'm walking on gold dust

Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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