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).
That's When It Hurts The Most
Johnny Tillotson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't erase the mem'ry of the night you said goodbye
And when I pass you on the street I want to cry
But when I see you out with somebody new
That's when it hurts the most
It breaks my heart each time I read the note you left for me
But when I see you holding somebody new
That's when it hurts the most
Never never thought I'd miss you
But it's heartache heartbreak my whole life through
It makes me cry each time I think of how you once were mine
And I think about it darling all the time
But when I see you kissing somebody new
That's when it hurts the most
That's when it hurts the most
“That’s When It Hurts the Most” is a song by Johnny Tillotson, a tale of a broken heart and the lingering pain of a lost love. The track describes the struggles of not being able to get over someone while constantly being reminded of their absence. The lyrics paint a picture of a man who is trying to move on from a failed relationship but finds himself stuck in a cycle of heartbreak and sadness.
The first stanza sets the tone for the entire song. The singer is haunted by the memory of the night his love left him, and every time he sees her on the street, he wants to cry. The following stanza explores the pain that comes with reading a goodbye note, and how looking at pictures of his ex-girlfriend makes him feel lonely. The second verse ends with the powerful line “That’s when it hurts the most,” which emphasizes the point that seeing your ex move on is more painful than anything else.
The final verse is the most poignant of all. The singer speaks of how he never thought he would miss his ex, but the heartache has lasted his whole life. He remembers how she once belonged to him, and he can’t help but think about her all the time. The last line, “That’s when it hurts the most,” hits like a punch to the gut, once again underscoring the agony of seeing someone you love with someone else.
Overall, “That’s When It Hurts the Most” is a beautiful but sad song that speaks to the experience of heartbreak and the difficulty of moving on. The relatable lyrics and Tillotson’s emotional performance make it a standout track in his discography.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't erase the mem'ry of the night you said goodbye
I cannot forget the night you left me, and the memory still haunts me
And when I pass you on the street I want to cry
Every time I see you, I feel like crying
But when I see you out with somebody new
The thought of you being with someone else hurts me the most
It breaks my heart each time I read the note you left for me
Reading the goodbye note you left me always brings me immense pain
And your picture makes me lonely as can be
Seeing your picture reminds me of what I lost and makes me feel alone
Never never thought I'd miss you
I never expected to miss you so much
But it's heartache heartbreak my whole life through
The pain of missing you is going to stay with me for my whole life
It makes me cry each time I think of how you once were mine
Remembering the times when we were together brings tears to my eyes
And I think about it darling all the time
I can't stop thinking about you, my dear
But when I see you kissing somebody new
The sight of you kissing someone else is the most painful thing for me
That's when it hurts the most
The ultimate pain is when I see you with another person
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL EVANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Milton Moore
Returning to get
your reactions is
of great inspirational benefit to me, PLUS I get seduced into
listening to the songs once again!
(Google Johnny Horton on THE MANSION YOU STOLE & WHISPERING PINES, Brenda Lee on LOSING YOU,
Tony Martin on
MY MOONLIGHT MADONNA & WALK HAND IN
HAND WITH ME,
Connie Francis on
HALF AS MUCH, Penny DeHaven on THE FIRST LOVE,
and BOBBY BARE
on 500 MILES (Mr.
Purser channel, 2nd entree in videos, 45rpm single tn).😀😊☺
Milton Moore
Absolutely gorgeous; this
should have been released as a 45rpm single. This is a
perfect example
of me somehow
overlooking a great song years ago when I purchased the
LP album wherein it was
contained. Thank God we
have you tube
to rescue these
neglected gems
from the trash bins of time.
Milton Moore
His country flavored songs
and arrangements
were the best
material he recorded. Johnny Tillotson was the GREATEST
COUNTRY MUSIC SUPER
STAR THAT NEVER WAS!!!
Milton Moore
Beautiful beyond words! The choirs
and soft country
arrangements and
orchestrations used during his MGM records period are incomparable.
Ruth Boykin
So beautiful, heart-wrenchingly so!
Milton Moore
Returning to get
your reactions is
of great inspirational benefit to me, PLUS I get seduced into
listening to the songs once again!
(Google Johnny Horton on THE MANSION YOU STOLE & WHISPERING PINES, Brenda Lee on LOSING YOU,
Tony Martin on
MY MOONLIGHT MADONNA & WALK HAND IN
HAND WITH ME,
Connie Francis on
HALF AS MUCH, Penny DeHaven on THE FIRST LOVE,
and BOBBY BARE
on 500 MILES (Mr.
Purser channel, 2nd entree in videos, 45rpm single tn).😀😊☺
Tan YikWah
Heavenly voice, great tune!
Milton Moore
Absolutely gorgeous; this
should have been released as a 45rpm single. This is a
perfect example
of me somehow
overlooking a great song years ago when I purchased the
LP album wherein it was
contained. Thank God we
have you tube
to rescue these
neglected gems
from the trash bins of time.
Milton Moore
+kevin heming Amen...to the
trillionth power.
And without the
songwriters, we
would have NOTHING! (Wish
all posters of
music videos
would provide
this information
from the record
label or album
covers!)
kevin heming
And thank God for people like realnicemusic who take the time to put these great songs on YouTube. We would never know about them otherwise.
Milton Moore
amend the comment above
to read "the dust bins of time."
carl lawson
Great artist of all time must be golden oldie forever and ever :)