In late 1970 Jim Messina, formerly of Poco and Buffalo Springfield, was working as an independent contract record producer for Columbia Records. It was then that he met a little-known studio artist who had written a few songs of his own, Kenny Loggins. Loggins was working as contract songwriter for The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Messina decided to produce Loggins' debut album. By the time all was said and done, Messina had contributed so much to the album, both instrumentally and vocally, that the effort was more of a Kenny Loggins album with Jim Messina sitting in. Thus an accidental duo was born. Their harmonies meshed so well that what was begun as a one-off album became an entity unto itself. So rather than simply producing Kenny Loggins as a solo act, in 1971 they both decided to form a duo, Loggins and Messina.
Over the course of the next four to five years they produced five original material albums, one album of covers of other artists' material and two live albums. One compilation album, a "best of", would be released after the duo had separated.
As is natural in most mentor type relationships, Loggins outgrew the duo over time. Within a few years he would feel the need to spread his wings and fly by his own right, and by 1976 the pair separated and pursued successful solo careers, with Loggins soon achieving the super-star status that he sought.
They reunited in 2005 for a compilation album of their greatest hits, which proved so successful that they decided to tour as a group again. The "Sittin' In Again" tour was launched in mid-2005 and played out the remainder of the year, proving that they hadn't lost the magic that made them famous in the first place.
Their backing band changed from album to album. Many albums featured backing members who were well know in their own right, such as Stephen Stills who contributed to their self-titled second album. Bryan Adams played guitar on the album Full Sail. John Townsend and Ed Sanford, later of the Sanford Townsend Band (Smoke from a Distant Fire) contributed vocals and songwriting to the Native Sons album.
Thinking of You
Loggins & Messina Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
is taking it hard each day
Something inside of me
is making me feel this way
Whenever you're near me, you've got me thinking of you
Something about your eyes
won't let me look away
that's making it hard to say
Whenever you're near me, you've got me thinking of you
You know, you've got me singing a song
Whenever you're around me I just want to belong
To you, I would give all of my love
I wish that I could tell you all what I'm thinking of
Something inside of me
won't let me begin the day
Something inside of me
is making it hard to say
Whenever you're near me, you've got me thinking of you
Loggins & Messina's song Thinking Of You appears to be about the strong emotional impact one person is having on the other. The lyrics express a feeling of being deeply affected by someone, causing an ongoing internal struggle. The chorus repeats the phrase, "Whenever you're near me, you've got me thinking of you." This suggests that the presence of the other person is so powerful that it's impossible to escape the thoughts and feelings they evoke.
The verses specifically mention the impact of the other person's eyes and smile. The singer finds it difficult to look away from their eyes and struggles to express themselves when they smile. The lyrics reflect the intensity of the emotions involved, and the feeling of helplessness when confronted with them. The song expresses a longing to communicate these feelings, to belong to the other person, and to give them all the love they have.
In summary, Thinking Of You is a song about being overwhelmed by emotions and finding it difficult to express them, despite powerful feelings for someone. The lyrics reflect the intense emotional and physical impact that the person has, and the resulting feeling of being unable to escape from their influence.
Line by Line Meaning
Something inside of me
There is a feeling within me
is taking it hard each day
It's affecting me negatively on a daily basis
Something inside of me
There's a strong emotion inside of me
is making me feel this way
That's making me feel a certain way
Whenever you're near me, you've got me thinking of you
Whenever you're around, you occupy my thoughts
Something about your eyes
Talking about something very specific about your eyes
won't let me look away
I'm so drawn to you that I can't look away
Something about your smile
Talking about something specific relating to the person's smile
that's making it hard to say
It's affecting me to the point where I can't express myself easily
Whenever you're near me, you've got me thinking of you
Whenever you're close by, I can't stop thinking of you
You know, you've got me singing a song
You're making me so happy, that it's like I'm constantly singing
Whenever you're around me I just want to belong
You make me feel like I belong and I want to be near you always
To you, I would give all of my love
I would give everything to be with you
I wish that I could tell you all what I'm thinking of
I want to share my thoughts and feelings with you
Something inside of me
There is a feeling inside of me
won't let me begin the day
It's affecting me to the point where I can't get started on my day
Something inside of me
There's a strong emotion within me
is making it hard to say
It's difficult for me to express myself fully
Whenever you're near me, you've got me thinking of you
Whenever you're close by, you occupy my thoughts
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, CTM Publishing
Written by: JIM MESSINA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dfwdodge
Something inside of me
is taking it hard each day
Something inside of me
is making me feel this way
Whenever you're near me, you've got me thinking of you
Something about your eyes
won't let me look away
Something about your smile
that's making it hard to say
Whenever you're near me, you've got me thinking of you
You know, you've got me singing a song
Whenever you're around me I just want to belong
To you, I would give all of my love
I wish that I could tell you all what I'm thinking of
Something inside of me
won't let me begin the day
Something inside of me
is making it hard to say
Whenever you're near me, you've got me thinking of you
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Jim Messina
@Trasea
So glad I was a teenager in the 70s - such happy music! Though all music has its good points, I still love this decade the best!
@patriciastaskiel883
Me too!
@ralarson22
Saw them in concert Summer of 73, great concert. Jim Croce was the warmup act, 2 months before he died Wish I could go back to that Summer, what a great time it was!!!!!
@jesperpedersen6705
I'm back in the 70's when I listen to this song
@josephbenne8686
How can this song have ONLY 292K views???
Such a cute, relaxing, warm and endearing song... very underrated.
@jesperpedersen6705
Not by me💥
@jesperpedersen6705
This song makes me want to walk along a country road with Snoopy and a good friend 💥❤
@raymondmalcuit8361
This Song Went To Number 18 On The Billboard Hot-100 Chart In 1973.
@skyhunter6385
This song will Always&Forever remind me of my Brother who passed away in 2004,Love ya Bro☮️💙😊😇👍
@usmc-veteran7316
Sorry to hear about tour Brother.