Davis graduated at 16 from Lubbock High School in Lubbock, Texas. He spent his childhood years with his sister Linda, living and working at the former College Courts, an efficiency apartment complex owned by his father, T. J. Davis, located at the intersection of College Avenue and 5th Street. Davis describes his father, who was divorced from Davis's mother, as "very religious, very strict, and very stubborn." Though Davis was physically small, he had a penchant for getting into fistfights. "In those days, it was all about football, rodeo, and fistfights. Oh, man, I got beat up so much while I was growing up in Lubbock," Davis said in a March 2, 2008, interview with the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal newspaper. "I was 5 feet, 9 inches, and weighed 125 pounds. I joined Golden Gloves, but didn't do good even in my (own) division." After he finished high school, Davis moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where his mother lived, to get out of Lubbock.
Once he was settled in Atlanta, he organized a rock and roll group called the Zots, and made two singles for OEK Records, managed and promoted by OEK owner Oscar Kilgo. Davis also worked for the Vee Jay record company (home to such R&B stars as Gene Chandler, Jerry Butler, and Dee Clark) as a regional manager, and later also served as a regional manager for Liberty Records.
Davis became famous as a songwriter and got his start as an employee of Nancy Sinatra's company, Boots Enterprises, Inc. Davis was with Boots for several years in the late 1960s. During his time there, he played on many of Sinatra's recordings, and she worked him into her stage shows. Boots Enterprises also acted as Davis's publishing company, publishing songs such as "In the Ghetto", "Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife", "Home", "It's Such a Lonely Time of Year", and "Memories", which were recorded by Elvis Presley, Nancy Sinatra, B. J. Thomas, and many others. Davis left Boots Enterprises in 1970 to sign with Columbia Records, taking all of his songs with him.
One of the songs he wrote in 1968, called "A Little Less Conversation", was recorded by Elvis Presley (and would become a posthumous success for Presley years later). Presley recorded "In the Ghetto" in sessions in Memphis. According to maverick record producer Jimmy Bowen, "Ghetto" was originally pitched to Sammy Davis, Jr. Mac, guitar in hand, played the song in a studio, with onlookers such as Rev. Jesse Jackson and other members of the black activist community. Mac Davis, the only white man in the room at the time, eventually told Bowen, "I don't know whether to thank ya, or to kill ya." Mac Davis eventually recorded the tune after Presley's version became a success, and was released in a Ronco In Concert compilation in 1975. It was later released on a campy Rhino Records Golden Throats compilation in 1991. The song became a success for Presley and he continued to record more of Davis's material, such as "Memories", "Don't Cry Daddy", and "Clean Up Your Own Backyard". Bobby Goldsboro also recorded some of Davis's songs, including "Watching Scotty Grow", which became a #1 Adult Contemporary success for Goldsboro in 1971. Other artists who recorded his material included Vikki Carr, O.C. Smith, and Kenny Rogers and The First Edition. "I Believe in Music", often considered to be Davis's signature song, was recorded by several artists (including Marian Love, B.J. Thomas, Louis Jordan, Perry Como, Helen Reddy, and Davis himself) before it finally became a success in 1972 for the group Gallery.
Later, he also became known as a country singer. During the 1970s, many of his songs "crossed over", successfully scoring on both the country and popular music charts, including "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" (a number one Grammy-nominated success), "One Hell of a Woman" (pop no. 11), and "Stop and Smell the Roses" (a no. 9 pop hit). Also, during the 1970s, he was very active as an actor, appearing in several movies, as well as hosting a successful variety show.
Davis soon decided to pursue a career of his own in country music; he was signed to Columbia Records in 1970. After several years of enriching the repertoires of other artists, his big success came two years after signing with Columbia. He topped the Country and Pop charts with the song "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me". It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America in September 1972.
Some of Davis's lyrics invoked overtly sexual relationships. In the song "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me", he pleads with a woman not to become too enamored with him, because he does not want to commit to a full-time relationship. Other successful songs, such as "Naughty Girl" and "Baby Spread Your Love on Me", contained similar lyrics.
In 1974, Davis was awarded the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year award. Some of Davis's other successes include the songs "Stop and Smell the Roses" (a number one Adult Contemporary success in 1974) (pop no. 9), "One Hell of a Woman" (pop no. 11), "Rock'n'Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)" (pop no. 15), and "Burnin' Thing" (pop no. 53). At the end of the 1970s, he moved to Casablanca Records, which was best known at the time for its successes with disco star Donna Summer and rock'n'roll band Kiss. His first success for the company in 1980 was the novelty song "It's Hard To Be Humble", a light-hearted look at how popularity and good looks could go to one's head. The song became his first Country music top 10 and a rare top 30 hit in the UK. (It was translated into Dutch as "Het is moeilijk bescheiden te blijven" and became a hit for the Dutch singer Peter Blanker in 1981). Later that year, he also had another top 10 song with "Let's Keep It That Way". In November, "Rock'n'Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)" was played by KHJ in Los Angeles as its last song before it switched from Top 40 to Country music. He achieved other successful songs, such as "Texas In My Rear View Mirror" and "Hooked on Music", which became his biggest Country music success in 1981, going to no. 2. In 1985, he recorded his last top 10 country music success with the song "I Never Made Love (Till I Made Love With You)".
On January 19, 1985, Davis performed "God Bless the USA" at the 50th Presidential Inaugural Gala, held the day before the second inauguration of Ronald Reagan.
Davis was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000.
It's Hard To Be Humble
Mac Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And they put me up a couple days early, I came in a couple days early
And they put me up in what they call the "Star Suite"
Now here I am, headlinin' in one of the biggest nightclubs
In the country and I wake up at eight o'clock in the morning
In this "Star Suite" all by myself"
"Awwww"
"Yeah, that's what I said, "Awwwww."
"But I did what I've always done, man, to cheer myself up
I picked up my guitar, I sat down and I wrote me a little song
Now this is how it feels to be alone at the top of the hill
Tryin' to figure out why"
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
When you're perfect in every way
I can't wait to look in the mirror
Cause I get better looking each day
To know me is to love me
I must be a hell of a man
Oh Lord It's hard to be humble,
But I'm doing the best that I can
I used to have a girlfriend,
But I guess she just couldn't compete,
With all of these love-starved women,
Who keep cowering at my feet
Oh I probably could find me another,
But I guess they're all in awe of me
Who cares?
I never get lonesome
Cause I treasure my own company
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
When you're perfect in every way
(I can't wait to look in the mirror)
I can't wait to look in the mirror
(Help me out now! Come on)
I get better looking each day
(To know me is to what?)
To know me is to love me
(Must be a hell of man)
I must be a hell of a man
(Oh Lord It's hard)
Oh Lord It's hard to be humble,
(When you're doing what?)
We're doing the best that we can
I guess you could say I'm a loner
A cowboy out lone, tough, and proud
I could have lots of friends if I wanted
But then I wouldn't stand out from the crowd
Some folks say that I'm egotistical
Hell I don't even know what that means
I guess it has something to do
With the way that I fill out my skin tight with jeans
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
(When you're perfect in every way)
When you're perfect in every way
(Can't wait to look in the mirror)
I can't wait to look in the mirror
('Cause I get better looking)
I get better looking each day
(To know me is to what?)
To know me is to love me
(Must be a hell of man)
I must be a hell of a man
(Oh Lord It's hard)
Oh Lord It's hard to be humble,
(What are we doing?)
We're doing the best that we can
(One more time, what are we doing?)
We're doing the best that we can
The lyrics to Mac Davis's song It's Hard To Be Humble tackle the issue of being self-absorbed and egotistical. The opening lyrics describe the feeling of being successful and a top performer, but also the loneliness that can come with it. Davis then goes on to describe his sense of self-importance, declaring himself to be "perfect in every way" and getting better looking with each passing day. He seems to enjoy the attention he gets from women but also admits to being a loner who enjoys his own company. Throughout the song, Davis continues to address his sense of self-importance while acknowledging his flaws.
The lyrics to this song are a good example of how some people can become overly focused on themselves and their own importance when they achieve success or fame. While it's natural to feel proud of one's accomplishments, it's important to remain humble and not become too enamored with oneself. The song also touches on the theme of isolation and loneliness, which can be common for successful people who find it hard to maintain relationships due to their busy schedules and self-absorption.
Line by Line Meaning
Back a few months ago, I was headlinin' a great big nightclub
I was the main act at a huge nightclub a few months back.
And they put me up a couple days early, I came in a couple days early
They accommodated me a few days before the event.
And they put me up in what they call the "Star Suite"
They gave me a room called the "Star Suite".
Now here I am, headlinin' in one of the biggest nightclubs
Now I'm headlining one of the biggest nightclubs in the country.
In the country and I wake up at eight o'clock in the morning
I wake up at 8 in the morning.
In this "Star Suite" all by myself
I'm alone in this luxurious room.
Oh Lord it's hard to be humble
It's difficult to be modest.
When you're perfect in every way
When you believe you're flawless.
I can't wait to look in the mirror
I can't wait to see how good I look.
Cause I get better looking each day
Because I believe I'm improving every day.
To know me is to love me
People must admire me once they get to know me.
I must be a hell of a man
I must be quite impressive.
But I'm doing the best that I can
Although it's hard, I try to remain humble.
I used to have a girlfriend,
I had a girlfriend before.
But I guess she just couldn't compete,
I guess she couldn't match me.
With all of these love-starved women,
With all the women who crave affection.
Who keep cowering at my feet
Who keep admiring me.
Oh I probably could find me another,
I could find another woman.
But I guess they're all in awe of me
But they're all impressed with me.
Who cares?
I don't care.
I never get lonesome
I never feel alone.
Cause I treasure my own company
Because I enjoy being alone.
I guess you could say I'm a loner
I could be considered a solitary person.
A cowboy out lone, tough, and proud
Like a cowboy who is solitary, tough, and proud.
I could have lots of friends if I wanted
I could have many friends if I tried.
But then I wouldn't stand out from the crowd
But I wouldn't stand out as much.
Some folks say that I'm egotistical
Some people say I'm self-centered.
Hell I don't even know what that means
I don't even know what that word means.
I guess it has something to do
I suppose it's related to
With the way that I fill out my skin tight with jeans
The way I wear my tight jeans probably has something to do with it.
We're doing the best that we can
We're trying our best to remain humble and not get carried away with our successes.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: Mac Davis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gregg Gregory
on Me 'n Fat Boy
I worked along side Bill Pruitt aka "fat boy" as an electrician in 1990 in NYC. Nicest guy yay ever wanted to meet ! And he wasn't fat anymore!