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.
Your Side Of The Bed
Mac Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I just can't get it
Through my weary head
You're really gone
I just can't believe it
But all of a sudden
I've got too much pain
The nights drag by
And it gets harder all the time
To go to sleep without
Your soft skin touching mine
And I woke up on your side
Of the bed again this morning
With my old alarm clock
Ringing half past eight
With that old familiar hunger
And my arms wrapped
Round your shadow
I woke up on your side of the bed
Another funky morning
Sunday's dead and Monday's
Dripping down my window pane
I wake up shaking
Staring at the walls and
Listening to the lonesome
Sound of falling rain
I just can't make myself
Believe that you don't care
I keep on dreaming
I'll wake up and you'll be there
And I woke up on your side
Of the bed again this morning
With my old alarm clock
And I woke up on your side
Of the bed again this morning
With my old alarm clock
Lord, I woke up on your side
Of the bed again this morning
With my old alarm clock
Ringing half past eight...
In this emotional ballad by Mac Davis titled "Your Side of the Bed," the singer expresses his intense yearning for his lover who has left him. He captures the pain and loneliness that he feels every morning when he wakes up to find himself on her side of the bed. The song is poignant because it deals with the raw and vulnerable emotions of someone trying to cope with the loss of a relationship. The singer feels like his life has lost its purpose, and he cannot imagine how he's supposed to move on without her.
He describes his sleepless nights and the growing pain that threatens to consume him. He struggles to accept that she's gone and finds himself dreaming of her every time he sleeps. The lyrics evoke a sense of longing and unrequited love as he clings to her memory and tries to find solace in a world without her. In the end, the singer expresses the hope that he can somehow find a way to live without her, but it's clear that he's struggling.
In conclusion, "Your Side of the Bed" is a heartbreaking song that deals with love, loss, and the pain of letting go. It highlights the importance of human connection and how it affects our lives when it's taken away. Mac Davis' stirring vocals and insightful lyrics make this a powerful and moving ballad to listen to.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord, I miss you
I deeply long for you
I just can't get it
I can't understand why you left me
Through my weary head
Despite my exhaustion and confusion
You're really gone
I can't deny that you're no longer here
I just can't believe it
It's hard to accept what has happened
But all of a sudden
Though it happened abruptly
I've got too much pain
The pain I feel is overwhelming
For one man alone
I can't bear it alone
The nights drag by
The passing of time is agonizingly slow
And it gets harder all the time
Every moment is more unbearable than the last
To go to sleep without
Not being able to sleep alone
Your soft skin touching mine
Without the comfort of your touch
And I woke up on your side
I found myself on your side
Of the bed again this morning
Once again, I find myself on your side of the bed
With my old alarm clock
The familiar sound of my alarm clock
Ringing half past eight
Telling me that it's already 8:30 am
With that old familiar hunger
Feeling the familiar emptiness inside me
And my arms wrapped
As if I'm holding you
Round your shadow
But it's only the ghost of your presence
Another funky morning
Another bleak and hopeless day
Sunday's dead and Monday's
The weekend has ended and the work week has begun
Dripping down my window pane
Rain is slowly rolling down the glass
I wake up shaking
Starting my day with nervous trembles
Staring at the walls and
Gazing at the empty walls
Listening to the lonesome
Hearing the sounds of loneliness
Sound of falling rain
The pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof
I just can't make myself
I can't force myself
Believe that you don't care
To believe that you feel nothing for me
I keep on dreaming
I continue to have dreams
I'll wake up and you'll be there
That one day, I'll wake up to find you back in my life
Lord, I woke up on your side
Oh God, finding myself on your side
With my old alarm clock
Hearing my alarm clock buzz once again
Ringing half past eight
Telling me that I'm alone and it's already 8:30 am
Contributed by Charlie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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!