Mickey Leroy Gilley was born 9th March 1936 in Natchez, Mississippi. Best … Read Full Bio ↴Mickey Leroy Gilley was born 9th March 1936 in Natchez, Mississippi. Best known as a Country music singer and piano player, he moved to Houston at age 17 and began playing rock n roll in local clubs, cutting "Tell Me Why" and "Oo-ee-baby" for the local Minor label. He experienced little success on a succession of labels - Dot (Memphis), Rex (New Orleans), Khoury (Lake Charles, Louisiana) until in 1960 he cut "Is It Wrong" for Potomac which became a regional hit. Sadly, the label folded and Mickey continued trying on the Lynn, Sabra and Princess labels.

He was performing very much in the rock n roll piano style of his cousin Jerry Lee Lewis (and another cousin, the Reverend Jimmy Swaggart). He formed his own label, Astro in 1964 and cut an album named after a Lewis success "Down the Line". Re-issued on Paula, the album was a regional hit. The big time, however, continued to elude him although he had a minor hit with "Now I Can Live Again" from the album. At an Astro session he laid down a version of George Morgan's old hit "Room Full of Roses" which attracted airplay locally and was picked up for national release by Hugh Heffner's Playboy label. It hit No. 1 in the Country charts. After 12 further hits with the label, Playboy was taken over by Epic and Gilley moved there for his most consistent run of album and singles success.

He was now performing straight-up piano-led Country material. Gradually, he moved towards a more pop-orientated sound in the 1980s, which brought him further success on not just the Country charts, but also the Pop charts. Before that, however, he had a string of Country hits throughout the 70s, often revivals like "I Overlooked An Orchid" (Carl Smith - No. 1, 1974), "City Lights" (Bill Anderson - No. 1 1975), "Window Up Above" (George Jones - No. 1 1975), "Bring It On Home" (Sam Cooke - No. 1 1976). His mix of rockabilly, honky tonk and uptown Country provided more hits with "Chains of Love" (No. 9, 1977) "Honky Tonk Memories" (No. 4, 1977) and "Here Comes The Hurt Again" (No. 9,1978).

In all, Gilley had 33 Top 10 singles, 17 of which reached No. 1, on the US Country chart between 1974 and 1986. Amongst the biggest hits were "Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time,"(No. 1) "Overnight Sensation" (No. 7, both 1976), remakes of the Ben E King hit "Stand By Me" and Buddy Holly's "True Love Ways" (both No. 1s in 1980).

In 1971 he lent his name to the opening the famous country nightclub Gilley's in Pasadena, Texas. His career received a big boost when both the club and his music featured prominently in the 1980 film "Urban Cowboy". The soundtrack included the Buddy Holly cover which went to No. 1. The club closed in 1989 and the building was heavily damaged by arson later that year. A new Gilley's club opened in 2003 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. And Gilley's Theatre and Diner in Branson saw the singer take up a successful residency in that Missouri city.

His most recent successful recording activity was in 1988 when he released "Chasin' Rainbows" on Airborne which produced his last Top 40 single to date when "She Reminded Me Of You" reached No 23 in the Country charts.

In July 2009, Gilly suffered a back injury in a fall and was airlifted to Houston for medical treatment but subsequently returned to Branson and performing in his theatre there. He has a Facebook information page on which he sends regular video messages to members. A recent joint biography about the three cousins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggert and Mickey, called "Unconquered" by J D Davis is a must for any fan of their music, rock n roll, Country and gospel music.

For The Good Times
Mickey Gilley Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Don't look so sad, I know it's over
But life goes on and this old world will keep on turning
Let's just be glad we had some time to spend together
There's no need to watch the bridges that we're burning.

So lay your head upon my pillow
Hold your warm and tender body close to mine
Hear the whisper of the raindrops

Fallin' soft against the window
And make believe you love me one more time
For the Good times.

I'll get along, and you'll find another
But I'll be here if you should find you ever need me
Don't say a word about tomorrow or forever
There'll be time enough for sadness when you leave me.

Lay your head upon my pillow
Hold your warm and tender body close to mine
Hear the whisper of the raindrops
Fallin' soft against the window
And make believe you love me one more time.

For the good times...
For the good times...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Mickey Gilley's "For The Good Times" describe two people who have come to terms with the end of their relationship but are still trying to find comfort in the moments they shared. The first verse acknowledges the end of the relationship but also reminds us that life continues, even after heartache. The second verse encourages the two to stay in the moment and cherish the time they spent together. The chorus suggests that they relive their relationship, and have one last moment of love and bliss before parting ways.

The song speaks to the bittersweet realization that even though love may have faded, the memories will remain. They will always have the good times to look back on, and that is something to be grateful for, even in the midst of heartbreak. The lyrics, combined with the gentle piano and Gilley's smooth voice, make for a poignant and emotional song that many can relate to.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't look so sad, I know it's over
Don't be upset, I understand that our time together has come to an end.

But life goes on and this old world will keep on turning
Even though we're no longer together, life will continue and the world will continue to spin.

Let's just be glad we had some time to spend together
Instead of focusing on the end, let's appreciate the time we had together.

There's no need to watch the bridges that we're burning.
We shouldn't dwell on the past and any mistakes we made, it's time to move forward.

So lay your head upon my pillow
Rest your head on my pillow.

Hold your warm and tender body close to mine
Hold me close, feel the warmth of our bodies together.

Hear the whisper of the raindrops
Listen to the sound of the raindrops falling.

Fallin' soft against the window
As they softly hit the window.

And make believe you love me one more time
Pretend that you still love me, even though we know it's over.

I'll get along, and you'll find another
I'll move on, as will you, and we'll both find someone new.

But I'll be here if you should find you ever need me
But if you ever need me, I'll still be here for you.

Don't say a word about tomorrow or forever
Let's not worry or talk about the future or forever, as it's not important right now.

There'll be time enough for sadness when you leave me.
We don't need to be sad now, there will be plenty of time for that later when you're gone.

For the good times...
Let's remember the good times we had together.