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.
Window up Above
Mickey Gilley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of life I love so
I can see the clouds are gath'ring
And the storm will wreck our home
Last night he held you tightly
And you didn't even shove
This is true for I've been watching
From the window up above.
You must have thought that I was sleeping
Oh, I wish that I had been
But it's best I get to know you
And the way your heart can sin
I thought we belonged together
And our hearts fit like a glove
I was wrong for I was watching
From the window up above.
From my eyes the teardrops started
As I listened on and on
I heard you whisper to him softly
That our marriage was all wrong
Well, I hope he makes you happy
And you never lose his love
I lost mine while I was watching
From the window up above.
I lost mine while I was watching
From the window up above
The song "Window up Above" by Mickey Gilley tells the story of a man who has been living a new life he loves alongside his partner, but he fears that their happiness may be short-lived since he sees the clouds gathering and predicts a storm that will wreck their home. He then mentions that his partner, who he believed belonged to him, was held tightly by someone else, who she didn't even shove, and he saw this happening from the window up above.
The man reveals that he wished he had been asleep that night so that he didn't have to see the infidelity, but now that he knows the way his partner's heart can sin, it's best he learns the truth. He admits that he thought they were meant to be together, and their hearts fit like a glove, but he was wrong, and he saw it all happening from the window up above.
The song's last verse reveals that the man's teardrops started falling as he listened to his partner whispering to her lover, admitting that their marriage was all wrong. He then wishes her well with her new beau and hopes she never loses his love. The song ends with the man admitting that he lost his love while he was watching them from the window up above. Overall, the song is a heartbreaking tale of infidelity, lost love, and regret.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been living a new way
I've changed my lifestyle for the better
Of life I love so
I am happy with this new way of life
I can see the clouds are gath'ring
I can sense a problem is brewing
And the storm will wreck our home
This problem will destroy our relationship
Last night he held you tightly
You were intimate with another man
And you didn't even shove
You did not resist or push him away
This is true for I've been watching
I saw everything from a nearby window
From my eyes the teardrops started
Tears began to flow from my eyes
As I listened on and on
I heard more and more of your conversation
I heard you whisper to him softly
You spoke gently to the other man
That our marriage was all wrong
You expressed that our union was a mistake
Well, I hope he makes you happy
I wish for your happiness
And you never lose his love
May your new partner always love you
I thought we belonged together
I believed our love was meant to be
And our hearts fit like a glove
We were perfect for each other
I was wrong for I was watching
But my belief was shattered as I watched everything unfold from afar
I lost mine while I was watching
I lost my love and my relationship by not being present in the moment
From the window up above
While observing from a higher perspective
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, GLAD MUSIC CO., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind