Born in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Boone is a direct descendant of the American pioneer Daniel Boone. He grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, attended David Lipscomb College and began recording in 1954 for Republic Records. His 1955 version of "Ain't That a Shame" was a huge hit, selling far better than Fats Domino's original version. This set the stage for the early part of Boone's career, which focused on covering R&B songs by black artists for a white market. Previously, rock 'n' roll had had only limited exposure outside of the African American community. Pat Boone's pale covers gave attention to the more authentic original artists, such as Little Richard and Fats Domino and to rhythm and blues in general. In addition, the songwriters and copyright holders benefited even when individual artists did not.
In fact, only six of Boone's many hit singles were R&B covers, and only four of those were rockers. All were released in the first two years of his long career. These were "Ain't That a Shame" by Fats Domino and "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard, and "At My Front Door (Crazy Little Mama)" by the El Dorados. The other two R&B covers were well-chosen blues ballads, "I Almost Lost My Mind" by Ivory Joe Hunter and "Chains of Love," a hit for Big Joe Turner and later B.B. King that had been written by Ahmet Ertegun. By 1957, Boone was concentrating on the middle-of-the-road music that dominated his career. He never recorded another R&B cover.
Known as "The Kid in White Buck Shoes", Boone sported a clean-cut image that appealed to white [teens]] and parents. His singing style, a rich baritone, followed in the tradition of his idol, Bing Crosby. Preferring to carry on in the Crosby tradition, he soon began turning more and more to ballads. Some of his biggest hits included "Love Letters in the Sand" (with the instrumental break featuring Boone's whistling), "April Love", "Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)", and "Don't Forbid Me".
His teen idol popularity in the late 1950s was second only to that of Elvis Presley, and, like Presley, he soon tried his hand at acting. Boone's pictures included 1960's Journey to the Center of the Earth alongside Hollywood notable James Mason.
His recording of the theme song from the 1957 film April Love topped the charts for six weeks and was nominated for an Academy Award. Pat also wrote the theme song for the movie Exodus.
A devout born-again Christian, he was raised in the conservative Church of Christ, but has been a member of a Pentecostal church for more than thirty years. Boone has refused both songs and movie roles that he felt might compromise his standards, including a role opposite the decade's reigning sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe. Among his other achievements, he hosted a TV series in the late 1950s and began writing in the early 1960s, a series of self-help books for adolescents, including Twixt Twelve and Twenty.
The British Invasion effectively ended Boone's career as a hitmaker, though he continued recording throughout the 1960s. In the 1970s, he switched to gospel and country, and he continued performing in other media as well, most importantly radio. He is currently working as the disc jockey of a popular oldies radio show and runs his own record company which provides a much-welcomed outlet for new recordings by 1950s greats who can no longer find a place with the major labels.
Boone married Shirley Lee Foley, daughter of country music great Red Foley and singer Judy Martin, in 1953 and they had four daughters: Cherry, Lindy, Debby, and Laury. In the 1960s and 1970s the Boone family toured as gospel singers and made gospel albums, such as The Pat Boone Family and The Family Who Prays.
In the early 1990s, Boone joined Amway and spoke at many motivational seminars. He was also a distributor. He never reached the coveted Amway rank of Diamond.
In 1997, Boone released In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, a collection of heavy metal covers revamped to fit his style. To promote the album, he appeared at the American Music Awards in black leather, shocking audiences and losing his respectability among his largest constituency, conservative Christians. He was then fired from Gospel America, a TV show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. About a year later, the controversy died down and many fans, including Jack Hayford, accepted his explanation of the leather outfit being a "parody of himself". He was re-hired by Trinity Broadcasting and Gospel America was brought back.
In 2003, the Gospel Music Association of Nashville, Tennessee recognized his gospel recording work by inducting him into its Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Boone and his wife live in Los Angeles, California. They are members of The Church on the Way in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley. His one-time neighbor was Ozzy Osbourne and his family. Boone's cover of Osborne's song "Crazy Train" became the theme song for The Osbornes. (It appears on The Osbornes Soundrack.) Osborne said that Boone "never complained once" about living next door to his less-than-traditional family.
Boone once claimed to use his own surname in lieu of curse words when upset.
In 2006, Boone penned an article for WorldNetDaily in which he argued that Democrats and others who are against the Iraq War cannot, under any circumstances, be considered patriotic. He also recently was interviewed by Neil Cavuto on Fox News, where he expressed his outrage against the opponents of George W. Bush (namely the Dixie Chicks) that their criticisms of the President showed they did not "respect their elders". Another article defended Mel Gibson after the actor was recorded making an anti-Semitic rant. Despite their differing political views, Pat Boone is friends with the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
Ten Lonely Guys
Pat Boone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Reminisce about the things you used to do
We just sit around broken-hearted
'Cause all of us are still in love with you
[Chorus]
Oh, yes we're ten lonely guys with ten broken hearts
We thought your lies were true
Ten lonely guys who still love you
Eddie was the first one to hold you
Jerry was the first to taste your kiss
Then came Johnny, Stan, Richie, Neal, and Bobby, Jack, and Cliff
And I was the last one on your list
[Chorus]
The footsteps at the door can mean just one thing
Someone else has been a fool for you
One more guy who wants to tell his story
One more guy who knows what we've been through
Oh, yes we're ten lonely guys with ten broken hearts
We thought your lies were true
Yes, we're just ten lonely guys with tears in our eyes
And tonight we'll set a chair for someone new
In Pat Boone's song Ten Lonely Guys, we witness a group of ten men who have been jilted by a woman they all once loved. Every night they gather together to talk about her and reminisce about the times when she was still in their lives. They sit around with heavy hearts because they are still in love with her, even though they know they should move on. The chorus of the song speaks to the deep pain each man feels. They are ten lonely guys with ten broken hearts and tears in their eyes.
As the song progresses, we learn that each of the ten men had their own special moments with the woman. Eddie was the first to hold her, Jerry was the first to taste her kiss and so on. Boone lists each of the men's names and their special moment with the woman, which makes the listener feel as though they are getting to know every person in this sad group. The song ends with a somber note, as the men prepare for the arrival of another fool who has fallen for the same woman.
Overall, Ten Lonely Guys is a poignant look at the aftermath of a woman's string of heartbreaks. It shows the devastation that can occur when someone plays with the hearts of others. Boone does an excellent job creating a sense of camaraderie between the ten men, while also giving each of them their own place in the story.
Line by Line Meaning
Each night we meet and talk about you
We gather each evening to remember you and chat about the things you used to do.
Reminisce about the things you used to do
We remember and discuss the actions and moments we shared with you.
We just sit around broken-hearted
We spend our time moping and feeling sad about what has happened.
'Cause all of us are still in love with you
We are all still deeply in love with you despite what has happened.
Oh, yes we're ten lonely guys with ten broken hearts
All ten of us are feeling lonely and heartbroken.
We thought your lies were true
We believed what you told us, even if it was not the truth.
Yes, we're just ten lonely guys with tears in our eyes
We are ten men with sad and teary eyes.
Ten lonely guys who still love you
We are still in love with you, even though we are lonely now.
Eddie was the first one to hold you
Eddie was the first guy to hug you.
Jerry was the first to taste your kiss
Jerry was the first to experience your love.
Then came Johnny, Stan, Richie, Neal, and Bobby, Jack, and Cliff
After Jerry, Johnny, Stan, Richie, Neal, Bobby, Jack and Cliff all fell for you in succession.
And I was the last one on your list
I was the last man to experience your love.
The footsteps at the door can mean just one thing
When we hear footsteps at the door, we already know what it means.
Someone else has been a fool for you
Another man has made the mistake of loving and trusting you as we did.
One more guy who wants to tell his story
Another person who wants to explain how he fell for you.
One more guy who knows what we've been through
Another man who understands how we feel because he is going through the same thing.
And tonight we'll set a chair for someone new
Tonight, we'll have a chair waiting for the next man who falls for you and becomes one of us.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB FELDMAN, CLIFFORD ADAMS, EDDIE SNYDER, JERRY GOLDSTEIN, LOCKIE JR EDWARDS, RICHARD GOTTEHRER, WES FARRELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind