Ray Peterson was born in Denton, Texas. Blessed with a 4-octave singing voice, he idolized the vocal sounds of fellow Texan, Roy Orbison. Peterson moved to Los Angeles, California where he was signed by RCA Victor Records in 1957. He recorded several songs that were minor hits until "The Wonder of You" made it into the Billboard Top Thirty list. The song would later be recorded by Elvis Presley with whom he became close friends.
In 1960 Ray Peterson scored a Top 10 hit with "Tell Laura I Love Her," and followed that success with "Corrina, Corrina, and I Could Have Loved You So Well." By the mid-1960s he had become something of a phenomenon on the west coast of the United States, appearing live in numerous rock concerts with Paul McCartney lookalike, Keith Allison.
His performances at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, produced by Fred Vail, beginning in 1963 helped fuel a revival of "The Wonder of You" as well as launch his new relationship with MGM Records, an alliance that produced two albums, "The Very Best of Ray Peterson" featuring most of the Dunes singles, and "The Other Side of Ray Peterson", which included many of his nightclub songs. He later moved to Nashville, Tennessee and by the 1970s when the hit records stopped coming, Peterson became a Baptist Church minister and occasionally played the oldies music circuit.
Ray Peterson died of cancer in 2005 in Smyrna, Tennessee and was interred in the Roselawn Memorial Gardens cemetery in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Suddenly
Ray Peterson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm breaking past the lies
It's something magical
We outta say a lullaby
Into the pain I go
Say our last goodbye
Suddenly
Outside the lines
Open up to disaster
And paradise
We're standing on the edge
Then suddenly
I'm breaking past the lies
It's something magical
We outta say a lullaby
Into the pain I go
Say our last goodbye
Suddenly
Where should I go?
I cannot be the one I see in magazines
Then suddenly
I'm breaking past the lies
It's something magical
We outta say a lullaby
Into the pain I go
Say our last goodbye
Suddenly
The song "Suddenly" by Ray Peterson is a reflective piece about breaking away from societal expectations and finding one's own path. The opening lines "Then suddenly, I'm breaking past the lies" suggest that the singer has had an epiphany about the falsehood of conforming to other people's expectations. They have a sense of the magical and transformative power of this realization, and want to sing a lullaby to ease the pain of the past as they move forward.
The second verse speaks to the struggle of living life within the boundaries drawn by others. The singer is "tired of living the straight life" and wants to open themselves up to both the disasters and the paradise that comes with living more authentically. The image of standing on the edge suggests that this liberation is both thrilling and scary.
Despite this sense of risk, the chorus returns to the confidence in the self-discovery and transformation that has taken place. The repetition of the word "suddenly" emphasizes the suddenness of the revelation and the speed with which the singer is moving away from the old way of being. This is a song about taking risks, finding oneself, and committing to the new path, all in the pursuit of greater authenticity.
Line by Line Meaning
Then suddenly
At this moment, everything changes and takes a new form.
I'm breaking past the lies
I'm shedding off previous deceptions and coming closer to truth.
It's something magical
The experience is extraordinary and impossible to comprehend.
We outta say a lullaby
We should put all concerns to rest and live in the moment.
Into the pain I go
I'm ready for the difficulties that'll come my way.
Say our last goodbye
Bracing ourselves for a final separation from something or someone dear.
Tired of living the straight life
Exhausted from repeating the same pattern and constantly living within fixed boundaries.
Outside the lines
Venturing outside of established restrictions and seeking new possibilities.
Open up to disaster
Inviting trouble and facing the consequences of it.
And paradise
But also remaining open to the possibility of unexpected joy.
We're standing on the edge
We're right on the brink of something huge, unsure of which way to go.
Where should I go?
Unsure of the path one should take in life.
I cannot be the one I see in magazines
Realizing that the glamorous and perfect life depicted in media is just an illusion.
Contributed by James O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sarahmcalpine2058
This is one my favorites -signed Ray's daughter ❤
@dennislawless3563
Mine to, absolute legend
@wernerstoll6429
Wow , höre Ray mit diesem Lied das erste Mal . Gänsehaut !!
@eshejh
Beautiful. What a great voice and great song. Ray you have one of the best voices, ever.
@chaukwok-kaypaul7184
One of the evergreen songs by Ray Peterson! It's a pity I lost this EP when I moved to new house ten years ago!
@MariaVarjasneKiss
Ő tudott énekelni,, köszönet a szép dalokért Ray
@chaukwok-kaypaul7184
Both songs titled "Suddenly" by Ray Peterson and Mark Dinning are beautiful songs! One is wild and free, while the other is soft and gentle!
@rubbing2001
Original Doo-Wop from 1958, smooth, outstanding.
@rebeccad5988
WONDERFUL Thank you :)
@shatinterry
@yankeeclipper2 You are right Yankee, a very wide singing range, can reach so high ....thanks for pointing out, made our listening more interesting....