Southside Johnny (real name John Lyon, born December 4, 1948 in Neptune, New Jersey) is an American singer, harmonica player, and songwriter, who usually fronts his band The Asbury Jukes.
Lyon grew up in Ocean Grove, New Jersey and graduated from Neptune High School. As an artist, Southside Johnny first achieved prominence in the mid-1970s as the second act to emerge from the Jersey Shore music scene and be considered part of the Jersey Shore sound, following Bruce Springsteen. Southside's first three albums, I Don't Want to Go Home (1976), This Time It's For Real (1977), and Hearts of Stone (1978), were Stax-influenced R&B arranged and produced by the co-founder of the band and Springsteen confederate Steven Van Zandt and largely featured songs written by Van Zandt and/or Springsteen. The Van Zandt-written "I Don't Want To Go Home" became Southside's signature song, an evocative mixture of horn-based melodic riffs and sentimental lyrics. Other notable songs included "The Fever","Talk to Me," "This Time It's For Real," "Love on the Wrong Side of Town," and the definitive version of Springsteen's " Hearts of Stone."
Southside has long been considered the Grandfather of "the New Jersey Sound." Jon bon Jovi has acknowledged Southside as "his reason for singing."
In 1982 the Rolling Stone Magazine voted the album Hearts of Stone among the top 100 albums of the 70's and 80's.
Cast under Springsteen's long shadow, national commercial success eluded Southside and the Jukes, and in 1979 they were dropped by their record company. Now working without Van Zandt, they released The Jukes in 1979 and Love is a Sacrifice in 1980. Neither of these achieved much success either. The band's first official live release also came out in 1980, the double album Reach Up and Touch the Sky.
During the 1980s Southside Johnny's recording contracts continued to change almost by album, but he continued to release records: Trash It Up (1983), a disco influenced album written by Billy Rush and produced by Nile Rodgers; In the Heat (1984) an album trying to reach out to "Adult Oriented Radio"; and At Least We Got Shoes (1986) where guitarist and Jersey shore fixture Bobby Bandiera, who often plays a custom guitar built by First Act Guitars took over songwriting and guitar work from Billy Rush and led the Asbury Jukes back to their original sound. Songwriting credits on At Least We Got Shoes also contain a song co-written by Bandiera and singer Patti Scialfa, who was known as a Jukes collaborator since the 1980 album Love is a Sacrifice and who became a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band in 1984.
In 1988 Southside Johnny released his first solo record Slow Dance containing ballads and love songs, but also "Little Calcutta" which is still discussed as Southside's most political song of his career, describing the life and environment of the homeless in New York City.
More record label switches, Jukes personnel changes, tours and club dates followed.
Jukes' recording career was re-launched with the album Better Days (1991), which featured production by Van Zandt, songs by Springsteen, and vocal performances from Van Zandt, Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. With Bobby Bandiera driving the band, the Jukes were gaining new energy for a world wide tour supporting the album. But once again, Southside Johnny's bad luck with the industry was shown when the record label went bankrupt while the tour was still rolling.
Southside performed the theme song for the 1990s sitcom Dave's World, a cover of Billy Joel's "You May Be Right."
Southside eventually relocated to Nashville taking a break from the music business. A few members of the Asbury Jukes would end up being part of The Max Weinberg 7 on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien television show, while some others went on tour and into the recording studio with artists like Jon Bon Jovi, Mink DeVille, Graham Parker, Robert Cray.
In 1998 Southside Johnny came back into the spotlight with an independent release titled Spittin' Fire, a live record with a semi-acoustic Jukes lineup released in France containing a 20 song set recorded during a series of 10 shows at the "Chesterfield Café" in Paris, France.
After a decade without a record contract Southside finally founded his own record label in 2001 under the name of Leroy Records, and started releasing and distributing his new records fully under his own control: Messin' with the Blues (2000), Going to Jukesville (2002), Missing Pieces (2004), Into the Harbour (2005).
Southside continues to perform, and maintains substantial audience followings in some regions of the U.S., such as New Jersey, New York, northeast Ohio, and abroad, in the UK and continental Europe, as 2002's Live At The Opera House DVD, filmed at a sell-out performance in Newcastle upon Tyne, demonstrates. As of 2005, he resides on the Delaware Bay. His annual appearances at Springsteen's Asbury Park holiday shows draw as much crowd excitement as Springsteen himself.
FEVER
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I turn on my TV
But I can't keep my mind on the show
When I lay down at night,
I don't get no sleep
So I turn on the radio
But lord, the only thing I hear
Is you whisp'rin' in my ear
Well now the days grow longer,
My love grows stronger
And the fever gets worse every day
I got the fever for this girl
He's got the fever, oh he's got the fever,
Nothing that a boy can do
When he's got the fever for a girl
He's got the fever, oh he's got the fever
Left this little boy blue
I can remember coming home,
See you standing at the stove
With the dishes on the table,
Dinner ready to go
Well maybe out to a movie show
Something that you like to see
Because you were my sun in the morning,
You were my moon at night
When I think about you, makes me feel alright
Well now the days grow longer,
The love just grows stronger
And the fever gets so bad at night
He's got the fever, oh he's got the fever,
Nothing that a boy can do
When he's got the fever for a girl
He's got the fever, oh he's got the fever
Left this little boy blue
All right
The lyrics of "The Fever" by Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes describe the powerful effect of love on the singer. Regardless of what he does, he cannot stop thinking about his lover. He tries to distract himself with TV and radio, but nothing works. The only thing he hears is the voice of his lover whispering in his ear, reminding him of their past and the things she used to say. As time goes on, his love for her grows stronger, and the fever he feels for her intensifies. He remembers the times they spent together, the meals she cooked for him, the movies they watched, and how much he depended on her as his sun in the morning and his moon at night.
The lyrics of the song feature a bluesy tone, and the repeated phrases in the chorus, "He's got the fever, oh he's got the fever," underscore the obsession and longing described in the verses. The song captures the experience of being consumed by love and unable to escape it, even when it becomes overwhelming.
Line by Line Meaning
When I get home from my job,
After finishing work, he turns on his TV to relax.
I turn on my TV
He switches on his television set.
But I can't keep my mind on the show
He is unable to focus on the program he is watching.
When I lay down at night,
At night, when he goes to bed, he cannot sleep.
I don't get no sleep
He does not get any sleep.
So I turn on the radio
He switches to the radio to help him sleep.
But lord, the only thing I hear
The only thing he can hear is something that reminds him of the one he loves.
Is you whisp'rin' in my ear
Her whisper reverberates in his heart.
Them words that you used to say
The words she spoke to him previously.
Well now the days grow longer,
As time passes, the pain of separation intensifies.
My love grows stronger
His love for her only grows deeper.
And the fever gets worse every day
His craving for her grows stronger with each passing day.
I got the fever for this girl
He has a strong desire for this woman.
He's got the fever, oh he's got the fever,
He has a strong craving for her.
Nothing that a boy can do
He is so consumed with love that he is helpless to do anything else.
When he's got the fever for a girl
When he is obsessed with his love for her.
Left this little boy blue
He is saddened and has lost hope.
I can remember coming home,
He reminisces about returning home.
See you standing at the stove
He imagines her standing at the stove.
With the dishes on the table,
The table is set and ready for dinner.
Dinner ready to go
Dinner is cooked and ready for consumption.
Well, maybe out to a movie show
Perhaps, after dinner, they would go out for a movie or a show.
Something that you like to see
It would be something that she enjoys watching.
Because you were my sun in the morning,
She enlightens his day like the sun.
You were my moon at night
She provides him with peace in the dark like the moon at night.
When I think about you, makes me feel alright
Thinking about her soothes him and makes him feel better.
The love just grows stronger
His love for her continues to flourish.
And the fever gets so bad at night
His obsession with her is at its peak at night.
All right
An expression conveying agreement or enthusiasm.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@johnnyzell7661
When I get home from my job,
I turn on my TV
But I can't keep my mind on the show
When I lay down at night,
I don't get no sleep
So I turn on the radio
But lord, the only thing I hear
Is you whisp'rin' in my ear
Them words that you used to say
Well now the days grow longer,
My love grows stronger
And the fever gets worse every day
I got the fever for this girl
He's got the fever, oh he's got the fever,
Nothing that a boy can do
When he's got the fever for a girl
He's got the fever, oh he's got the fever
Left this little boy blue
I can remember coming home,
See you standing at the stove
With the dishes on the table,
Dinner ready to go
Well maybe out to a movie show
Something that you like to see
Because you were my sun in the morning,
You were my moon at night
When I think about you, makes me feel alright
Well now the days grow longer,
The love just grows stronger
And the fever gets so bad at night
He's got the fever, oh he's got the fever,
Nothing that a boy can do
When he's got the fever for a girl
He's got the fever, oh he's got the fever
Left this little boy blue
All right
@barbaracerbo1200
LOVE this group!!!!Love this song!!!!!If this doesn't get your blood flowing you are not alive!!! Lots of great memories attached to this song!!!!!
@lilyofthevalley5586
Yeah, me and my buds staying in a rented summer home in Asbury Park and watching them in concert. I miss those days.
@gbestates
This is a truly great song. Southside Johnny and Jukes knock it out of the park!
@nonawolf7495
What a voice... those were the days.
@baillar100
This performance has really stood the test of time. Just stellar.
@gwynenglishnielsen8596
Bruce's songs are ubiquitous. Glad that the Jukes captured the essence of this one.
@ianwalters1039
Loved Southside from the first time I heard him on Brisbane university radio. Bought the above albumn immediately (vinyl). Am amazed that he has not been recognized as a mega star. I love him.
@sjoh104041
One of the most underrated bands to come out of New Jersey.
@raymondnewby3323
@Professor Horatio F. Melonhead kool and the gang,the shirelles,my chemical romance ,the sugarhill gang,fugees
@rogerray1853
I saw them twice and I caught his hat both times