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.
I Remember Last Night
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Working at my job
My body's been aching from the hours on the line
Struggling at my job
And when the day ends and I get off
I feel so weak and I feel so tired, so tired
But when I get home I'm gonna change my clothes
I'm gonna go out tonight
Oh, I remember last night
The door flew open
The nightclub air hit my face
My heart went racin'
When the wild night heat took my breath away
And it was cold outside
But the place was on fire
Someday I live with a fire in my heart
Like a sickness came over me
Sometimes I feel so empty inside
From the day to day monotony
And in the morning when I get up
I feel so weak, so so uninspired
But when the sun goes down
There's a magic in the mood
There's a promise in the air at night
I know it's gonna be alright
Just like it was last night
When the door flew open
The nightclub air hit my face
My heart went racin'
When the wild night heat took my breath away
And it was cold outside
But the place, the place was on fire
I could feel the fire
But if this fire's ever cool
On these weekend nights
I'm gonna have to fan the flames
I got to keep the night alive
It's the only way I can survive
The door flew open
The nightclub air hit my face
My heart went racin'
When the wild night heat took my breath away
And it was cold outside
But the place was on fire
The place was on fire
I could feel the fire
In "One Night," Southside Johnny is singing about getting off work after a long hard week and going out to party. He's feeling drained and uninspired, but when night falls, he knows there's a certain magic in the air, and he feels energized and alive. This song is about letting go of stress and responsibilities, and indulging in the excitement of the nightlife. When he enters the nightclub, he feels the rush of the music, and the heat and the energy of the crowd electrify him. He asserts that he must keep this fire burning in order to survive the mundanity of day-to-day life. This song is simply about finding joy in letting loose, reclaiming youth and energy, and indulging in pure pleasure.
Line by Line Meaning
Well all week long I've been working so hard
I have been toiling at my job throughout the entire week
Working at my job
I am putting in effort at my place of employment
My body's been aching from the hours on the line
I am experiencing physical discomfort due to the extended periods of work
Struggling at my job
I am facing challenges and difficulties in keeping up with the demands of my job
And when the day ends and I get off
After finishing work for the day
I feel so weak and I feel so tired, so tired
I am physically and mentally exhausted
But when I get home I'm gonna change my clothes
Upon arriving home, I will freshen up and change my clothing
I'm gonna go out tonight
I plan to venture out for the night
Just like I did it last night
Similar to my actions from the previous night
Oh, I remember last night
Recollecting events from the previous night
The door flew open
The entryway suddenly swung open
The nightclub air hit my face
The atmosphere of the nightclub greeted me as I entered
My heart went racin'
My heart began beating faster
When the wild night heat took my breath away
Being overwhelmed by the intense sensations of the lively night atmosphere
And it was cold outside
Despite the chilly outdoor temperature
But the place was on fire
The energy of the place was overwhelmingly exciting
Someday I live with a fire in my heart
Expressing desires to have a passionate existence
Like a sickness came over me
The yearning for an exciting life feels like a disease affecting me
Sometimes I feel so empty inside
At times, I feel incomplete and unfulfilled
From the day to day monotony
Feeling the monotonous daily routine weighing on my spirit
And in the morning when I get up
Upon waking up in the morning
I feel so weak, so so uninspired
After sleeping, I still feel drained and lacking motivation
But when the sun goes down
As evening approaches
There's a magic in the mood
A certain mystical feeling in the air
There's a promise in the air at night
The nighttime carries a feeling of possibility
I know it's gonna be alright
Having a sense of confidence in the future
But if this fire's ever cool
In the event that my passion diminishes
On these weekend nights
During the weekend evenings
I'm gonna have to fan the flames
I will have to reignite my excitement and passion
I got to keep the night alive
I need to keep the liveliness and vibrancy of the nighttime going
The place was on fire
The energy of the place was overwhelmingly exciting
I could feel the fire
My spirit and passion were ignited
Lyrics © TUNECORE INC, TuneCore Inc.
Written by: ALAN S. BERGER, JOHN DAVID LYON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Christopher Eaton
I love this album. Wore out the tape. Yeah, I'm old. Wasn't old then though.
Dave Pearen
You're not old with music in You're heart
Bill Burkett
Needs a good video to bring it to life!
DRMWVR
When The Door Blew Open...