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.
Next to You
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes Lyrics
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But I still take that one sweet ride
Baby, when I can
The same old faces I despise
Coming 'round here tellin' lies
Sayin' they understand
I'm trying to make it, baby, but it's no good
I wouldn't give the satisfaction even if I could
Well there's nothing that I wouldn't do
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To get next to you
The money came, the money went
And all the time, baby, we knew it wouldn't last too long
You spent your life on easy street
Well that's one game I never beat
You know, on me it always looked so wrong
You can't walk away, baby, without getting scarred
I want it so badly, I'm trying too hard
Well there's nothing that I wouldn't do
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To get next to you
You say there's nothing left to believe in
That somehow it wasn't meant to be
Oh don't you believe in me?
Oh, baby, there is nothing that I wouldn't do
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To get next to you
Oh, I gotta get next to you, girl
Baby, I gotta get next to you
Honey there's nothing, nothing I wouldn't do
Oh, baby, I got to, got to, got to get next to you, girl
The lyrics of "Next to You" by Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes is about a situation when the singer is struggling to move on from a breakup. He sings about the pain he feels when he visits the familiar places where he shared memories with his lover. He hates seeing the same old faces that come around telling lies and trying to sympathize with him. He is trying to make it on his own, but nothing seems to work. He is desperate to get back with his lover and would do anything to make it happen. The singer is asking his lover not to give up on him and to believe in their love once again.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a man who is struggling with heartbreak and is determined to win back his lover. The line, "You can't walk away, baby, without getting scarred," suggests that the singer is aware of the risks involved in pursuing his lover's affection. However, he is willing to take the risk because he cannot imagine living without her. The song's chorus "There's nothing that I wouldn't do to get next to you" highlights the singer's desperation to be reunited with his lover.
Overall, "Next to You" is a poignant and powerful song about the complexities of love and loss. The lyrics are relatable to anyone who has struggled with a broken heart and the pain of separation.
Line by Line Meaning
The same old places hurt inside
I feel uncomfortable and in pain when I visit familiar places due to past experiences.
But I still take that one sweet ride
Despite my discomfort, I continue to make the journey because of my love for you.
Baby, when I can
My affection for you is a driving force in my decisions, even when it's difficult.
The same old faces I despise
People who have betrayed me in the past keep coming back, and it angers me.
Coming 'round here tellin' lies
These people pretend they understand and have good intentions, but they are deceitful.
Sayin' they understand
They claim to empathize with me, but they are not truthful.
I'm trying to make it, baby, but it's no good
I'm doing my best to move on, but it's not working out as I had hoped.
I wouldn't give the satisfaction even if I could
I refuse to let those who have wronged me see me falter or give me the satisfaction of knowing they got to me.
Well there's nothing that I wouldn't do
I am willing to go to great lengths for you.
To get next to you
My ultimate goal is to be with you, no matter what it takes.
The money came, the money went
I had financial success at one point, but it was short-lived.
And all the time, baby, we knew it wouldn't last too long
We both knew that the financial success I had was temporary.
You spent your life on easy street
You have always had an easier life than I have, with more financial stability.
Well that's one game I never beat
I have never been able to achieve the same level of financial stability as you.
You know, on me it always looked so wrong
It seems unfair that I have struggled financially while you have had an easier time.
You can't walk away, baby, without getting scarred
If you were to leave me, it would cause me emotional pain.
I want it so badly, I'm trying too hard
My desperation to be with you is causing me to put in too much effort.
You say there's nothing left to believe in
You have lost faith in love and relationships.
That somehow it wasn't meant to be
You feel that our relationship was not meant to work out.
Oh don't you believe in me?
I am asking you to have faith in me and our relationship.
Oh, baby, there is nothing that I wouldn't do
I am emphasizing the depth of my commitment to you.
Oh, I gotta get next to you, girl
Being with you is my top priority.
Baby, I gotta get next to you
I am determined to make our relationship work.
Honey there's nothing, nothing I wouldn't do
I am willing to do anything to be with you and prove my love.
Oh, baby, I got to, got to, got to get next to you, girl
I am expressing my urgency to be with you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVEN VAN ZANDT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind