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.
You Mean So Much To Me
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or an old time friend, I haven't seen in so long
When she sings to me it's like a robin's song
She can be so sweet (she can sing so sweet)
No, she won't do me no wrong
When he comes to me in the dark of night
I'm scared and lonely, he can make it alright
I cry, oh daddy, please don't let this little girl go
You mean so much to me baby
You know you're drivin' me crazy
You mean so much to me baby
Oh, I want you for my girl
Oh yes I do
Sometimes she's like a baby playing with a toy
Sometimes she's so much woman
She makes me feel like a little boy
When she comes to me and she's all alone
I cry, hey baby, please don't do me no wrong
(And she cries, oh daddy, make me strong)
And that's when
She means so much to me baby
(You mean so much to me baby)
You know you're drivin' me crazy
You mean so much to me baby
Oh, I want you for my girl (guy)
Oh baby, I love you so, yes I do
Oh baby, don't ever let me go, oh no, no
When I wake up in the morning and you're by my side
I know we got a love that will never die
In the cool of the evening, when you give me that sign
You know I ain't leavin', oh we got a love so fine
You mean so much to me baby
You know you're drivin' me crazy
You mean so much to me baby
Oh I want you for my, mmmm, baby
Oh I want you for my, oh, baby
I want you for my girl
The lyrics to "You Mean So Much to Me" by Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes express a deep longing for love and companionship. The singer describes his partner as someone who brings him comfort, joy, and strength. When she comes to him, he compares her to a childhood song or an old friend. Her voice is sweet like a robin's and she never does him wrong. When he comes to her in the dark of night, he feels scared and lonely but she makes everything alright with her soft and comforting voice. When she is vulnerable and cries, he wants to be there to make her strong.
The chorus repeats the sentiment that she means so much to him and that he is "driven crazy" by her. Sometimes she is like a baby playing with a toy, but other times she is a powerful woman who makes him feel like a little boy. The love between them is so strong that it will never die, even as they wake up in the morning and give each other a sign that they will never leave.
Overall, the lyrics to "You Mean So Much to Me" are about the deep bonds of love and the comfort that a partner can bring in times of joy and sorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
When she comes to me, like a childhood song
Her presence is comforting and nostalgic
Or an old time friend, I haven't seen in so long
She's easy to be around and feels familiar
When she sings to me it's like a robin's song
Her voice is beautiful and calming
She can be so sweet (she can sing so sweet)
She has a kind and pleasant nature
No, she won't do me no wrong
She'll never intentionally hurt me
When he comes to me in the dark of night
His presence is comforting when I'm scared
I'm scared and lonely, he can make it alright
He has the power to ease my fears and loneliness
When he sings to me, soft and low
His voice is soothing and calming
I cry, oh daddy, please don't let this little girl go
I feel vulnerable and need his protection
You mean so much to me baby
You're incredibly important to me
You know you're drivin' me crazy
You have a powerful effect on my emotions
Oh, I want you for my girl
I want to be in a relationship with you
Sometimes she's like a baby playing with a toy
She can be playful and carefree
Sometimes she's so much woman
She can also be sensual and mature
She makes me feel like a little boy
She has the power to make me feel young and innocent
When she comes to me and she's all alone
She trusts and relies on me
I cry, hey baby, please don't do me no wrong
I don't want her to betray me or hurt me
And she cries, oh daddy, make me strong
She seeks my reassurance and support
Oh baby, I love you so, yes I do
I have strong feelings of love for her
Oh baby, don't ever let me go, oh no, no
I want to be with her forever
When I wake up in the morning and you're by my side
I feel content and happy when I'm with her
I know we got a love that will never die
Our relationship is strong and enduring
In the cool of the evening, when you give me that sign
We have a special way of communicating without words
You know I ain't leavin', oh we got a love so fine
I'm committed to our relationship because it's special and unique
Oh I want you for my, mmmm, baby
I desire her and want to be with her
Oh I want you for my, oh, baby
I want to be in a relationship with her
I want you for my girl
I want a romantic relationship with her
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David DiCarlo
Rest in Peace, Ronnie. ♥ you will be heard forever
Mark Salamack
RIP Ronnie...what a nice voice to hear
bill b
Great song Ronnie will be missed
Carlos
Tema de Bruce Springsteen para Johnny y Ronnie ¡¡¡vaya tres!!!!
Descansa en paz y gracias eterneas por tu música.
Myriaddsystems
She's got an effortlessly fab voice
Danny Boyle
Two amazing voices.i,m in heaven.
ostrich67
This is a great song! Ronnie and Johhny! :) Doesn't get much better than this!
Peter Gerstenzang
That's lovely. It's just so sweet. Rock on!
chev39rsh
Go Ronnie. I liked her dynamics. Surely will be missed.
irresistablejewel
Thx for posting... been looking for this track ever since vinyl was outlawed.