Roe was raised in Atlanta, Georgia where he attended Brown High School and was part of band. Greatly influenced by the sounds of the late Buddy Holly, Tommy Roe developed a unique style that, combined with his All-American clean-cut image, made him a popular musical performer throughout the 1960s. In April of 1961 he became a father to daughter Cynthia; he has 3 grandchildren.
Roe had a Billboard No.1 hit record hit in the United States and in Australia in 1962 with the song, "Sheila" and the following year scored two Top 10 hits with "Everybody" and the critically acclaimed "The Folk Singer" written by Merle Kilgore. Following the enormously successful tour of the United Kingdom by friend Roy Orbison, Tommy Roe toured there and then moved to England where he lived for several years. In 1965, he and Jerry Lee Lewis combined with Orbison to create an LP for the Pickwick International label. During the 1960s, he had several more top forty hits. In 1969, his song "Dizzy" went to No.1 on the UK Singles Chart as well as to Billboard's No.1 in the USA. His final Top 40 single was "Jam Up and Jelly Tight" in 1970.
A resident of Beverly Hills, California, Roe is married to Josette Banzet, an actress from France who won a Golden Globe Award for best supporting for her performance in the 1976 television mini-series, Rich Man, Poor Man. His daughter Cynthia still resides in Georgia with her family.
In 1986, Tommy Roe was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Although his style of music declined in popularity with the 1970s mass market, Tommy Roe maintained a following and continued to perform at a variety of concert venues, sometimes with sixties nostalgia rock and rollers such as Freddy Cannon and Bobby Vee.
Partial discography (singles)
* "Sheila" (1962)
* "Everybody" (1963)
* "The Folk Singer" (1963)
* "Sweet Pea" (1966)
* "Hooray for Hazel" (1966)
* "Dizzy" (1969)
* "Jack And Jill" (1969)
* "Jam Up and Jelly Tight" (1970)
Sweet Pea
Tommy Roe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come on, come on, come on and dance with me
Oh sweet pea won't you be my girl
Won't you, won't you, won't you be my girl
I went to a dance just the other night
I saw a girl there she was out of sight
I asked a friend of mine who she could be
Oh sweet pea come on and dance with me
Come on, come on, come on and dance with me
Oh sweet pea won't you be my girl
Won't you, won't you, won't you be my girl
I walked on over and asked her to dance
Thinkin' maybe later we would make a romance
But every guy there was thinkin' like me
I had to stand in line to get a dance with sweet pea
Oh sweet pea come on and dance with me
Come on, come on, come on and dance with me
Oh sweet pea won't you be my girl
Won't you, won't you, won't you be my girl
I finally got to whisper sweet words in her ear
Suggest her that we outta get away from there
We took a little walk I held he close to me
And underneath the stars I said to sweet pea
Oh sweet pea I love you can't you see
Love you, love you, love you can't you see
Oh sweet pea won't you be my girl
Tommy Roe's song "Sweet Pea" is a love song that tells the story of the singer's infatuation with a girl named Sweet Pea. The song starts off with the singer inviting Sweet Pea to dance with him, emphasising his request by repeating it three times. He then declares his desire for her to be his girl, once again repeating the phrase three times.
The second verse of the song talks about how the singer saw Sweet Pea for the first time at a dance and was struck by her beauty. He had to ask his friend who she was and found out she was known as Sweet Pea. The third verse talks about the singer's attempt to get closer to Sweet Pea, but he found that he was in a long line of other guys who also wanted to dance with her. Despite this, he manages to get a dance with her and even gets to whisper in her ear.
The song ends with the singer taking a walk with Sweet Pea and expressing his love for her under the stars. The song is upbeat and joyful, and the lyrics capture the excitement and nervousness of falling in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh sweet pea come on and dance with me
The singer wants Sweet Pea to dance with him enthusiastically.
Come on, come on, come on and dance with me
The singer encourages Sweet Pea to dance with him and have some fun.
Oh sweet pea won't you be my girl
The singer really likes Sweet Pea and he wants her to be his girlfriend.
Won't you, won't you, won't you be my girl
The singer is asking Sweet Pea to consider being his girlfriend and give him a chance.
I went to a dance just the other night
The singer is describing his experience at a recent dance party.
I saw a girl there she was out of sight
The singer noticed a girl at the party who looked extraordinarily beautiful.
I asked a friend of mine who she could be
The singer asked his friend if he knew who the girl was.
He said that her friends just call her sweet pea
The friend tells the singer that the girl's nickname is Sweet Pea.
I walked on over and asked her to dance
The singer approached Sweet Pea and invited her to dance with him.
Thinkin' maybe later we would make a romance
The singer hoped that something more might develop between him and Sweet Pea if they danced together.
But every guy there was thinkin' like me
The singer realizes that he's not the only one who wants to dance with Sweet Pea and make a move on her.
I had to stand in line to get a dance with sweet pea
The singer had to wait in line to get a chance to dance with Sweet Pea, as there were many other guys interested in her.
I finally got to whisper sweet words in her ear
The singer finally has Sweet Pea's attention and he says something nice to her.
Suggest her that we outta get away from there
The singer proposes that they leave the dance to be alone together.
We took a little walk I held he close to me
The singer and Sweet Pea go for a walk, and he puts his arm around her.
And underneath the stars I said to sweet pea
The singer speaks to Sweet Pea again, this time under the stars.
Oh sweet pea I love you can't you see
The singer confesses his feelings to Sweet Pea, telling her that he loves her.
Love you, love you, love you can't you see
The singer emphasizes how much he loves Sweet Pea and hopes that she feels the same way about him.
Oh sweet pea won't you be my girl
The singer repeats his request for Sweet Pea to be his girlfriend.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: TOMMY ROE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind