Both motion pictures played on cowboy themes, even though only one – “Butch Cassidy” (starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman) – was actually about cowboys.
More than a few people have mistaken Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid for Midnight Cowboy, the other legendary, Oscar-winning buddy film released in 1969. Perhaps another source of confusion for people half a century removed from the popularity of “Raindrops” could be the film from which the song came. Thomas had chosen to go by his initials because, reportedly, there were so many other kids in his baseball little league whose names were also Billy Joe, that he wanted to stand out and avoid confusion. It’s worth pointing out here that, as a child, B.J. that week: Billy Joe Royal, whose “Cherry Hill Park” was descending the survey at No. I don’t need to point out the irony of that title.Īnd speaking of Billy Joe, there was another one in the top 40 with B.J. 40.Īs an interesting side note, the two most popular versions of Bacharach/David’s “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” were Warwick’s hit and one by country singer Bobby Gentry, whose own biggest hit had been “Ode to Billie Joe” just two years earlier. 1 while Bacharach/David’s “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” placed at No. 3, 1970, where “Raindrops” reigned at No. Scepter filed for bankruptcy and folded in 1976. Thomas and Dionne Warwick while both were with the label. Separately, Burt Bacharach and Hal David would later sue Scepter Records and win back-payments for royalties earned and the rights for recordings they made with B.J. hit the top with “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song” on the ABC label in 1975, after a similar three-year chart drought following his departure from Scepter. 1 with her comeback single “Then Came You” (with the Spinners) on Atlantic Records in 1974, marking a return to prominence three years after she had cut ties with Scepter.
When the two label mates left Scepter, their careers took a significant downturn until both were revived a few years later with mid-1970s chart-toppers.įirst, Dionne hit No. Thomas, each of whom recorded hit songs by Bacharach/David for Scepter Records until 19, respectively. There’s a legendary parallelism regarding Dionne Warwick and B.J. It’s rare that a songwriting twosome has songs bookending the top-40 by two different artists, but such was the case on this particular Jan. 40 with the final top-10 song they wrote for Dionne Warwick, “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again.” While the two songwriters were represented at the top of the chart with BJ’s hit, they were also anchoring the bottom at No. 1 hit.įirst, it’s already been noted that “Raindrops” was penned by the legendary partnership of composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David. It is in tribute to the late singer that the blog looks back on that historic top-40 list where he achieved his first No. Thomas, born Billy Joe Thomas in August 1942, died Saturday at age 78 after a long battle with lung cancer. It was a Billboard chart brimming with historical weight, unique coincidences, and symbolic beginnings and endings that – more than half a century later – read like a chapter out of “The Big Book of Irony” by Jon Winokur.Īlso, for most of us 50-something year-olds, it was the song that ushered in the decade of our youth, the decade where many of us began to come of age, and when many of us first realized our undying love of music.īefore I go further, I must note that it is with deep sadness that the blog is covering this, as B.J. Thomas’ “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” is the very chart that it presided over when it ascended to the top, particularly the top-40 portion. 1 songs indeed.īut what’s also special about B.J. 1 “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” the 1960s by Marty Robbins’ “El Paso,” the 1980s by KC & the Sunshine Band’s “Please Don’t Go,” and the ‘90s by Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You”…all classic, decade-beginning No. For instance, the 1950s were launched by Gene Autry’s No. He was 78.īy that very notion, any song that kicks off a new decade at the top of the charts is by definition special, especially those that did it during the 20th century. Singer BJ Thomas died of lung cancer on Saturday, May 29, 2021. 3) and, in doing so, forever etched its place in pop music history. It moved to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated Janu(covering the week of Decem– Jan. The ukulele-infused, metaphorically titled tune that soundtracked one of the most memorable moments in that film also had the distinction of being the first No. Thomas perfectly sang “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head,” the Burt Bacharach/Hal David tune he contributed to the film Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, that made the song so special.