Charles Arthur "Charlie" Feathers (June 12, 1932 – August 29, 1998) was an … Read Full Bio ↴Charles Arthur "Charlie" Feathers (June 12, 1932 – August 29, 1998) was an influential American rockabilly and country music performer.

Feathers was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and recorded a string of popular singles like "Peepin' Eyes," "Defrost Your Heart," "Tongue-Tied Jill," and "Bottle to the Baby" on Sun Records, Meteor and King Records in the 1950s.
Feathers was known for being a master of shifting emotional and sonic dynamics in his songs. His theatrical, hiccup-styled, energetic, rockabilly vocal style inspired a later generation of rock vocalists, including Lux Interior of The Cramps.
He studied and recorded several songs with Junior Kimbrough, whom he called "the beginning and end of all music". His childhood influences were reflected in his later music of the 1970s and 1980s, which had an easy-paced, sometimes sinister, country-blues tempo, as opposed to the frenetic fast-paced style favored by some of his rockabilly colleagues of the 1950s.
He started out as a session musician at Sun Studios, playing any side instrument he could in the hopes of someday making his own music there. He eventually played on a small label started by Sam Phillips called Flip records which got him enough attention to record a couple singles for Sun Records and Holiday Inn Records. By all accounts the singer was not held in much regard by Phillips, but Feathers often made the audacious claim that he had arranged "That's All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky" for Elvis Presley and recorded "Good Rockin' Tonight" months before Presley. He also claimed that his "We're Getting Closer (To Being Apart)" had been intended to be Elvis' sixth single for Sun. He did, however, get his name on one of Elvis' Sun records, "I Forgot To Remember To Forget" when the writer Stan Kesler asked him to record a demo of the song.
He then moved on to Meteor Records and then King Records where he recorded his best-known work. When his King contract ran out he still continued to perform, although Feathers—perhaps typically—thought there was a conspiracy to keep his music from gaining the popularity it deserved.
In the mid-1980s, he performed at times at new music nightclubs like the Antenna Club in Memphis, Tennessee, sharing the bill with rock-and-roll bands like Tav Falco's Panther Burns, who, as devoted fans of Feathers, had introduced him to their label's president. During this time, rockabilly icon Colonel Robert Morris played drums for Charlie. Charlie said "Robert tore up a brand new set of drums, but the crowd was dancing on the tables".
He released his New Jungle Fever album in 1987 and Honkey Tonk Man in 1988, featuring the lead guitar work of his son, Bubba Feathers. These later albums of original songs penned by Feathers were released on the French label New Rose Records, whose other 1980s releases included albums by cult music heroes like Johnny Thunders, Alex Chilton, Roky Erickson, The Cramps, The Gun Club, and others.
Charlie Feathers died on August 29, 1998.

Feathers' song, "That Certain Female" was featured on the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's 2003 film, Kill Bill Vol. 1. His "Can't Hardly Stand It" was featured on the follow-up Kill Bill Vol. 2 soundtrack.
Charlie Feathers' pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Bob Dylan has featured Charlie Feathers on the second season of his XM satellite radio show Theme Time Radio Hour, playing Feathers' records "One Hand Loose" (on the "Countdown" show, Dec. 12, 2007) and "Defrost Your Heart" (on the "Cold" show, April 2, 2008).

When You Come Around
Charlie Feathers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I got a feelin'
My heart starts to reelin'
No use concealing
You so appealing
Lawdy, lawdy, lawdy, lawdy
When you come around, come around

Please listen to me,

There's no one can fool me
You know you always
Do something to me
Lawdy, lawdy, lawdy, lawdy
When you come around, come around

I'll never scold you,
You know I told you
You make me want to
Reach out and hold you
Lawdy, lawdy, lawdy, lawdy
When you come around

Now, please listen to me,
There's no one can fool me
You know you always
Do something to me

Lawdy, lawdy, lawdy, lawdy
When you come around, come around

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Charlie Feathers's song When You Come Around suggest a strong attraction and affectionate appeal toward the object of the singer's desire. The repeated phrase, "Lawdy, lawdy, lawdy, lawdy" expresses an overwhelming sense of passion and excitement that the singer experiences when in the presence of the person they long for. The lyrics convey that the singer is not able to hide their feelings for the person and finds them to be extremely attractive. The line "My heart starts to reelin'" reflects the singer's heightened emotional state when around the person they long for.

The singer acknowledges that they have been struck with a potent attraction towards this person and that they are unable to be fooled by them. The lyrics suggest that this person has a specific effect on the singer that others do not. The lines "You know you always do something to me" and "You make me want to reach out and hold you" suggest that this person creates a strong emotional pull that the singer is unable to resist.

In summary, Charlie Feathers's song When You Come Around is a simple yet emotional ode to the depth of feeling and physical attraction one can experience towards a person they long for.

Line by Line Meaning

I got a feelin'
I experience a sensation

My heart starts to reelin'
My heart begins to spin and whir with overwhelming emotion

No use concealing
There is no point in hiding or suppressing my feelings

You so appealing
You are very attractive and desirable

Lawdy, lawdy, lawdy, lawdy
An exclamation expressing amazement, surprise or emotion

When you come around, come around
When you are near, close to me

Please listen to me,
I implore you to pay attention to what I am saying

There's no one can fool me
No one can deceive or trick me

You know you always
You are aware that you consistently

Do something to me
You provoke or elicit a strong emotional response within me

I'll never scold you,
I will not criticize or rebuke you