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 Decide
Charlie Feathers Lyrics
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Don't have a doubt (don't have a doubt)
Just how I feel (ooh-ooh-ooh)
You have found out (you have found out)
I have one love (I have one love)
My love is true (my love is true)
Don't make me wait (ooh-ooh-ooh)
Too long for you (too long for you)
Just let me know (ooh-ooh-ooh)
For my poor heart (ooh-ooh-ooh)
Is yearning so (is yearning so)
You left me here (you left me here)
Alone to wait (alone to wait)
Please hurry darling (ooh-ooh-ooh)
Don't wait too late (don't wait too late)
If there's another (if there's another)
Just let me go (just let me go)
When you decide (ooh-ooh-ooh)
Let my heart know (let my heart know)
When you decide (when you decide)
Just tell me so (ooh-ooh-ooh)
For my poor heart (ooh-ooh-ooh)
Is yearning so (is yearning so)
The lyrics of Charlie Feathers’s song “When You Decide” expresses the singer’s plea to his lover to make a decision about their relationship. The song starts with the singer urging their partner to not have any doubt and to acknowledge his feelings. The singer emphasizes that he has only one true love and begs his partner to not make him wait too long. Throughout the song, the singer conveys his yearning for his lover’s decision and pleads them not to wait too late. The lyrics also suggest that the singer will accept a breakup if his partner chooses someone else and asks them to let him go in that case.
Feathers’s “When You Decide” is a classic rockabilly song that depicts the singer's longing for his lover’s decision about their relationship. It is a declaration of love and the willingness to accept the outcome. The song also conveys the anxiousness and eagerness of the singer, who is waiting for his lover’s response. The lyrics give the impression of the singer’s vulnerability and depict the complexity of love and relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
When you decide (when you decide)
When you make your choice, make sure it's final
Don't have a doubt (don't have a doubt)
Be sure of your decision, don't second-guess yourself
Just how I feel (ooh-ooh-ooh)
My feelings for you are genuine and deep
You have found out (you have found out)
You finally understand the depth of my love for you
I have one love (I have one love)
There is no one else for me, you are the only one
My love is true (my love is true)
My love for you is pure and honest
Don't make me wait (ooh-ooh-ooh)
Please don't keep me waiting any longer
Too long for you (too long for you)
The wait has been too much for me to bear
Just let me know (ooh-ooh-ooh)
Please inform me of your decision
For my poor heart (ooh-ooh-ooh)
My heart is fragile and vulnerable
Is yearning so (is yearning so)
It is longing for your love and affection
You left me here (you left me here)
You left me all alone
Alone to wait (alone to wait)
To wait for your decision all alone
Please hurry darling (ooh-ooh-ooh)
Please make your decision quickly, my love
Don't wait too late (don't wait too late)
Don't take too much time to make your choice, or it may be too late
If there's another (if there's another)
If there is someone else in your heart
Just let me go (just let me go)
Please release me from my feelings for you
Let my heart know (let my heart know)
Please inform me of your decision, so that my fragile heart may take it into consideration
Just tell me so (ooh-ooh-ooh)
Please just be honest with me and tell me your decision
Is yearning so (is yearning so)
My heart is still waiting and yearning for your love
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: CHARLIE FEATHERS, JERRY HUFFMAN, JOE CHASTAIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cindy S
This of course shows the towering talent Charlie was in country music toally independently from his Rockabilly super star presence
john sandiford
Thanks for sharing