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).
Why Don't you
Charlie Feathers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why do I love you so
Why-why-why don't you go away with me
Well, you're my peaches, you're my cream
You're my charm and always in my dream
Well, why-why-why don't you go
Why, do I love you so
Why-why-why don't you go away with me
Why, do I love you so
Why-why-why don't you go away with me
Well, you're my baby, you're my doll
My everything and always in my dream
Well, why-why-why don't you go
Why, do I love you so
Why-why-why don't you go away with me
Well, why-why-why don't you go
Why, do I love you so
Why-why-why don't you go away with me
Well, you're my peaches, you're my cream
You're my charm and always in my dream
Well, why do I wanna know
Why do I love you so
Why-why, I wanna know, away with me
Away with me
Away with me
The lyrics to Charlie Feathers’s song Why Don't You express a lover's longing to be with his sweetheart. The repetition of the phrase "why-why-why" indicates the singer's confusion as to why he loves his sweetheart so much. The expression "you're my peaches, you're my cream" suggests that the beloved is the singer's source of satisfaction and sweetness in life that he cannot do without. Through the phrase "you're my baby, you're my doll, my everything and always in my dream," the singer refers to his sweetheart as the center of his world and source of inspiration, emphasizing his deep love and affection for her.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "why-why-why don't you go away with me," indicating the singer's desire to be with his beloved, and the song conveys a sense of urgency and desperation, as the singer tries to understand the reasons behind his intense feelings. The song's overall melody is upbeat, and the energy is lively, reflecting the intensity of the singer's emotions and feelings towards his sweetheart.
Line by Line Meaning
Why-why, I wanna know
The singer is expressing a strong desire to understand something.
Why do I love you so
The singer is questioning the reasons behind their feelings of love.
Why-why-why don't you go away with me
The singer is asking their lover to come away with them and is expressing confusion over why they haven't already left.
Well, you're my peaches, you're my cream
The artist is using endearing terms to describe their lover.
You're my charm and always in my dream
The artist is saying that their lover is the source of their happiness and is frequently in their thoughts.
Well, why-why-why don't you go
The singer is repeating their request for their lover to leave with them.
Why, do I love you so
The singer is once again questioning the reasons behind their feelings of love.
Well, you're my baby, you're my doll
The artist is once again using affectionate terms to describe their lover.
My everything and always in my dream
The artist is saying that their lover is their whole world and is frequently in their thoughts.
Why do I wanna know
The artist is questioning their own desire to understand something.
Why-why, I wanna know, away with me
The singer is once again expressing their desire to understand something and requesting their lover to come with them.
Away with me
The artist is inviting their lover to come away with them.
Contributed by Caden I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@billiee835
Used to bop to this one, down the Bobby Sox 42years ago 👍