[edit] Childhood & teen years
Charlotte Denise McClain… Read Full Bio ↴Early life
[edit] Childhood & teen years
Charlotte Denise McClain was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1956. Originally named Charlotte, "Charly" was given her masculine moniker by neighborhood friends in Memphis, and she also used it when she started playing hotel lounges. When Epic Records decided it sounded catchier than Charlotte, it became a permanent professional banner. [1] McClain's father had tuberculosis when she was eight, and, since she was under age for visitation rights at the hospital, she had to communicate with him through a tape recorder. [2]
[edit] Career discovery
McClain's use of the tape recorder with her father inspired her interest in singing. McClain soon began performing in public regularly. She began singing in the club circuit by the time she was seventeen. She then gained a recording contract with Epic Records by the time McClain was almost twenty years old. She began her musical career at age 12 with her brother in a band called "Charlotte & The Volunteers" for 6 years. Her first appearance was on TV in Jackson, Tennessee, local station WBBJ morning show. She was a regular on local Memphis show "Mid-South Jamboree" from 1973-1975. [3]
Signed to her first recording contract in 1976, McClain's distinct vocal sound provided an edge in recognizability — as did her appearance. [4]
[edit] Country music career
[edit] 1976 – 1980: Country beginnings
McClain debuted in late 1976 with her first single, "Lay Me Down", which peaked at #67 on the Billboard Country Chart. McClain's first singles between 1976 through 1977, mainly from her debut album Here's Charly McClain, did not chart very high on the Country charts at the time. McClain's second album, titled Let Me Be Your Baby, was released in 1978. She hit country's Top Ten for the first time in 1978 with "That's What You Do to Me," [5] followed by two other Top 25 hits from the album, "Let Me Be Your Baby" and "Take Me Back".
McClain had a series of Top 20 hits between 1978 and 1980, including "When Love Ain't Right", "You're a Part of Me", and "I Hate the Way I Love It", a duet with Johnny Rodriguez. Occasionally McClain's singles would enter the Top 10. She had two Top 10 hits during this time, "That's What You Do to Me" (1978), followed by "Men", which peaked at #7 in 1980. However, McClain still hadn't achieved breakthrough success.
McClain released two albums between 1979 and 1980, Alone too Long (1979) and Women Get Lonely (1980).
[edit] 1981 – 1989: Breakthrough
McClain hit the top spot one year later with "Who's Cheatin' Who." [6] This brought McClain breakthrough success for the 1980s. In 1981, McClain had three Top 10 hits off her Surround Me With Love, the title track, "Sleepin' With the Radio on", and "The Very Best is You". McClain's albums were also beginning to become more successful as well. Her Who's Cheatin' Who album peaked at #9 on the "Top Country Albums" chart, as did her 1981 album, Surround Me With Love.
She stayed in the upper reaches during 1982 with "Dancing Your Memory Away" and "Sentimental Ol' You," then hit number one again in 1983 with her Mickey Gilley duet "Paradise Tonight." [7] "Paradise Tonight" became McClain's second #1 hit in 1983. McClain's and Gilley's duet partnership became so successful, they released a duet album the following year, It Takes Believers, which spawned the Top 5 hit, "Candy Man", which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Country Chart, followed by "The Right Stuff", which became a Top 15 hit.
McClain also acted occasionally, appearing as a guest star on such shows as Hart to Hart and CHiPs. McClain's lonely life on the road was also chronicled in a 1981 HBO special titled "So You Want to Be a Star."
McClain released another big-selling album in 1985, Radio Heart, after having a series of minor solo hits in 1984. The title track off became a #1 Country hit in 1985, McClain's last #1 hit to date. The album also spawned two other Top 10 hits that year. McClain married former soap star Wayne Massey in 1984, and their own duet ("With Just One Look in Your Eyes") reached number five. [8] The third single off the album was also a duet with Massey, "You Are My Music, You Are My Song." The album, Radio Heart peaked at #15 on the "Top Country Albums" chart in 1985, and became on of McClain's best-known songs.
McClain's success began to subside after 1986, as Country-pop styled music was becoming unfavorable on Country radio. Her 1987 album brought only one Top 40 single, "Don't Touch Me There", which peaked at #20 on the Billboard Country Chart. The other singles did not become as successful. The album became McClain's last album with Epic, as she parted ways with them the following year. She continued to chart until her last recording came in 1989.[9] She recorded one studio album with Mercury Records before the end of the decade. She charted until the end of 1989. Her last charted single was "You Got the Job", which peaked at #65.
[edit] 1990 – present: Current music career status
McClain has not recorded another studio album since 1989's self-titled album with Mercury, and thus has dropped out of the public eye. Since 1989, several compilation albums of her music have been released, including 1999's Anthology, which was a compilation CD of McClain's biggest hits under Epic, beginning with her late '70s hits to her last '80s hits.
McClain has not toured in the past ten years or so. As of 2007 she is still married to Wayne Massey.
[edit] Discography
Main article: Charly McClain discography
[edit] References
^ Charly McClain biography at All Music Guide.com; retrieved March 30, 2008
^ Charly McClain biography at All Music Guide.com; retrieved March 30, 2008
^ Charly McClain biography at her official website (Geocities.com)
^ Charly McClain biography at All Music Guide
^ Charly McClain biography at All Music Guide
^ Charly McClain biography at AOL.com
^ Charly McClain biography at AOL.com; retrieved March 30, 2008
^ Charly McClain biography at AOL.com
^ Charly McClain biography at All Music Guide.com
[edit] External links
Charly McClain Official Website
CMT.com: Charly McClain
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charly_McClain"
And Then Some
Charly McClain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For a little fresh air and these lovin' arms
City lights made your heart so tough
You just haven't been loved enough
Country girls got a way of their own
Know how to love till the cows come home and then some
And then some stars will find you
Feelin' like you never felt before
And then city boy, you'll see
How sweet love is gonna be
'Cause you'll be in some and then some
When I get you way out here
We'll take a little ride on the old John Deere
Stop by the creek where the corn grows tall
You won't wanna go back at all
Country girls got a mind of their own
Wanna be loved till the cows come home and then some
And then some moon will shine
And then some stars will find you
Feelin' like you never felt before
And then city boy, you'll see
How sweet love is gonna be
'Cause you'll be in some and then some
And then some
And then some moon will shine
And then some stars will find you
Feelin' like you never felt before
And then city boy, you'll see
How sweet love is gonna be
'Cause you'll be in some and then some
In the song "And Then Some," Charly McClain sings about wanting to show a city boy the true meaning of love by taking him down to the farm where she grew up. She believes that the city lights have hardened his heart and that he hasn't been loved enough. She promises to take care of him with her "lovin' arms" and show him how country girls know how to love "till the cows come home and then some." Charly paints a vivid picture of the cornfields and the creek where they will stop and enjoy the simple things in life. She promises him that he will feel a happiness like he's never felt before, and the moon and stars will shine brighter than ever.
The song is an ode to country living and a celebration of the love found in small towns. Charly McClain's voice is sweet and soulful and her lyrics are filled with romantic notions of a simpler life. The song has a slow tempo and a dreamy quality that transports the listener to a different time and place. It's a reminder that love can be found in unexpected places and that sometimes, all it takes is a little fresh air and some lovin' arms to make someone understand what true love is.
Line by Line Meaning
Wait'll I get you down on the farm?
I can't wait to take you to the countryside.
For a little fresh air and these lovin' arms
Where we can breathe in the fresh air and I can hold you close.
City lights made your heart so tough
Living in the city has made you hard and cold.
You just haven't been loved enough
I know you haven't experienced the kind of love you deserve.
Country girls got a way of their own
Girls from the countryside have their unique charm and appeal.
Know how to love till the cows come home and then some
They can love you with all their hearts and even more.
And then some moon will shine
The moon will shine bright, lighting up our love.
And then some stars will find you
The stars will come out and twinkle like never before.
Feelin' like you never felt before
You'll feel an indescribable joy and happiness.
And then city boy, you'll see
You'll finally understand, my dear city boy.
How sweet love is gonna be
How amazing love can truly be.
'Cause you'll be in some and then some
Because you'll be experiencing something you've never felt before.
When I get you way out here
When I bring you out to the countryside with me.
We'll take a little ride on the old John Deere
We'll go on a little ride on the old tractor.
Stop by the creek where the corn grows tall
We'll stop by the creek where the corn grows high.
You won't wanna go back at all
You'll never want to go back to the city again.
Country girls got a mind of their own
Girls from the countryside think for themselves.
Wanna be loved till the cows come home and then some
They want to be loved deeply and completely, and then some.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIMMY ROBBINS, NICOLLE GALYON, RYAN DAVID KINDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind