[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"
Dancing Your Memory Away
Charly McClain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's the only time you'd ever phone
But if you drop by don't be surprised
'Cause darling, I won't be there tonight
I'm dancing your memory away in the arms of a stranger
For now I'm okay, my heart's out of danger
Tonight while I'm waltzing as the band softly plays
Once, twice, tell me how many times
Was I a fool for your lying eyes
But I won't be your fool anymore
At least not while I'm out on the floor
I'm dancing your memory away in the arms of a stranger
For now I'm okay, my heart's out of danger
Tonight while I'm waltzing as the band softly plays
I'm getting by, one song at a time, dancing your memory away
I'm dancing your memory away in the arms of a stranger
For now I'm okay, my heart's out of danger
Tonight while I'm waltzing as the band softly plays
I'm getting by, one song at a time, dancing your memory away
The lyrics to Charly McClain's song "Dancing Your Memory Away" depict a woman who is determined to move on from a past love. The first two lines suggest that the only time the man ever contacts her is when he is lonely on a Friday night. The woman, however, has no plans to be a part of his life anymore. She explains that if he was to unexpectedly drop by, he should not be surprised to find her absent, as she will be dancing her memories away.
The woman is then shown to be on the dance floor, in the arms of a stranger, as she waltzes away her memories of the past relationship. She proclaims that her heart is now out of danger, and that she is getting by one song at a time. She confidently declares that she will no longer be a fool for her past love's lying eyes while she is on the dance floor.
The overall message of the song is one of empowerment and the importance of moving on from toxic relationships. The woman is depicted as strong and independent, refusing to be tied down by past heartbreaks. The act of dancing is a symbol for letting go of the past and embracing the future, which is why the song is so powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
It?s Friday night, you must be alone
I know you're only calling me because you're lonely on a Friday night
That's the only time you'd ever phone
You don't really care about me, you're just using me to pass the time
But if you drop by don't be surprised
If you stop by, don't expect me to be there for you tonight
'Cause darling, I won't be there tonight
I'm moving on from you and won't be waiting around for you anymore
I'm dancing your memory away in the arms of a stranger
I'm trying to forget you by dancing with someone new
For now I'm okay, my heart's out of danger
I'm feeling alright for now, I've moved on and my heart isn't at risk of being hurt by you anymore
Tonight while I'm waltzing as the band softly plays
I'm taking it slow and enjoying the music with my new partner
I'm getting by, one song at a time, dancing your memory away
I'm slowly but surely forgetting about you and moving on, one dance at a time
Once, twice, tell me how many times
I've let you fool me many times, how many more times will I fall for your lies?
Was I a fool for your lying eyes
I feel stupid for trusting you and falling for your deceitful ways
But I won't be your fool anymore
I've learned from my mistakes and won't let you trick me again
At least not while I'm out on the floor
I'm confident in my decision to move on from you and won't let you get in the way of my happiness
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EDDIE BURTON, THOMAS GRANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind