[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"
LAY DOWN
Charly McClain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I see how hard you try
Pretending everything is all right
And I can see it in your eyes
Boy, I never meant to go wrong
And this is hard for me to say
He wants me to go with him
Don't let me go, 'cause it's breakin' my heart
See down, see down, now once again, I'll be playin' my part
Lay down, lay down, I want you forever, lay down
Well, I know you saw it comin'
You could see me goin' blind
From the light that shines from your eyes
From the mirror behind mine
Don't let me go, 'cause it's breakin' my heart
See down, see down, now once again, I'll be playin' my part
Lay down, lay down, I want you forever, lay down
I'll love you forever, lay down
Oh, I want you forever, lay down
Hon, I'll love you forever, lay down
The lyrics of Charly McClain's song "Lay Down" is about a woman torn between her loyalty and love for her partner and her attraction to another man who is trying to persuade her to go with him. The song starts with the singer acknowledging the efforts of her partner to make things work between them and his attempts to hide his pain. She acknowledges the love she has for him and the difficulty she is having in breaking his heart. The second verse brings out the singer's dilemma, admitting that she is going blind because of the light shining from the other man's eyes, which reflects back from the mirror behind her eyes. The chorus 'Lay Down' is seen as an appeal to her partner to let her go or stay, depending on what he wants.
The lyrics of the song are emotionally-charged, with a message about how difficult it is to break someone's heart even when one has reasons to do so. The singer loves her partner, but can't help the attraction she has with the other man. She pleads with her partner not to let her go, but she is struggling to make a decision.
In summary, "Lay Down" is an emotional song about loyalty, love, and attraction. It portrays the struggles of a woman who is torn between the person she loves and someone who wants her love as well. She is trying to find balance, but her heart aches no matter the decision she makes.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord, you know you make it easy
Acknowledging the ease of being with and loving the person addressed
And I see how hard you try
Recognizing the efforts made by the person addressed to make things work
Pretending everything is all right
Observing that the person addressed may be hiding their true feelings
And I can see it in your eyes
Seeing through the facade presented by the person addressed
Boy, I never meant to go wrong
Expressing regret and possibly guilt over actions that may have caused harm
And this is hard for me to say
Acknowledging difficulty in expressing feelings
He wants me to go with him
Revealing the possibility of external pressures or temptations
But if you want me to, I'll stay
Declaring loyalty and willingness to prioritize the relationship
Don't let me go, 'cause it's breakin' my heart
Begging to be held onto, despite potential difficulties
See down, see down, now once again, I'll be playin' my part
Referring to a pattern of behavior or role in the relationship that may have negative effects
Lay down, lay down, I want you forever, lay down
Expressing desire for a deep, long-lasting commitment
Well, I know you saw it comin'
Acknowledging that the person addressed may have anticipated potential issues
You could see me goin' blind
Noticing a possible descent into dangerous or harmful behavior
From the light that shines from your eyes
Recognizing that the person addressed is the source of love, guidance, and clarity
From the mirror behind mine
Suggesting introspection or self-reflection with the help of the person addressed
I'll love you forever, lay down
Reiterating affection and commitment to the relationship
Oh, I want you forever, lay down
Expressing a strong desire for the person addressed to stay in the relationship
Hon, I'll love you forever, lay down
Using endearment to reinforce love and loyalty
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, SHERRILL MUSIC
Written by: DANIEL M. HOGAN, RONNY SCAIFE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@danielburns987
this song only went to #67 on the country charts in 1976!!!
@marryannlamb9853
Fantastic song Bill.
@tinabeck4876
Good song