Carter's earliest releases were as half of the duo Clarence And Calvin. Also known as the "C And C Boys", the blind duo made seven singles, the last of which was recorded at Fame's Muscle Shoals studio. When his partner, Calvin Thomas (aka Scott), suffered serious injuries in a car accident in 1966, Carter became a solo act (Calvin himself later reappeared as a solo act to record two Dave Crawford-produced Atco Records singles in 1969/70 and a Clarence Paul-produced 1971 album for Stax Records, I'm Not Blind ... I Just Can't See, from which two singles were also taken). "Tell Daddy", released in January 1967, began a fruitful spell of Fame-produced hits by Carter, released on the Atlantic Records label. Noteworthy were "Thread The Needle", "Looking For A Fox" and "Slip Away", where the singer combined his outstanding voice with his skill as an arranger and musician.
"Patches", first recorded by Chairmen Of The Board, was a UK number 2 and a US number 4 in 1970, but despite further strong offerings, Clarence was unable to sustain the momentum. He remained with Fame until 1973, where he also helped guide Candi Staton, who was now his wife, before moving to ABC Records the subsequent year.
Further recordings on Venture and Big C took Carter's career into the 1980s and later the artist found a sympathetic outlet with the Ichiban Records label. Despite being blinded as a child, he developed a distinctive guitar style that complemented his earthy delivery, and was just as comfortable on keyboards, writing songs or arranging sessions. The first two albums, This Is Clarence Carter and The Dynamic Clarence Carter show off his versatile talent to good effect.
Clarence returned in the late Eighties with the album Dr. CC, which spawned the bawdy, comedic single "Strokin'", which has evolved into a favorite at clubs and weddings. He later followed it up with a sequel, "Still Strokin'", in 1989.
Lovely Day
Clarence Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the sunlight hurts my eyes
And something without warning, love
Bears heavy on my mind
[Chorus]
Then I look at you
And the world's alright with me
And I know it's gonna be
A lovely day (lovely day, lovely day, lovely day, lovely day)
(Lovely day, lovely day, lovely day, lovely day)
A lovely day (lovely day, lovely day, lovely day, lovely day)
(Lovely day, lovely day, lovely day, lovely day)
When the day that lies ahead of me
Seems impossible to face
When someone else instead of me
Always seems to know the way
[Chorus]
When the day that lies ahead of me
Seems impossible to face
When someone else instead of me
Always seems to know the way
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Clarence Carter's song Lovely Day describe waking up in the morning and feeling overwhelmed by the world around us. The sunlight hurts our eyes and something without warning bears heavy on our mind. However, the song's chorus reassures the listener that all it takes is one look at their loved one for the world to be alright. The simple act of looking at their partner is enough to make them feel like they can handle anything the day throws at them. The repetition of the phrase "lovely day" reinforces this idea of positivity and hope for the day ahead.
Line by Line Meaning
When I wake up in the morning, love
The singer wakes up feeling upset and troubled
And the sunlight hurts my eyes
The light shining into the singer's room is too bright and painful
And something without warning, love
The singer is suddenly hit with a difficult situation
Bears heavy on my mind
The problem is weighing heavily on the singer's thoughts
Then I look at you
The singer looks at a loved one for comfort
And the world's alright with me
Seeing the loved one makes everything feel okay
Just one look at you
The comfort of seeing the loved one is so powerful that only one glance is needed
And I know it's gonna be
The singer is filled with confidence and optimism
A lovely day (lovely day, lovely day, lovely day, lovely day)
The singer repeats the phrase to emphasize how wonderful the day is
(Lovely day, lovely day, lovely day, lovely day)
The singer repeats the phrase again to maintain the positive feeling
When the day that lies ahead of me
The singer looks ahead to the rest of the day
Seems impossible to face
The singer feels overwhelmed and unsure
When someone else instead of me
The singer feels inadequate and like someone else could handle things better
Always seems to know the way
Others seem to have it all figured out, while the singer is struggling
[Chorus]
The singer repeats the comforting message from earlier in the song
Lyrics © GOLDEN WITHERS MUSIC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Skip Scarborough, William Harrison Withers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gail Waterbury
on Strokin
I remember the first time hearing this from my friend 20 years ago. Me being me fell in love with not only this but many other nasty songs. He'll I raised my kids on this s*** . Alongwith David Allen coe Even played this for my Grandma who almost died of laughter