The seeds of what was to become The Classics IV were sown in Jacksonville, Florida in the early 1960s when a young drummer named Dennis Yost joined some high school classmates in a band called "The Echoes". By 1965, he had moved on to form a another group with James Cobb, Wally Eaton, and Joe Wilson, calling themselves "The Classics". Wilson was eventually replaced in the group by Dean Daughtry.
The group achieved their first taste of success with a local hit titled "Pollyanna" written by Joe South. The band started to attract attention, not only for their soulful sound, but Dennis was one of the few drummers to play while standing up and also singing lead. When the band learned of a New York City group that had a small amount of success with a song titled "Till Then," using the same name, they changed their handle to "The Four Classics" and eventually "The Classics IV".
By 1967, the band had moved to Atlanta, Georgia and were soon approached by Bill Lowery of The Lowery Music Group, who secured a recording contract with Capitol Records. For their first release, guitarist James Cobb and producer Buddy Buie added lyrics to an instrumental called "Spooky", a regional hit for saxophonist Mike Sharpe. After the record's release, it was picked up by a radio station in Louisville, Kentucky and began to get airplay. The song's popularity spread nationally and it climbed to number 3 on Billboard's Hot 100 in early in 1968, although it only reached number 46 in the UK.
Now in demand for TV and live appearances, the group hired drummer Kim Venable and brought Dennis Yost to the front to sing. A follow up song called "Soul Train" failed to match the success of "Spooky", but another tune written by James Cobb and Buddy Buie, "Stormy" shot up the chart to number 5 in 1969, becoming the band's second million seller. Later the same year, they scored a number 2 hit and a third gold record with "Traces Of Love", also written by Cobb and Buie. Touring with the hottest acts of the day, Dennis Yost and The Classics IV scored two more hits in late 1969, a number 12 hit called "Every Day With You Girl" and "Change Of Heart" which reached number 25.
They changed their name again, to Dennis Yost and the Classics IV, and had one last minor hit, "What Am I Crying For?" (1972, #39) on the MGM South label.
As musical tastes changed, guitarists James Cobb and Dean Daughtry, along with producer Buddy Buie left The Classics IV to team up with some former members of Roy Orbison's back up band. The result was The Atlanta Rhythm Section, who would go on to have an impressive string of hits in the 70s, including two Top 10 records, "So In To You" and "Imaginary Lover" along with their own cover version of "Spooky".
An attempt to feature Dennis Yost as a solo artist never got off the ground and he could only muster minor success with, "Midnight" and "Where Did All The Good Times Go", as he switched labels to Imperial in 1972. One last top forty entry, "What Am I Crying For?" was released on the MGM South label and a final effort, "Rosanna" stalled at number 95 in March of 1973.
Although he could no longer make a hit record, Yost never stopped touring, and continued to appear with the likes of Gary Lewis and The Playboys, Chuck Berry, The Drifters, The Coasters, The Turtles, Paul Revere and The Raiders, Eric Clapton and many others. After moving to Nashville in 1993, he added writing and record production to his list of accomplishments. He currently has twenty-seven published works to his credit and produced Barbara Lewis ("Hello Stranger," "Baby, I'm Yours," and "Make Me Your Baby") on a song called "Donor" to help the cause of organ donation awareness.
At the turn of the millennium, Dennis underwent successful throat surgery for a condition that had severely impaired his singing voice. He also won a trademark dispute which gave him exclusive rights to the name "The Classics IV" for both performing and recording purposes.
By The Time I Get To Phoenix
Classics IV Lyrics
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She'll find the note I left hangin' on her door
She'll laugh when she reads the part that says I'm leavin'
Cause I've left that girl so many times before.
By the time I make Albuquerque she'll be working
She'll probably stop at lunch and give me a call
But she'll just hear that phone keep on ringin'
By the time I make Oklahoma she'll be sleepin'
She'll turn softly and call my name out low
And she'll cry just to think I'd really leave her
Tho' time and time I try to tell her so
She just didn't know I would really go.
The song "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" by Classics IV revolves around a man who is leaving the woman he loves, and how he envisions she will react to his departure. The opening line, "By the time I get to Phoenix she'll be rising," sets the tone for the song. It refers to the fact that he knows she will be waking up and noticing the note he left on her door. The note, which she will find, will presumably inform her that he has left, but the man expects her to be unfazed by it, as he has left her many times before.
As he travels to Albuquerque, he imagines her calling him at lunchtime, but he knows she will only hear the phone ringing off the wall. This suggests that the woman is too hurt to answer the phone or too busy at work to take his call. As he reaches Oklahoma, he imagines her asleep, calling his name out softly, and crying when she realizes that he has truly left her. The man is aware that he has tried to tell her many times before that he would leave, but she never believed him.
The lyrics convey a sense of resignation on the part of the man, as he is aware that no matter what he does, the woman he loves will continue to suffer, and he will continue to leave her. The song's simple, melancholic melody underscores the emotional pain of the situation, and the singer's understated delivery adds to the overall sense of sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
By the time I get to Phoenix she'll be rising
I know it will take me a long time to get to Phoenix, and by the time I get there, the sun will already be rising.
She'll find the note I left hangin' on her door
I left a note for her telling her that I am leaving, and she will find it when she wakes up.
She'll laugh when she reads the part that says I'm leavin'
She will find the note amusing when she reads that I am leaving her, as I've done it many times before.
Cause I've left that girl so many times before.
I have left this girl many times in the past, so she probably won't be surprised that I am leaving again.
By the time I make Albuquerque she'll be working
When I reach Albuquerque, she will be at work, so I won't be able to talk to her until later.
She'll probably stop at lunch and give me a call
She might call me during her lunch break, but she will only hear the phone ringing without me answering.
But she'll just hear that phone keep on ringin'
When she calls, she will hear the phone ringing continuously, as I won't be picking up.
Off the wall that's all.
This phrase means essentially 'bizarre' in this context, and just indicates how odd it is that she's calling but I'm not answering.
By the time I make Oklahoma she'll be sleepin'
When I reach Oklahoma, she will already be asleep for the night.
She'll turn softly and call my name out low
She will wake up briefly and softly call out my name once she hears me come in or get close to her.
And she'll cry just to think I'd really leave her.
She will get emotional and cry to think that I might really be leaving her for good this time.
Tho' time and time I try to tell her so
Despite my attempts to reassure her in the past, I understand that she might still be worried that I will leave her.
She just didn't know I would really go.
Of course, despite how she feels, she doesn't know for sure that I am really leaving this time.
Contributed by Caroline M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.