In 1950, McPhatter joined Billy Ward & the Dominoes, and was present for the recording of "Sixty Minute Man", which was a huge hit in 1951, and was one of the earliest rock and roll records. After several more hits, McPhatter quit the group in 1953 because he made little money and gained virtually no fame, in spite of his voice being the lead on most of the group's songs. McPhatter then signed to Atlantic Records after forming a group, The Drifters. "Money Honey", "Such a Night", "Honey Love", "White Christmas" and "Whatcha Gonna Do" became huge hits.
In 1954, McPhatter was drafted but was assigned in the U.S., allowing him to continue recording. He soon left The Drifters and launched a solo career. His first solo hit occurred just after being discharged - "Love Has Joined Us Together" (with Ruth Brown). He released several R&B hits in the next few years, but only made one serious dent in the pop charts with the Brook Benton penned song "A Lovers Question", which made it to #6 in 1958. White groups usually covered his best compositions and achieved more widespread mainstream success. In spite of this, McPhatter became one of the most popular black musicians among white listeners. His 1956 recording of "Treasure of Love" saw him enjoy just one week in the UK singles chart. The lack of any subsequent entry gave him the unenviable tag there of being a one hit wonder
McPhatter soon signed to MGM Records, and released several more hits. "I Told Myself a Lie" and "Think Me a Kiss" (1960) became minor pop hits, as was "Ta Ta", his first single for Mercury Records. "I Never Knew" and "Lover Please" (1962) became even bigger pop hits, but his career started suffering due to his alcoholism. Other black artists were following McPhatter's blueprint into pop audiences, including Rudy Lewis, Johnny Moore, Sam Cooke and an all new line-up of The Drifters. McPhatter's unreliability kept him from maintaining his career in the face of this competition. As the 1960s wore on, McPhatter's career kept falling in spite of a few minor hits.
In the early 1970s, McPhatter spent some time living in England, where he still had a significant audience, but this was short-lived. Back again in America, Clyde McPhatter died of a heart attack in 1972, at the age of 39.
In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Rock and Cry
Clyde McPhatter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Guaranteed to tell you
How to shoo your blues away
You gather up your troubles
And all your bad news
Then you go and get yourself
A pair of dancing shoes
(CHORUS)
Then you rock (rock, rock)
Yes, rock and cry
Rock, rock, rock and cry
Go on and ock, rock, rock and cry
And you won't be crying long
Just plant a smile
Across your face
Keep spreading joy
All over the place
You're finally catching
And getting rid of the blues
When others get a look
At them dancing shoes
(Repeat CHORUS)
(Rock, rock)
(Rock and cry)
(Rock and cry)
Start running wild
Dance all night
Go right ahead on
And do the town up right
Don't drown your troubles
In those mean old blues
Plant 'em in the soles
Of those dancing shoes
(Repeat CHORUS)
No, you won't be crying long
And you won't be crying long
Thanks to razvan
The lyrics to Clyde McPhatter's song "Rock And Cry" advise the listener on how to deal with their troubles and blues. The song suggests that one should gather up their troubles and bad news and then get themselves a pair of dancing shoes. By dancing and having a good time, the blues will disappear. The chorus encourages rocking and crying as a way to get rid of the blues, but also notes that by spreading joy and planting a smile on one's face, they too can get rid of their suffering. Finally, the song suggests going out and having a wild time in order to forget one's problems.
The message of the song seems to be that even though life might be difficult at times, it is important to keep moving forward and find ways to overcome the obstacles in our way. Music and dancing can be a powerful tool in achieving this goal. The song also suggests that it is important to share happiness with others and to try to make others happy as well. This creates a positive cycle where everyone benefits from the joy that is shared.
Line by Line Meaning
A read a story the other day
I came across a story recently
Guaranteed to tell you
Promising to provide a solution
How to shoo your blues away
To get rid of sadness and depression
You gather up your troubles
Collect all your problems and worries
And all your bad news
As well as any negative information
Then you go and get yourself
Next, acquire
A pair of dancing shoes
Some shoes suitable for dancing
Then you rock (rock, rock)
Begin rocking back and forth
Yes, rock and cry
Even while crying
Rock, rock, rock and cry
Gently sway while shedding tears
Go on and rock, rock, rock and cry
Continue swaying and crying
And you won't be crying long
You'll stop feeling sad soon
Just plant a smile
Put on a happy face
Across your face
Spread it over your entire countenance
Keep spreading joy
Continue to share happiness
All over the place
Everywhere you go
You're finally catching
You're beginning to grasp
And getting rid of the blues
And getting over your depression
When others get a look
When others see
At them dancing shoes
Your dance shoes
Start running wild
Unleash your inner wildness
Dance all night
Dance for as long as you want
Go right ahead on
Proceed without hesitation
And do the town up right
Enjoy the nightlife to the fullest
Don't drown your troubles
Avoid overwhelming yourself with problems
In those mean old blues
By indulging in negative feelings
Plant 'em in the soles
Instead, channel them into
Of those dancing shoes
Your dance shoes
No, you won't be crying long
You'll soon stop shedding tears
And you won't be crying long
And you won't remain sad for long
Contributed by Reagan M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dionne McConney
You just gotta hit the dance floor to this one indeed a fabulous tune
Borislav Bora
Bravo for Clyde
Jennifer Durjan
I JUST LOVE HIM AND THE SONGS
H. Darmopawiro
Een prachtig lied
Borislav Bora
It s good forever and everywhere
larrynealwaxmuseum
I agree with you, in that I thought it should have been a bigger hit than it was. I have always liked it. Good Post.
Larry N. Boyington, aka larry Neal, former curator of the Wax Museum on the big 1520 KOMA
Don Hawkins
good song----tho it is skipping along!