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.
please please please
Clyde McPhatter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't take a train coming down the track
Don't, please don't, don't leave me
Don't leave me in misery
You would never hold me so near
You would never call me "Dear"
Don't you know I'd die for you?Now you're gone, that's what I'll do
Lover please, please come back
Don't take a train coming down the track
Don't, please don't, don't leave me
Don't leave me in misery
All those stories, not too long
About a love that went all wrong
The girl left the boy, just as bad
Now she's gone, she's so sad
Lover please, please come back
Don't take a train coming down the track
Don't, please don't, don't leave me
Don't leave me in misery
You would never hold me so near
You would never have called me "Dear"
Don't you know I'd die for you?
Now you're gone, that's what I'll do
Lover please, please come back
Don't take a train coming down the track
Please don't, don't leave me
Don't leave me in misery
In Clyde McPhatter's 'Lover Please', the artist pleads with his lover to come back, begging her to not take the train that's coming down the track which may symbolize that she is possibly moving away or leaving him for good. He tells her how much he needs her and how miserable he would be without her. McPhatter speaks of how she never held him close or called him "dear", indicating that they may have had a rocky relationship before she left. He sings of how much he loves her and how he would even die for her because he needs her back so much. The artist also mentions other stories of failed love, hoping to not have to experience that same heartbreak.
This song is a classic example of old-school soul and R&B. It's a beautiful and emotional plea of a man in love, brokenhearted and pining for his lost love. It's not just any ordinary love song; it's a song that speaks of heartache, pain, and a longing for a lost love. The song is powerful because of the delivery of the lyrics—the emotion in McPhatter's voice is palpable, and the simplicity of the lyrics makes it easy to understand and relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
Lover please, please come back
The singer is pleading with their lover to return.
Don't take a train coming down the track
The singer is asking their lover to avoid leaving on a train.
Don't, please don't, don't leave me
The singer is begging their lover not to leave them.
Don't leave me in misery
The artist doesn't want to be left in a state of unhappiness and despair.
You would never hold me so near
The artist is reminiscing about their past relationship and how close they were with their lover.
You would never call me "Dear"
The singer is pointing out how their lover used to address them affectionately.
Don't you know I'd die for you?
The singer is expressing their intense love for their lover.
Now you're gone, that's what I'll do
The artist is indicating that they will die without their lover.
All those stories, not too long
The artist is referring to past relationships they have heard about.
About a love that went all wrong
The stories the artist is referring to are about relationships that didn't work out.
The girl left the boy, just as bad
One of the stories involved a girl who left her boyfriend and caused him pain.
Now she's gone, she's so sad
The girl in the story is also unhappy and suffering without her partner.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Billy Swan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@patrickstocks3576
Lover please, please come back
Don’t take a train coming down the track
Don’t, please don’t, don’t leave me
Don’t leave me in misery
You would never hold me so near
You would never call me “Dear”
Don’t you know I’d die for you?
Now you’re gone, that’s what I’ll do
All those stories, not too long
About a love that went all wrong
The girl left the boy 👦 just as bad
Now she’s gone, she’s so sad 😭
You would never hold me so near
You would never have called me “Dear”
Don’t you know I’d die for you?
Now you’re gone, that’s what I’ll do
@davehales2249
Picked this up in a charity shop in Dublin last week on original 7, what a find 👍👍👍👍
@MicheleSaylor
My absolute favorite song
@robertorick6383
Composed by a young Billy Swan some twelve years before he had a big hit of his own with "I Can Help". Produced by Clyde Otis, who was a R&B/pop producer and songwriter who worked with Brook Benton, Dinah Washington, and Sarah Vaughan.
@lenawhni9435
Been searching for this song for 40 years. Love it!!!
@bernadinesalazar3028
Best Music Good old Days
@robertyoung5061
Sounds as good today as it did in 1962! Thanks for posting this old gem!
@patrickryan1515
2022 and still holding...
@angrydove4067
I had this song on a K-Tel record back in the 70's, still love it.
@mevoydeviaje76
Es un clásico, no pasa y se sigue escuchando 😘
@rosseganjr9402
you won't be forgotten! what a terrific singer! r. I. p. clyde