He was born Delecta Clark in Blytheville, Arkansas, and moved to Chicago in 1941. His mother, Essie Mae Clark, was a gospel singer and encouraged her son to pursue his love of music. Clark made his first recording in 1952 as a member of the Hambone Kids, who enjoyed some success with a recording of "Hambone" on the OKeh label. In 1953, he joined an R&B group called the Goldentones, who later became the Kool Gents and were discovered by Chicago radio DJ Herb Kent upon winning a talent competition. Kent had the Kool Gents signed to Vee-Jay label's subsidiary Falcon/Abner. The group recorded for Falcon/Abner in 1956, and also recorded a novelty record as "The Delegates".
Clark embarked on a solo career in 1957, initially following the styles of Clyde McPhatter and Little Richard. When Little Richard temporarily abandoned his music career to study the Bible, Clark fulfilled Richard's remaining live dates and also recorded with his backing band, the Upsetters. Over the next four years he landed several moderate hits, two of which ("Just Keep It Up" and "Hey Little Girl") reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100). His records for Abner and Vee-Jay were orchestrated by Riley Hampton. His biggest single, "Raindrops," a power ballad augmented by heavy rain and thunder sound effects and Clark's swooping falsetto, was released in the spring of 1961 and became his biggest hit, soaring to number two on the pop chart and number three on the R&B charts. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. "Raindrops" was also an international success, reaching number one in New Zealand and reaching the top ten in South Africa and Belgium, and selling well in Japan. "Raindrops" remains a staple on oldies and adult standards radio station playlists to this day, and has also been covered by several other artists in the years since, including David Cassidy, Tony Orlando and Dawn, and most notably Narvel Felts, who took the song to number 30 on the country chart in 1974. Clark himself recorded an updated version of "Raindrops" in 1973.
However, Clark's biggest hit was also his last. The follow-up to "Raindrops," "Don't Walk Away From Me," was a flop, and he made the pop charts in America only twice more, with "I'm Going Back to School" (1962) and "Crossfire Time" (1963). By the time "Crossfire Time" came out, Clark had moved from Vee-Jay to the Constellation label. Though he continued to record for Constellation through 1966, none of his records charted nationally. He had considerable local success in Chicago with such standout recordings as "Come Closer" (1964), the double-sided hit of "Warm Summer Breezes" and "Heartbreak" (1964), and "TCB" (1965). He later recorded for the Columbia, Wand, Liberty and Rocky labels, without success. Clark had a brief revival in 1975 when his song "Ride a Wild Horse" became a surprise Top 30 hit in the UK Singles Chart, becoming his first chart hit in the UK since "Just Keep It Up."
Afterwards, Clark performed mostly on the oldies circuit. By the late 1980s, he was in dire straits financially, living in a welfare hotel in Toccoa, Georgia. Despite suffering a stroke in 1987 that left him partially paralyzed and with a mild speech impediment, he continued to perform until his death on December 7, 1990, in Smyrna, Georgia, from a heart attack at the age of 52. His last concert was with the Jimmy Gilstrap Band at the Portman Lounge in Anderson, South Carolina.
Blues Get Off My Shoulder
Dee Clark Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tries to get colder
And this heavy heart proves that I've been touched by the blues
Blues, get off my shoulder.
Got my heart not speakin to my head
Even gotten older
And this heavy heart proves that I?ve been touched by the blues
Blues, get off my shoulder.
Oh you?re so mean to me
I can?t help you
Please let me be
Won?t you hear my plea
Now this cold, cold feelin', driving me back
I sure do miss the love that I had.
And I hope I love these blues as I get older.
Blues, get off my shoulder.
Now this cold, cold feelin' is drivin' me mad.
I sure do miss the love that I had.
I hope I love these blues as I get a little older
Blues, get off my shoulder.
Blues, you hurt me, can?t you see
Oh you?re so mean to me
I can?t help you
Please let me be
Won?t you hear my please..
The lyrics to Dee Clark's Blues Get Off My Shoulder depict the singer's struggle with the blues, a sentiment that weighs heavily upon him. The first verse describes a cold feeling that surrounds his heart and tries to get colder, indicating a struggle with emotional distance and a sense of isolation. The second verse expresses a disconnect between his heart and head as well as an internal struggle with aging, again emphasizing the weight of the blues upon him. The chorus serves as a plea for the blues to leave him alone, as they have hurt him enough already.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of struggle and pain that the blues can bring, highlighting the difficulty of shaking off such intense emotions. Through heartfelt lyrics and a soulful melody, Dee Clark's Blues Get Off My Shoulder captures the essence of the blues, a genre rooted in personal struggles and hardships.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a cold, cold feelin' 'round my heart
I feel emotionally numb and distant.
Tries to get colder
The numbness and emotional distance are increasing.
And this heavy heart proves that I've been touched by the blues
My sadness and depression are caused by the blues.
Blues, get off my shoulder.
I want to be free from the burden of feeling sad and depressed.
Got my heart not speakin to my head
My emotions are overpowering and affecting my logic and decision-making.
Even gotten older
This has been a long-standing issue in my life.
Blues, you hurt me, can’t you see
I am suffering because of the blues.
Oh you're so mean to me
The blues are causing me pain and suffering.
I can’t help you
I cannot control or change the influence of the blues on my life.
Please let me be
I want to be free from the hold of the blues.
Won't you hear my plea
I am asking for help and understanding from the blues.
Now this cold, cold feelin', driving me back
The numbness and emotional distance is becoming overwhelming.
I sure do miss the love that I had.
I am longing for the happiness and love that I felt before the influence of the blues.
And I hope I love these blues as I get older.
I hope to find a way to appreciate and cope with the blues as I age.
Blues, get off my shoulder.
I still long to be free of the burden of the blues.
Now this cold, cold feelin' is drivin' me mad.
The numbness and emotional distance is causing me mental distress.
I sure do miss the love that I had.
I still long for the happiness and love that the blues have taken away from me.
I hope I love these blues as I get a little older
I hope to find a way to accept and live with the influence of the blues as I age.
Blues, get off my shoulder.
I am still pleading for the burden of the blues to be lifted from me.
Blues, you hurt me, can’t you see
I am still suffering from the pain and influence of the blues.
Oh you're so mean to me
The blues are still causing me pain and suffering.
I can’t help you
I still cannot control or change the influence of the blues on my life.
Please let me be
I still long to be free from the hold of the blues.
Won't you hear my plea.
I am still asking for help and understanding from the blues.
Contributed by Emma L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
C. F
What an original sound!
John Benn
WOW WOW WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From a mad keen 75yo Aussie fan.
Steve
Welcome John!!
George May
Dee sounded a lot like Clyde Mcphater . Both great !
Paul Joseph
Fine voice fine blues
Steve
He came from the group "Kool Gents". I believe theyre on YT.
ALAIN DEWAELE
top track thank for the sharing srercrcr enjoy friday
Choock5219
Nice Post......Just Keep It Up
Steve
Good one!!