Dee Clark (November 7, 1938 – December 7, 1990) was an American rhythm & bl… Read Full Bio ↴Dee Clark (November 7, 1938 – December 7, 1990) was an American rhythm & blues and soul singer best known for a string of R&B and pop hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including the ballad "Raindrops," which became a million-seller in the United States in 1961.

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.

You're Telling Our Secrets
Dee Clark Lyrics

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How can you be so cruel
To someone
With a broken heart?

Oh, you're telling our secrets to your new love
And I know that your new love must be having fun
Just laughing at me!
I can just see him now, sitting there by your side

Reading the letters you promised to hide!
Oh, you're telling our secrets to your new love –
How can you be so cruel?

How can you be so cruel
To someone
With a broken heart
And then make such a fool
Of someone
After tearing his dreams all apart?

Oh, you're telling our secrets to your new love
And I know that your new love must be having fun
Just laughing at me!
Like the day that you said you were going away
I cried like a baby, and begged you to stay!
Oh, you're telling our secrets to your new love –

How can you be so cruel?
How can you be so cruel?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dee Clark's song "You're Telling Our Secrets" describe a heartbroken person who discovers that their ex-lover is revealing their intimate secrets to their new partner. The singer expresses their pain and disbelief at this betrayal, asking how can someone be so cruel to someone with a broken heart. The lyrics convey a sense of vulnerability and betrayal, highlighting the pain that can result from open intimacy with another person.

The song is musically upbeat, contrasting with the melancholy lyrics. This adds to the theme of vulnerability, portraying how even when someone is trying to move on from heartbreak, they can still feel exposed and taken advantage of by their past lover. The refrain of "Oh, you're telling our secrets to your new love" reinforces the theme of secrecy and intimacy being broken and invaded.

Overall, the lyrics of "You're Telling Our Secrets" offer a powerful commentary on the pain that can come from broken relationships, as well as the vulnerability that results from the intimacy of sharing secrets and personal details with another person.

Line by Line Meaning

How can you be so cruel
Expressing disbelief and anger at the fact that the person being addressed can act so callously and unkindly.

To someone
Referring to the singer, who is clearly hurt and upset by the actions of the person being addressed.

With a broken heart?
Highlighting the sorrow and pain that the singer is feeling as a result of the situation.

Oh, you're telling our secrets to your new love
Accusing the person being addressed of sharing intimate details of their relationship with someone else, and suggesting that this is a betrayal of trust and loyalty.

And I know that your new love must be having fun
Assuming that the person being addressed's new partner is finding amusement in the artist's distress, and conveying a sense of bitterness and resentment.

Just laughing at me!
Expressing outrage and outrage at the idea that someone would take pleasure in someone else's pain and misfortune.

I can just see him now, sitting there by your side
Painting a picture of the person being addressed and their new partner, which serves to intensify the singer's feelings of jealousy and hurt.

Reading the letters you promised to hide!
Imagining the person being addressed and their new partner going through private correspondence that was meant to be kept secret, which deepens the sense of betrayal and violation.

Like the day that you said you were going away
Recalling a past incident in which the person being addressed threatened to leave, which may have been a turning point in their relationship and contributed to the current state of affairs.

I cried like a baby, and begged you to stay!
Conveying vulnerability, desperation, and a deep emotional attachment to the person being addressed, while also highlighting the power dynamics at play in the relationship.

How can you be so cruel?
Repeating the central question of the song, which asks how someone could knowingly and deliberately cause pain and suffering to another person in this way.

Contributed by Owen K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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