The Beau Brummels broke into the mainstream with their debut single, "Laugh, Laugh", for which they would later be credited for setting the aesthetic foundation for the San Francisco Sound. The band's popularity continued with the subsequent album, 1965's Introducing the Beau Brummels, and the Top 10 single "Just a Little". The group's commercial success declined by the following year, at which time the financially struggling Autumn label was acquired by Warner Bros. Records. After recording an album of cover songs, Beau Brummels '66, the band released a pair of critically acclaimed albums: Triangle in 1967 and Bradley's Barn in 1968.
The band underwent several personnel changes, beginning with Mulligan's departure in 1965. Guitarist Don Irving joined the band in late 1965 when Elliott began to suffer seizures resulting from a diabetic condition, leaving him unable to tour with the band. Shortly after the release of Beau Brummels '66, Irving left the group when he was inducted into the armed forces. Petersen left to join Harpers Bizarre, reducing the Beau Brummels to a trio for the recording of Triangle. Meagher was drafted for military service in 1968, leaving Valentino and Elliott as the only remaining band members. The duo worked with prominent Nashville session musicians to record Bradley's Barn before parting ways in 1969 to focus on solo material and participate in projects by other artists. The five original Beau Brummels reformed in 1974, and the band released an eponymous album the following year.
Just A Little
The Beau Brummels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't stay
Yes I know
You know I
Hate to go
But goodbye
Love was sweet
Never mean
So I'll cry just a little 'cause I love you so
And I'll die just a little 'cause I have to go
Away
Can't you see
How I feel
When I say
Love's unreal
So goodbye
It's been sweet
Even though
Incomplete
So I'll cry just a little 'cause I love you so
And I'll die just a little 'cause I have to go
Away
Every night
I still hear
Oh your sigh's
Very clear
Now it's gone
Gone away
As I once
Heard you say
Now I'll cry just a little 'cause I love you so
And I'll die just a little 'cause I have to go
Away
Ah!
The Beau Brummels's song "Just a Little" is a bittersweet breakup song that explores the difficulty in leaving an intense but ultimately unsustainable love. The song opens with the singer acknowledging how much they don't want to leave, and how much they love the person they are saying goodbye to. The phrase "I'll cry just a little 'cause I love you so / And I'll die just a little 'cause I have to go" encapsulates the emotional conflict that lies at the heart of this song.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes more resigned to the breakup, and begins to express doubts about whether their love was ever real in the first place. They tell their partner that "Love's unreal," but then immediately acknowledge that it was still "sweet" even if it was "incomplete." The final lines of the song reference the pain of hearing their former partner's sighs at night, and the sense of finality that comes with their departure.
Overall, "Just a Little" is a lyrically rich song that captures the complicated emotions of a difficult breakup. The juxtaposition of intense love and heartbreak is a common theme in popular music, but the Beau Brummels explore this terrain with thoughtfulness and an eye for detail.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't stay
I cannot remain here any longer
Yes I know
I am aware of the situation
You know I
You are aware that I
Hate to go
I strongly dislike leaving
But goodbye
Farewell
Love was sweet
Our love was enjoyable
I was kind
I treated you with kindness
Never mean
I never acted cruelly
So I'll cry just a little 'cause I love you so
I will shed a few tears because I love you deeply
And I'll die just a little 'cause I have to go
Leaving will cause me some emotional pain
Can't you see
Can you not perceive
How I feel
What I am feeling
When I say
When I express
Love's unreal
Our love is not genuine
So goodbye
Farewell
It's been sweet
Our time together has been pleasurable
Even though
Despite the fact that
Incomplete
Our relationship is not finished
Every night
Each and every evening
I still hear
I can still hear
Oh your sigh's
Your sighs
Very clear
Are quite audible
Now it's gone
It has now disappeared
Gone away
Has left
As I once
Just like I
Heard you say
Listened to you speak those exact words
Now I'll cry just a little 'cause I love you so
I will shed a few tears because I love you deeply
And I'll die just a little 'cause I have to go
Leaving will cause me some emotional pain
Away
Leaving this place
Lyrics Β© Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Robert Charles Durand, Ronald Elliot
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
#WatermelonSavage
I heard this on the radio while driving home from the airport just now, went to look up what it was on my phone during a red light and realized my phone was dead. So I spent the next 45mins or so repeating some of the lyrics out loud so I could look it up when I got home lol! I'm 29 years old and somehow had never heard this song before but it may be my new favorite, criminally underrated.
Wiseman music
I'm 56 and I had never heard of these guys.
Tracey Moore
That is so cool that you are that young and like this song. I'm in my sixties and I love it as well. I think it's the two guitars that seemed to talk back and forth to each other that hook me.
brian byczek
they were one of the best ever.......still have the album........i'm 73
TexasStardust
@Wiseman music ......Really ...??? Oh my. I'm 60 something, really enjoyed thier music .... " Laugh ,Laugh " is brilliantly written, the Harmonies are fabulous and great musicians...and a solid drum line on that song as well.
TexasStardust
@brian byczek ππ»ππ»ππ»π
Kodiak Bearson
The drum beat and vibrato guitar is something that really set the Beau Brummels apart from other bands of the 60's. The lyrics are sad in the resolve of losing a girl you love, but realizing it will never work. A 60's masterpiece.
u m
that's a tremolo effect on the guitar
Davi AraΓΊjo
Muito bom
Building an Animal Rescue
don't say sad, say haunting, sounds better