They left for San Francisco in 1959, where they met Mort Lewis, Dave Brubeck's manager. Lewis became their manager and later that year secured them a contract with Columbia Records. Their second single, "Greenfields," released in January 1960, hit #2 on the pop charts, and their first album, Brothers Four, released toward the end of the year, made the top 20. Other highlights of their early career included singing their fourth single, "The Green Leaves of Summer," from the John Wayne movie The Alamo, at the 1961 Academy Awards, and having their second album, BMOC/Best Music On/Off Campus, go top 10. They also recorded the theme song for the ABC television series Hootenanny, "Hootenanny Saturday Night," in 1963.
The British Invasion and the ascendance of such folk musicians as Bob Dylan put an end to the Brothers Four's early period of success, but they kept performing and making records, doing particularly well in Japan and on the American hotel circuit.
The band attempted a comeback by recording a highly commercial version of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man." But the band was unable to release it because of licensing issues, and The Byrds eventually stole their thunder by releasing their heralded version.
Mike Kirkland left the group in 1969, and was replaced by Mark Pearson, another University of Washington alumnus. In 1971, Pearson left and was replaced by Bob Haworth, who stayed until 1989 and was replaced by a returning Pearson. Dick Foley left the group in 1990 and was replaced by Terry Lauber. Despite all the changes and having spent 47 years in the business, the group is still active today (2004).
Both Sides Now
The Brothers Four Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere,
I've looked at clouds that way.
But now they only block the sun,
They rain and snow on everyone.
So many things I would have done
I've looked at clouds from both sides now,
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall.
I really don't know clouds, at all.
Moons and jeans and ferris wheels,
The dizzy dancing way that you feel
As every fairy tale comes real;
I've looked at love that way.
But now it's just another show.
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know,
Don't give yourself away.
I've looked at love from both sides now,
From give and take, and still somehow
It's love's illusions that I recall.
I really don't know love, at all.
Tears and fears and feeling proud,
To say "I love you" right out loud,
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds,
I've looked at life that way.
But now old friends are acting strange,
They shake their heads, they say I've changed.
But, something's lost and something's gained
In living every day.
I've looked at life from both sides now,
From win and lose, and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall.
I really don't know life, at all...
The lyrics of the song reflect the perspective of the songwriter, who has looked at life, love, and even clouds from different angles. The first verse talks about how the songwriter used to look at clouds as a thing of wonder and beauty, with their "bows and flows of angel hair" and "ice cream castles in the air". But as time passed, the clouds have changed their meaning, and have become a hindrance, blocking the sun and causing rain and snow. This also symbolizes how most things in life start with beauty and wonder, but often end up being a hindrance, causing trouble in one's life.
In the second verse, the songwriter talks about looking at love from both sides. The first side is the magical and dreamy side, where "Moons and jeans and ferris wheels" are present, and every fairytale comes to life. However, the other side is not as beautiful, and is more of a performance, where one leaves them laughing when they go, and does not reveal their true feelings. This symbolizes how love starts with beauty and perfection, but in the end, it's all just a show.
The final verse talks about looking at life from different perspectives, including tears and fears, feeling proud, saying "I love you" out loud, dreams and schemes, and even the circus crowds. This symbolizes the idea of experiencing life in a variety of ways. And while it may be true that things change and people may act strange, it's important to see the good and the bad in everything. This reflects the idea that life is nuanced and complex, and that one can never truly know everything.
Line by Line Meaning
Bows and flows of angel hair
Beautiful and delicate strands of hair, like angel hair pasta
And ice cream castles in the air
Imaginary castles made out of ice cream, a fanciful dream
And feather canyons everywhere,
Pillows and down feathers filling vast canyons as a peaceful image.
I've looked at clouds that way.
An idealistic view of clouds as beautiful and peaceful formations.
But now they only block the sun,
Clouds are now seen as a hindrance for many things including blocking the sun.
They rain and snow on everyone.
Their function is reduced to bad weather.
So many things I would have done
Clouds as obstacles keeping one from achieving certain things.
But clouds got in my way.
Clouds here hamper progress or possibilities in some way.
I've looked at clouds from both sides now,
Having seen both the positive and negative aspects of clouds.
From up and down, and still somehow
Having experienced them from different perspectives yet it remains complex.
It's cloud illusions I recall.
Despite the different experiences, the illusions surrounding clouds remain most memorable.
I really don't know clouds, at all.
Despite various encounters and experiences, there is still little genuine understanding or knowledge of clouds.
Moons and jeans and ferris wheels,
An evocative set of experiences blending pop-culture and romantic ideas.
The dizzy dancing way that you feel
A sense of excitement and liveliness that one can feel.
As every fairy tale comes real;
All the fantasies come to life.
I've looked at love that way.
An idealized view of love.
But now it's just another show.
Love is more of an act or performance now, a facade.
You leave 'em laughing when you go
Acting indifferent and not revealing emotions is easier when ending things.
And if you care, don't let them know,
Don't show vulnerability or emotion to protect oneself.
Don't give yourself away.
Don't expose true feelings, keep them hidden to avoid disappointment or pain.
I've looked at love from both sides now,
Having experienced love from different perspectives.
From give and take, and still somehow
Despite different experiences, it remains complicated.
It's love's illusions that I recall.
What sticks in the memories are the illusions that love creates.
I really don't know love, at all.
Despite various types of love that one may have experienced, it still feels like there is a lot to learn.
Tears and fears and feeling proud,
A cocktail of different emotions when revealing love to someone.
To say "I love you" right out loud,
To communicate your love through words is difficult and requires vulnerability.
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds,
A mix of desires, ideas and people, perhaps in a chaotic manner.
I've looked at life that way.
Using the lens of the spectacle to view and analyze life.
But now old friends are acting strange,
People become different, including old friends.
They shake their heads, they say I've changed.
Some behave in ways that indicate that the person has changed possibly for the worse.
But, something's lost and something's gained
Along the lines of the saying 'you can't have everything', something is undoubtedly always given up when something else is obtained.
In living every day.
Daily living presents ongoing give-and-take scenarios.
I've looked at life from both sides now,
Having seen life from different perspectives.
From win and lose, and still somehow
Despite different experiences, one is left with mixed feelings.
It's life's illusions I recall.
Life has a way of conjuring up illusions that persist in memories.
I really don't know life, at all...
Despite continual learning and evolving in life, it feels like there is still so much unknown and uncharted territory yet to experience.
Contributed by Bailey J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.