Origins And Early Successes
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Originally inspired by The Beatles, the Cowsills developed their musicianship and harmonized vocals in performances at school dances and churches in their hometown. They were encouraged by their parents, Barbara and Bud Cowsill, who drove them around to shows in the family's station wagon. Bud had retired from a long career in the US Navy to manage his children's career together with his wife.
The band drew increasing attention through the 1960's as their musical proficiency improved. In late 1965, the initial four members were hired as a regular act on Bannisters Wharf in Newport where they would sing "The Beatles" songs hour after hour. They also produced their first recordings, and released them on Mercury Records. Despite their appeal, the company passed on a record contract for reasons never specified. In 1966, the band was signed by MGM records, and shortly after Barbara - who would become known to their fans affectionately as "Mini-Mom" due to her diminutive stature - joined the group to record The Rain, The Park and Other Things. Shortly thereafter the band was expanded yet again to include siblings Susan and Paul.
With the success of "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" the band quickly became a popular act in the U.S., and achieved significant airplay in England and other parts of Europe. "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" wound up reaching #2 on the Billboard charts, and sold some three million copies in its first release.
Bob Cowsill is quoted as follows on the band's early days:
"Although Bill and I performed at a very young age, and Bill, myself, Barry and John did a lot of frat parties at Brown University and clubs in Newport ... the most memorable performance of what I would view as the precursor of what The Cowsills would be was at King's Park in Newport (right at the foot of Halidon Hall) at some carnival. The family angle just evolved ... first Bill and me, then Bill me and Barry, then Bill, me, Barry and John, then Bill, me, Barry, John and Mom, then Bill, me, Barry, John, Mom and Paul, then later, me, Paul, John, Barry, Mom and Susan, then back to Bill, me, Barry and John (very briefly in the end) and then to me, Paul, John and Susan. Our first real break came when we were playing the MK Hotel in Newport (in the basement there) and a guy from the Today show saw us and asked if we wanted to be on the Today show. We weren't famous or anything but we were young and we were related and we were quite good. So we went on the Today show (I doubt a tape exists of that but if it did it would be priceless to see) and someone from Mercury Records saw us which ultimately led to our signing with that label and putting out "Most Of All" (a great "school's out" song that should have been our first hit in my opinion) which led to Artie Kornfeld and Steve Duboff. Mercury dropped us, but Artie and Steve had written "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" and we went in and recorded that song at A&R studios in New York and took the whole package to MGM who decided wouldn't it just be terrific if their mother performed with them and, voila, the rest, as they say, is history. "
In 1969 they had another number two hit with their version of the title song from the musical Hair.
The Cowsills are often cited as the inspirtation for TV's "The Partridge Family."
Don't Look Back
The Cowsills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you leave us far behind in the morning,
When you drive away from here,
Try to hold back all you tears.
And don't look back, baby, don't look back.
We will miss you when you go away from here.
Don't let all your sadness through,
And don't look back, baby, don't look back.
Reminisce about all the nice things we do, and what I meant to you.
And what life standed for then, and what it stands for now.
When you leave from here,
Return on the morrow.
Leaving all the things you cherish,
Please do something as you perish.
Don't look back, baby, don't look back. Back.
The Cowsills's song Don't Look Back is a poignant and heartfelt song about leaving loved ones behind. This song is essentially about saying goodbye to someone who is leaving and how they should try to hold back their tears and not look back, as it will only make it harder to leave. The lyrics convey a sense of missing the person who is leaving and knowing that they will also miss the people they are leaving behind. The song also advises the person to try to focus on the positive memories they have shared together and remember what they meant to each other.
The lyrics also touch upon the idea that life has its ups and downs, but it is important to cherish the good memories and not dwell on the negatives. The line "Reminisce about all the nice things we do, and what I meant to you. And what life stood for then, and what it stands for now" highlights the importance of taking stock of what is truly important in life and not letting the sadness of a goodbye overshadow everything else.
Overall, Don't Look Back is a poignant and beautifully crafted song that speaks to the universal emotions of love, loss, and the importance of cherishing the people and memories that matter most in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
When you leave us far behind in the morning,
We will miss you when you depart from us in the morning,
When you drive away from here,
When you move away from this place,
Try to hold back all you tears.
Try not to cry and hold your emotions,
And don't look back, baby, don't look back.
Do not turn around and contemplate about the past or your regrets.
We will miss you when you go away from here.
We will be longing for you when you depart from here.
We know you will miss us too.
We are aware that you will also miss us.
Don't let all your sadness through,
Do not let yourself be consumed with sadness,
And don't look back, baby, don't look back.
Don't look back in sorrow; instead keep moving forward.
Reminisce about all the nice things we do, and what I meant to you.
Think about all the pleasant things we have done together, and remember what our relationship has meant to you.
And what life standed for then, and what it stands for now.
Recollect what life meant to you in the past, and how it has transformed you.
When you leave from here,
When you depart from here,
Return on the morrow.
Come back on another day.
Leaving all the things you cherish,
Leaving everything that you hold dear,
Please do something as you perish.
Please take action as you come to an end of something.
Don't look back, baby, don't look back. Back.
Do not look back and dwell on the past, just move forward.
Contributed by Nathan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.