The band was for… Read Full Bio ↴The Cyrkle was a 1960s American rock and roll band.
The band was formed by guitarists Don Dannemann and Tom Dawes, while studying at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. The band's drummer was Marty Fried. They were originally a "frat rock" band called The Rhondells; but were later discovered and managed by Brian Epstein, who was better known as manager of The Beatles, with John Lennon providing the unique spelling of their new name. They were produced by John Simon.
In the summer of 1966 they opened on fourteen dates for the Beatles during their U.S. tour.
The Cyrkle is best known for their 1966 song "Red Rubber Ball", which went to #2 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart; it was co-written by Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkel and Bruce Woodley of The Seekers. It was released on the Columbia record label. The band had one more Top 20 hit, "Turn-Down Day" later in 1966. After the release of the debut album, Red Rubber Ball, they recorded a second album, Neon, in late 1966 and a movie soundtrack, The Minx in 1967. They followed that with various singles, then disbanded in late 1967.
Dawes later wrote the famous "plop plop fizz fizz" jingle for Alka-Seltzer. Both Dawes and Danneman became professional jingle writers following the demise of The Cyrkle. Fried is a bankruptcy attorney in metropolitan Detroit.
Problem Child
The Cyrkle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hmm mmm hmm mmm mmm
Hmm mmm mmm
It's a depression and childish regression
That's changing my baby before my eyes
And I see how she's frightened
By thunder and lightning
I think I'm hooked on a problem child
A mere child, a wild child
Now how'd I get hung on a problem child
A mother's child is she
She's so unstable
I've got to be able
To break her away from the scene, she's in
She's attached to her mother
There's room for no other
She acts just as though she were three
She says she adores me
And yet she ignores me
Whenever I try makin' love to her
She insists that it's wrong
And resists all along
But she wants it as badly as me
I think I'm hooked on a problem child
A mere child, a wild child
Now how'd I get hung on a problem child
A mother's child is she
I, think I'm hooked on a problem child
A mere child, a sick child
Now how'd I get hung on a problem child
A mother's child is she
I think I have troubles with a problem child
I don't know what to do-ooh
I
believe that The Cyrkle's song Problem Child is about a man who is struggling to understand his partner's mental health issues. In the first verse, it seems that the woman is experiencing a regression of sorts, possibly related to depression or anxiety. She is afraid of things that most adults would not be, such as thunder and lightning, and her partner is struggling to console her. He feels like he is watching her change before his eyes and he doesn't know how to help her.
The second verse highlights the woman's instability and clinginess. She is attached to her mother and acts like a child, even though she is an adult. The partner is feeling overwhelmed and wants to break her away from this behavior, but he doesn't know how. They are unable to connect intimately because of the woman's resistance, yet she still desires it. He is at a loss as to what to do to help her, and feels like he is hanging on to a problem child.
The lyrics speak to the difficulties that can arise in relationships when one partner is struggling with mental health issues. The partner who is not experiencing these issues may not always know how to help or understand what is going on in the other person's mind. It highlights the importance of seeking professional help and support when dealing with mental health issues in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a depression and childish regression
The singer's partner is experiencing depression and acting like a child
That's changing my baby before my eyes
The singer's partner is changing into a different person before their eyes
And I see how she's frightened
The singer can see that their partner is scared
By thunder and lightning
The partner is afraid of loud noises, like thunder and lightning
Afraid of her shadow and me
The partner is also scared of seemingly innocuous things like her own shadow and her partner
I think I'm hooked on a problem child
The singer feels like they're addicted to their troubled partner
A mere child, a wild child
The partner acts like a child and is unpredictable
Now how'd I get hung on a problem child
The artist wonders how they became attached to someone who causes so much trouble
A mother's child is she
The partner is very attached to their mother
She's so unstable
The partner's emotional state is very fragile
I've got to be able
The singer feels like they need to be strong enough to help their partner
To break her away from the scene, she's in
The artist wants to help their partner move on from whatever is causing their issues
She's attached to her mother
The partner is very close to their mother
There's room for no other
The partner doesn't have much room in her life for anyone besides her mother
She acts just as though she were three
The partner behaves like a small child
She says she adores me
The partner claims to love the artist
And yet she ignores me
Despite this, the partner disregards the artist
Whenever I try makin' love to her
The singer attempts to be intimate with their partner
She insists that it's wrong
The partner feels like being intimate is improper
And resists all along
Despite the artist's attempts, the partner refuses to be intimate
But she wants it as badly as me
Despite resisting, the partner desires intimacy just as much as the artist does
I think I have troubles with a problem child
The artist acknowledges that their partner is causing them stress and difficulty
I don't know what to do-ooh
The singer is unsure of how to handle the situation
Contributed by Aaliyah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.