They began writing and recording their own music in 1956, and their first hit song came in 1957, with "Bye Bye Love", written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. The song hit No. 1 in the spring of 1957, and additional hits would follow through 1958, many of them written by the Bryants, including "Wake Up Little Susie", "All I Have to Do Is Dream", and "Problems". In 1960, they signed with the major label Warner Bros. Records and recorded "Cathy's Clown", written by the brothers themselves, which was their biggest selling single. The brothers enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1961, and their output dropped off, though additional hit singles continued through 1962, with "That's Old Fashioned (That's the Way Love Should Be)" being their last top-10 hit.
Long-simmering disputes with Wesley Rose, the CEO of Acuff-Rose Music, which managed the group, a growing drug usage in the 1960s, as well as changing tastes in popular music, led to the group's decline in popularity in its native U.S., though the brothers continued to release hit singles in the U.K. and Canada, and had many highly successful tours throughout the 1960s. In the early 1970s, the brothers began releasing solo recordings, and in 1973 they officially broke up. Starting in 1983, the brothers got back together, and would continue to perform periodically until Phil's death in 2014. Don died seven years later.
The group was highly influential on the music of the generation that followed it. Many of the top acts of the 1960s were heavily influenced by the close-harmony singing and acoustic guitar playing of the Everly Brothers, including the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Bee Gees, and Simon & Garfunkel. In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked the Everly Brothers No. 1 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class of 1986, and into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Don was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019, earning the organization's first Iconic Riff Award for his distinctive rhythm guitar intro to the Everlys' massive 1957 hit "Wake Up Little Susie".
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Everly_Brothers
Cathy's Clown
The Everly Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't want your kisses, that's for sure
I die each time I hear this sound
Here he comes, that's Cathy's clown
I gotta stand tall
You know a man can't crawl
When he knows you're tellin' lies and he hears 'em passing by
Don't want your love anymore
Don't want your kisses, that's for sure
I die each time I hear this sound
Here he comes, that's Cathy's clown
When you see me shed a tear
And you know that it's sincere
Don't you think it's kinda sad that you're treating me so bad
Or don't you even care?
Don't want your love anymore
Don't want your kisses, that's for sure
I die each time I hear this sound
Here he comes, that's Cathy's clown
That's Cathy's clown
That's Cathy's clown
The lyrics of The Everly Brothers's song Cathy's Clown portray the heartbreak of a man who has been betrayed by a woman he loves. He declares that he no longer wants her love or kisses because he can no longer trust her. Every time he hears someone coming, he thinks it is Cathy's clown, the man she is now with. The chorus repeats these sentiments several times, emphasizing the depth of the pain and rejection he feels.
The second verse suggests that the man is trying to hold on to his dignity, even as he is hurt by Cathy's actions. He cannot bear to hear lies about her, and he knows that a real man would not let himself be treated this way. In the bridge, the lyrics become more personal, as he sheds a tear, which he hopes Cathy will recognize as sincere. He wonders if she even cares about how she has hurt him.
Overall, this song expresses the raw emotions of heartbreak, betrayal, and rejection in a clear and powerful way. The repeated chorus shows how these feelings can consume a person, while the verses provide more detail about the specific circumstances and emotions involved.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't want your love anymore
I have decided that I no longer desire your love.
Don't want your kisses, that's for sure
I do not want your kisses anymore, that is a certainty.
I die each time I hear this sound
Whenever I hear that sound, I feel overwhelmed by emotions of grief and despair.
Here he comes, that's Cathy's clown
When he approaches, it reminds me of his foolishness and insincerity - my memories of 'Cathy's clown.'
I gotta stand tall
I must maintain my standing and refuse to be at your mercy.
You know a man can't crawl
A man should not allow himself to be mistreated, and should instead stand up for himself.
When he knows you're tellin' lies and he hears 'em passing by
When he is aware of your falsehoods and hears other people learning of them, he feels like even less of a man.
He's not a man at all
When someone behaves in such a spineless and self-defeating manner, he loses all of his dignity and self-respect.
When you see me shed a tear
If you ever see me cry in front of you,
And you know that it's sincere
And you can tell that my grief is genuine,
Don't you think it's kinda sad that you're treating me so bad
Wouldn't you agree that it's tragic how poorly you treat me?
Or don't you even care?
Or do you simply not even care about my feelings at all.
That's Cathy's clown
This kind of mistreatment and heartache is what I've come to expect from a person like Cathy's clown.
That's Cathy's clown
Unfortunately, this kind of thing will always be a part of my experience with someone like Cathy's clown.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Donald I Everly
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind