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
Ebony Eyes
The Everly Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a weekend pass I wouldn't have had time
To get home and marry, that baby of mine
So I went to the Chaplain and he authorized
Me to send for my Ebony Eyes
My ebony eyes was coming to me
From out of the skies on Flight 1203
In an hour or two, I would whisper "I do"
To my beautiful Ebony Eyes
(Ooh)
The plane was way overdue
So I went inside to the airline's desk and I said
"Sir, I wonder why 1203 is so late"
He said, "Oh they probably took off late
Or they may have run into some turbulent weather and had to alter the course"
I went back outside and waited at the gate
And I watched the beacon light from the control tower
As it whipped through the dark ebony skies if it were searching for
My Ebony Eyes
And then came the announcement over the loudspeaker
"Would those having relatives or friends on Flight number 1203
Please report to the chapel across the street at once"
Then I felt a burning break deep inside
And I knew the heavenly ebony skies
Had taken my life's most wonderful prize
My beautiful Ebony Eyes
If I ever get, to heaven I'll bet
The first angel I'll recognize
She'll smile at me and I know she will be
My beautiful Ebony Eyes
(Ooh)
The Everly Brothers' song "Ebony Eyes" tells the story of a soldier awaiting the arrival of his fiancée, who is flying in on Flight 1203, so they can finally get married. The lyrics describe his anticipation and overwhelming love for his bride-to-be, referred to as "my Ebony Eyes." However, the song takes a tragic turn when the soldier hears an announcement that Flight 1203 has crashed and his beloved fiancée is one of the casualties. The final verse poignantly describes his grief and how he hopes to one day see her again in heaven.
This song is a heartbreaking tale of young love cut short by tragedy. It captures the innocent and pure love that young couples have, especially in times of war, where every moment spent together is cherished. However, the lyrics also explore the various emotions associated with a tragic loss - shock, disbelief, and pain.
Interestingly, the song was actually inspired by a true story. In 1960, a plane en route from New York City to Puerto Rico crashed, killing everyone on board. Among the victims was a young woman named Ebony Morton, who was engaged to a soldier stationed in Puerto Rico. Phil Everly, who co-wrote the song with his wife, was moved by the story and decided to write a tribute to the tragic couple.
Line by Line Meaning
On a weekend pass I wouldn't have had time
I didn't have enough time to go home and get married on a weekend pass.
To get home and marry, that baby of mine
I wanted to go home and marry my girlfriend.
So I went to the Chaplain and he authorized
I went to the chaplain and he allowed me to send for my girlfriend.
Me to send for my Ebony Eyes
I sent for my girl who had ebony eyes.
My ebony eyes was coming to me
My girl with ebony eyes was on her way to meet me.
From out of the skies on Flight 1203
She was arriving on flight 1203.
In an hour or two, I would whisper "I do"
I was going to marry her soon after she arrived.
To my beautiful Ebony Eyes
My girlfriend had beautiful ebony eyes.
The plane was way overdue
The flight was delayed.
So I went inside to the airline's desk and I said
I went to the airline desk to ask about the flight.
"Sir, I wonder why 1203 is so late"
I asked the airline employee why the flight was delayed.
He said, "Oh they probably took off late
The employee said the flight may have departed later than scheduled.
Or they may have run into some turbulent weather and had to alter the course"
Or the flight may have encountered bad weather and had to change its route.
I went back outside and waited at the gate
I returned outside to wait for the flight.
And I watched the beacon light from the control tower
I observed the beaming light from the control tower.
As it whipped through the dark ebony skies if it were searching for
It seemed like the light was searching for something.
My Ebony Eyes
My girlfriend with ebony eyes.
And then came the announcement over the loudspeaker
An announcement was made through the loudspeaker.
"Would those having relatives or friends on Flight number 1203
The announcement was looking for people who were related to or knew someone on flight 1203.
Please report to the chapel across the street at once"
They asked the relatives and friends to go to the chapel across the street immediately.
Then I felt a burning break deep inside
I felt an intense pain that went deep inside me.
And I knew the heavenly ebony skies
I knew that she was no longer of this world.
Had taken my life's most wonderful prize
The skies had taken away the most precious thing in my life.
If I ever get, to heaven I'll bet
I am hoping to go to heaven.
The first angel I'll recognize
I will recognize my girlfriend when I see her.
She'll smile at me and I know she will be
She will smile at me and I know it will be her.
My beautiful Ebony Eyes
My girlfriend with beautiful ebony eyes.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LOUDERMILK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind