The Everly Brothers were an American country-influenced rock and roll duo, … Read Full Bio ↴The Everly Brothers were an American country-influenced rock and roll duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 – January 3, 2014), the duo was raised in a musical family, first appearing on radio singing along with their father Ike Everly and mother Margaret Everly as "The Everly Family" in the 1940s. When the brothers were still in high school, they gained the attention of prominent Nashville musicians like Chet Atkins, who began to promote them for national attention.

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

Following The Sun
The Everly Brothers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If I'm cold another day
I think I'll pack and go away
Leaving your cold heart here
Looking for love somewhere
Following the sun

If I stayed another day
You might take my dreams away

Leaving me here too long
Knowing I belong
Following the sun

You know I'm so tired of my life
Only love can make it right
But fool that I am
I'm still with you
When it's love I need tonight
I'm going to leave this place today
I'll not wish my life away
Leaving your cold heart here
Looking for love somewhere
Following the sun

You know I'm so tired of my life
Only love can make it right
But fool that I am
I'm still with you
When it's love I need tonight
I'm going to leave this place today
I'll not wish my life away
Leaving your cold heart here
Looking for love somewhere
Following the sun

Leaving your cold heart here

Looking for love somewhere
Following the sun

Overall Meaning

The Everly Brothers’ song “Following The Sun” is a poignant story of someone trying to find happiness and love. The singer of the song is in a loveless relationship with someone whose heart is cold. The lyrics suggest that if the singer remains in this relationship for another day, his/her dreams will be taken away. The singer is tired of his/her life and knows that only love can make it right. As a result, the singer decides to leave and go somewhere else in search of true love. The refrain of “Following the sun” suggests that the singer will keep searching until he/she finds what he/she is looking for.

The song is a reflection of the struggles that many people face in relationships. It highlights the importance of love and the need to be with someone who reciprocates those feelings. The lyrics are simple, yet powerful, and convey a sense of longing and sadness. The Everly Brothers’ harmonies add to the emotional impact of the song, making it a timeless classic.

Interestingly, the song was written by the famous rock ’n’ roll musician, Del Shannon. Shannon was well known for his hit song “Runaway,” which was released in 1961. “Following The Sun” was written later in Shannon’s career and was featured on his 1968 album “The Further Adventures of Charles Westover.” The song was covered by The Everly Brothers in 1972 and became a hit in the United States.

Line by Line Meaning

If I'm cold another day
If I feel unwanted and unappreciated again

I think I'll pack and go away
I'll choose to leave instead of staying in a cold environment

Leaving your cold heart here
I'll be leaving behind someone who doesn't reciprocate emotions

Looking for love somewhere
I'll be searching for affection elsewhere

Following the sun
I'm headed towards a bright and hopeful future

If I stayed another day
If I choose to endure the same situation

You might take my dreams away
You might crush my aspirations and desires

Leaving me here too long
I'll be stuck in an unhealthy relationship

Knowing I belong
Despite the pain, I cannot resist staying

You know I'm so tired of my life
I feel exhausted and unhappy with the way things are

Only love can make it right
I recognize that love is the only solution to my problems