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
Hey Doll Baby
The Everly Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want to tell you all about my troubles
What you've been doin' since your man's been gone
Show me how you feel since your man's back home
Hey doll baby, listen to me
Hey doll baby, there's a coat hangin' in my closet
Can't you remember when I bought it?
Don't want to take it no other way
Hey doll baby, listen to me
Well I was the man that made you
That's why I'll never dread you
You walk around nude, lookin' so fine
Just about makes me lose my mind
Hey doll baby, make up your mind for love's sake
and we've got no time for mystics
I'm gonna roll back the rug and let up the door
Ain't gonna leave you never no more
Hey doll baby, listen to me
Hey doll baby, hey doll baby
Hey doll baby, listen to me
The Everly Brothers' "Hey Doll Baby" is a classic rock and roll song from 1957 that tells a story of a man trying to reconnect with his woman after a period of separation. The lyrics are filled with references to the couple's past and present and are written in a style that suggests a conversation between two people.
The first verse finds the man asking his woman to sit down and have a talk with him as he wants to share his troubles with her. He then questions her about what she has been doing while he was gone and asks her to show him how she feels since he came back. These lines indicate that the couple has been separated for some time, and the man is trying to understand the woman's feelings towards him.
In the second verse, the man asks the woman to look into his closet and check if she remembers a coat he had bought for her. He then goes on to say that he does not want to take her brother's visit the wrong way. These lines further suggest that the couple has a past, and the woman may have been unfaithful in the man's absence.
Overall, the song is a plea from the man to the woman to reconcile their differences and move on with their relationship. The use of several references to past events suggests that the couple has a long history and a deep connection which the man does not want to lose.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey doll baby, can we have a little talk together
Addressing the woman, the singer wants to sit down and talk about his problems with her
I want to tell you all about my troubles
The singer wants to confide in the woman and tell her everything that's been bothering him
What you've been doin' since your man's been gone
The singer is curious to know what the woman has been up to while she was single
Show me how you feel since your man's back home
The artist wants the woman to demonstrate her affection now that he's back
Hey doll baby, listen to me
The artist wants to capture the woman's attention and make sure she's listening carefully
Hey doll baby, there's a coat hangin' in my closet
The singer is questioning the woman about his coat that he hung in the closet
Can't you remember when I bought it?
The singer wants the woman to recall when he purchased the coat
Tell me that your brother was here today
The artist inquires about the woman's brother and if he visited her that day
Don't want to take it no other way
The artist wants the woman to be honest and not take his questions the wrong way
Well I was the man that made you
The artist is reminding the woman that he was the one who built her up and made her who she is today
That's why I'll never dread you
The singer will never be afraid of the woman because he knows he's responsible for her success
You walk around nude, lookin' so fine
The artist is admiring the woman's beauty as she walks around without clothing
Just about makes me lose my mind
The singer is so enamored with the woman's appearance that he's nearly driven insane
Hey doll baby, make up your mind for love's sake
The singer wants the woman to choose whether she truly loves him or not
and we've got no time for mystics
The singer doesn't want to waste any time or energy on uncertainty or ambiguity in their relationship
I'm gonna roll back the rug and let up the door
The artist intends to have a good time with the woman, possibly by dancing or letting loose
Ain't gonna leave you never no more
The artist promises to never leave the woman again
Hey doll baby, listen to me
The singer once again appeals for the woman's attention and engagement
Hey doll baby, hey doll baby
The singer addresses the woman affectionately with a pet name
Hey doll baby, listen to me
The artist wants to ensure that the woman hears and comprehends what he's saying
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TITUS TURNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind