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
Ridin' High
The Everly Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just a music man
Didn't even know
What I was trying to say
Life can be so funky
For the crazy music man
Got no peacful state of mind
Sailin' the wings of you, girl
I'm riding high
I'm riding high
I'm riding high I do believe
Nights can be so lonely
When you're talkin' with your mind
No one there to hide you
From the bitter truth
Late at night I be writin'
Listening to my sorry head
Lay and drift across the day cryin'
What's the use
Then you came into my world, girl
I'm riding high
I'm riding high
I'm riding high I do believe
Every dawn was a demon
Staring down upon my bed
Raising his firey head
To eat another day
But everyday's a song now
To the ears of the music man
Cos I finally got a plan
Got a place to stay
Sailin' the wings of you, love
I'm riding high
I'm riding high
I'm riding high I do believe...
The song "Ridin' High" by The Everly Brothers is about a struggling music man who finds inner peace when he meets the woman of his dreams. It speaks about the ups and downs of the music industry and how it affects one's mental health. The lyrics highlight the constant struggle of trying to create something meaningful while dealing with inner demons and loneliness.
The first stanza talks about the artist's lack of direction and clarity in his music career. He is lost and doesn't know how to express himself through his art. The second stanza speaks about the difficulties of being a musician, dealing with mental instability, and not having a peaceful state of mind.
Then, the chorus comes in, which represents his feeling of happiness and comfort when he's with the woman he loves. He feels like he's on top of the world and truly believes that he's "ridin' high". The third and fourth stanzas speak about the struggles he faced before he met his love, and how he feels like he finally has a plan now that he's found someone to share his life with.
Overall, "Ridin' High" is a beautiful song that tells a story of love, struggles, and growth. It's a tribute to all the musicians out there who have fought and are still fighting to follow their dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby I was nothing
I was just a nobody with little to offer
Just a music man
But I had music, that was my only skill
Didn't even know
I wasn't even sure what I wanted to say
What I was trying to say
My thoughts and ideas weren't clear to me
Life can be so funky
Life can be chaotic and confusing
For the crazy music man
Especially for someone like me, who only knows music
Got no peacful state of mind
I didn't have a calm and centered mindset
Where he can stay
I had nowhere to go to find inner peace
Sailin' the wings of you, girl
But then I met you, and it felt like flying
I'm riding high
I'm feeling ecstatic and alive
Nights can be so lonely
Sometimes at night I feel lonely
When you're talkin' with your mind
When I'm deep in thought, lost in my own head
No one there to hide you
There's no one to protect me from the truth
From the bitter truth
It's hard to face harsh realities on my own
Late at night I be writin'
So I write my thoughts down in the middle of the night
Listening to my sorry head
Trying to make sense of my jumbled thoughts
Lay and drift across the day cryin'
Reflecting on the day's events, sometimes with tears
What's the use
Feeling like my efforts are futile, nothing changes
Then you came into my world, girl
But since you've come into my life, everything is different
Every dawn was a demon
Mornings used to be tough, full of negativity
Staring down upon my bed
It's like the day is out to get me, starting with the bed I wake up in
Raising his firey head
The day seemingly taunts me with its challenges
To eat another day
Every day feels like a struggle, a fight to make it through
But everyday's a song now
But now, every day feels like a gift
To the ears of the music man
Especially to someone who loves music like me
Cos I finally got a plan
I've finally found a way to make sense of everything
Got a place to stay
I feel like I've found my home, my sanctuary
Sailin' the wings of you, love
And it's all thanks to you and the love we share
I'm riding high
I'm ecstatic and grateful for the changes in my life
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DENNIS LINDE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind