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

The First Noel
The Everly Brothers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

They say that you have found a love
And maybe it's strong enough
But should you ever, change your mind
Let me be the first in line
For I would give my heart to you
With a love pure and true
And it would last, till the end of time
So let me be the first in line

If your new love should make you blue
And you want somebody who
Will treat you tender, treat you kind
Let me be the first in line
And if someday he sets you free
I pray that you will consider me
I would give, all that is mine

Just let me be the first in line
Let me be the first in line

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The First Noel by The Everly Brothers talk about a love that has been found by someone. The singer acknowledges that the love might be strong enough, but reminds the person that he is willing to be the first in line in case they ever change their mind. The singer promises to give all his pure and true love to the person, a love that would last till the end of time.

In the next verse, the singer offers the same if the new love should make the person blue and if they want someone who would treat them tender and kind. The singer then prays for the person to consider him if ever they get set free by their love. He promises to give all that is his, just to be the first in line. The song essentially talks about unconditional love, and how the singer is willing to be there for the person irrespective of their circumstances.

Line by Line Meaning

They say that you have found a love
I have heard that you are in a relationship

And maybe it's strong enough
Perhaps your love is durable enough

But should you ever, change your mind
In case you ever reconsider

Let me be the first in line
Allow me to be the first option

For I would give my heart to you
I would wholeheartedly devote myself to you

With a love pure and true
With genuine and unconditional affection

And it would last, till the end of time
Our love would endure eternally

So let me be the first in line
Therefore, consider me in the first place

If your new love should make you blue
If your current love causes sadness and gloom

And you want somebody who
And you desire someone who

Will treat you tender, treat you kind
Will handle you delicately and considerately