The Statler Brothers were an American country music vocal group founded in … Read Full Bio ↴The Statler Brothers were an American country music vocal group founded in 1955 in Staunton, Virginia.

Originally performing gospel music at local churches, the group billed themselves as The Four Star Quartet, and later The Kingsmen. In 1963, when the song "Louie, Louie" by the garage rock band also called The Kingsmen became famous, the group elected to bill themselves as The Statler Brothers. Despite the name, only two members of the group (Don and Harold Reid) are actual brothers and none have the surname of "Statler". The band, in fact, named themselves after a brand of facial tissue they had noticed in a hotel room (they joked that they could have turned out to be the Kleenex Brothers). Don Reid sang lead. Harold Reid, Don's older brother, sang bass. Phil Balsley sang baritone and Jimmy Fortune sang tenor after replacing original tenor Lew DeWitt in the early 1980s due to the latter's ill health. DeWitt died on August 15, 1990 of heart and kidney disease, stemming from complications of Crohn's disease.

The band's style was closely linked to their gospel roots. "We took gospel harmonies," said Harold Reid, "and put them over in country music."

The group remained closely tied to their gospel roots, with a majority of their records containing at least one gospel song. They produced several albums containing only gospel music and recorded a tribute song to the Blackwood Brothers, who influenced their music. The Statler Brothers also wrote a tribute song to Johnny Cash, who discovered them. The song was called "We Got Paid by Cash", and it reminisces about their time with Cash

Since forming, the Statler Brothers have released over 40 albums. They received Grammy Awards in 1966 and 1973. Two of their best-known songs are their first big hit, Flowers on the Wall, and the socially-conscious Bed of Roses. Late in their career they had a regular variety show on the cable television channel then known as The Nashville Network. Throughout their career, much of their appeal was related to their considerable ability for comedy and parody that they frequently interspersed into their musical act; they were frequently nominated for awards for their comedy as well as their singing. They recorded two comedy albums as Lester Moran and the Cadillac Cowboys, and one-half of one side of the album Country Music Then and Now was also devoted to satirizing small-town radio stations' Saturday morning shows.

The group disbanded and retired after completing a farewell tour on October 26, 2002. Balsley and the Reid brothers continue to reside in Staunton, while Fortune has relocated to Nashville, where he is continuing his music career as a solo artist. He has released three albums as a soloist. The Statlers continue to be the most awarded act in the history of country music.

Since the Statlers' retirement in 2002, Don has pursued a second career as an author. He authored or co-authored three books: Heroes and Outlaws of the Bible, Sunday Morning Memories, and You'll Know It's Christmas When.... He and Harold co-wrote a history of the Statler Brothers titled Random Memories released in February 2008.

The Statler Brothers have been credited as the first country music act to transfer the genre's nostalgia from a rural to a suburban setting. They have also been called "America's Poets" by Kurt Vonnegut.

Look At Me
The Statler Brothers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Look at me you can't even look at me
I don't know what happened to what we used to be
Look at me you can't even look at me
How can you say you love me you can't even look at me

You can say you love me and that might ease my pain
But don't you know you're playin' with my heart
I know you think love is just some foolish game

Well this time I've played the loser's part
Oh look at me...
[ guitar ]
You can say you love me...

Oh look at me...
You can't even look at me

Overall Meaning

In The Statler Brothers' song "Look At Me" the singer is expressing their deep feeling of sadness and anger as they confront their partner about the loss of their connection. The opening line of the song, "Look at me you can't even look at me" indicates that there is a problem with the relationship. The singer then goes on to express their bewilderment and uncertainty about what happened to the love that they shared, hence the line "I don't know what happened to what we used to be."

The repeated reference to the partner not looking at them, "How can you say you love me you can't even look at me," underscores the depth of hurt the singer feels and the disconnect that they can't seem to bridge. They continue to urge their partner to see them "You can say you love me, and that might ease my pain, but don't you know you're playing with my heart, I know you think love is just some foolish game, well this time, I've played the loser's part." This verse indicates the feeling of being played and the singer pointing out the partner's indifference towards the relationship leading to only one person enduring the pain.

The final lines, "You can't even look at me," speaks to the inability of the partner to confront or deal with the reality of the situation. The song is written in a manner that effectively captures the emotion of a difficult and distressing conversation between partners in a relationship.

Interesting Facts:

Line by Line Meaning

Look at me you can't even look at me
You can't face me or look into my eyes, perhaps because of guilt or shame.

I don't know what happened to what we used to be
I'm unsure how we ended up in this situation where we can't even make eye contact.

How can you say you love me you can't even look at me
Actions speak louder than words, and your lack of eye contact suggests that your love might not be genuine.

You can say you love me and that might ease my pain
While hearing the words 'I love you' might provide temporary relief, your lack of true affection still hurts me deeply.

But don't you know you're playin' with my heart
Your mixed signals and lack of genuine affection are causing emotional pain and damage to my heart.

I know you think love is just some foolish game
Perhaps you don't take love seriously, or you believe that playing games with affection is harmless.

Well this time I've played the loser's part
In this particular relationship, I have been the one to fall deeply in love while you've remained distant and detached.

Oh look at me...
Repeating the same line shows how deeply hurt and frustrated the artist is.

[ guitar ]
Instrumental break in the song.

You can say you love me...
Repeating an earlier line to emphasize the frustration and hurt felt in the relationship.

Oh look at me...
Repeating the same line shows how deeply hurt and frustrated the singer is.

You can't even look at me
Ending with the same line as the beginning emphasizes how central the lack of eye contact is to the artist's pain and frustration.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JIMMY FORTUNE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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