Cathy's Clown by The Everly Brothers

Cathy's Clown

(1960)

The Everly Brothers

In 1960, Warner Brothers wooed The Everly Brothers away from Cadence records with what's said to be the first million dollar record deal in history, and Don and Phil Everly rewarded them by penning a #1 hit right out of the gate. It chronicles the thoughts of a guy breaking up with a girlfriend who was so n emotionally abusive to him for so long that his friends bestowed the titular nickname upon him. Interestingly enough, some people have said that Don Everly was actually inspired by a high school girlfriend when he came up with the tune.

Cathy's Clown was released in April 1960 and shot up the charts to #1, hanging on to the top spot for five weeks...it would be their hottest selling hit, as well as the third of three #1 songs. It would end up selling 8 M copies worldwide before all was said and done. Not only did it top the Billboard Hot 100...it topped the U.K. Music chart at the same time, the first single ever to pull that little trick off.

The Everly Brothers trademark ultra tight harmonies are particular evident in this song, and several people have said that a certain...er...obscure group from England whose members were named John, Paul, George, and Ringo was greatly inspired by it's tight harmony on several of their songs, most especially 'Please Please me', their first U.S.single.

Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Cathy's Clown #149 on it's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. It joins good company...it's one of four of their early hits that made it onto that list. (Bye Bye Love #207, Wake Up Little Susie #301, and All I Have To Do Is Dream aced out Cathy's Clown by 8 spots on the list, landing at #141)

Hopefully, Phil Everly's smiling down, knowing that he and his bro managed to record a run of true classics. Count Cathy's Clown as another Everly brothers song that'll be around as long as there are Oldies Stations. (I heard it on Richmond's 107.3 not all that long ago, in fact). And...as long as those same Oldies stations are still pumping the classics out onto the airwaves, Phil Everly will always be with us.

So Enjoy! Cathy's Clown by The Everly Brothers.

And as a bonus...The Everly Brothers , accompanied by The Crickets, perform Cathy's Clown on the Alma Cogan Show across the Pond in the UK, waaaaay back in 1961.