Phil and Don...Best close harmonies ever!! The lyric means that the singer feels like dying everytime one of his friends calls him 'Cathy's clown'. Because she made a fool of him and everyone's talking about it.
Cathy's clown means she was making a fool out of him: lying and cheating, and everyone knows and makes fun of him whenever they see him, until he decides enough is enough, hence this song, ending it. Check out Bye Bye Love
“Wake up little Susie” happened to Me/Us . There was hell to pay because We pulled something similar earlier the same month. The hardest thing was Her parents could hear my ‘59 Chevy truck coming. They would give Her a count down to get ready as They could hear me. There was no sneaking back in.
Another thing... Being brothers, their voices had similar qualities that seldom happen when unrelated singers perform together. Their sound was unmistakeable.
Their harmonies are perfect. Sometimes you can't tell which one is singing. Everything they sing is amazing. Cathy's Clown, Bye Bye Love, Wake up Little Susie should be your next reactions
If I may add my perspective, I don't think of the references to death as "dramatic" so much as reflective of a teenager's naive, inexperienced perception that if his girl leaves him he will just DIE. They were basically teenagers singing to and for teenagers. I enjoy your reactions.
That had loads of hit records during the 50s and early 60s . And influenced many acts that followed. Eg the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel. Check out wake up little Suzy, bye bye love, bird dog, when will I be loved , take a message to Mary and let it be me . The harmonies are sublime and the were just as good live as on record. Also wings of a nightingale, born yesterday and I know love from the 80s . Cathys clown is about how his girl keeps him on a sting and is playing about with others make him look a fool in front of his peers. Hence Cathys clown. Interestingly the band behind him are the crickets who were Buddy Hollys band .
1956 baby here. My parents put a radio in my room when I was 3 years old, and so I listened to the hits from that era as my first real exposure to music. And "Cathy's Clown" was one of my faves. I've always interpreted "Cathy" as being the name of the girl the lyricist wanted to break up with, and "clown" being a metaphorical reference to a clueless husband/boyfriend who was oblivious to the fact he was being used by his wife/girlfriend, or even outright cuckolded.
Another thing about Phil and Don is that they made the transition from crooners to early rock while still staying true to their own styles. Most crooners couldn’t do that. They were very influential in their time for bands that came after
The Everly Brothers weren’t just “crooners”, they could rock, too. You should check out “Bye Bye, Love”, “Wake Up, Little Susie” and “Rip It Up” by them. They paved the way for a lot of later artists. Thanks for your reactions!
I grew up listening to these guys because my parents were from an older generation. I absolutely still love hearing their songs today. Both of these songs played were a few of my favorites. One of my very top songs is "ebony eyes". It hits me in the feels. Also "wake up little susie", "til I kissed you", "bye bye love" and "Lucille" are good ones.
I remember my first 'transistor radio' in the early sixties. It was magic to be able to listen to a small radio without a plug. It also made one feel very independent of any adult interference. And to top it off certain stations played music that was our music.
The EVERLY BROTHERS 🎸🎸 have such a good sound in their music 🎶 . Love to the innocence of the '50s and 60s . Keep showing more of the 👍👍👋👋. May they R.I P. 🌞 CALI !
"Cathy's Clown" means that the guy is so in love with her, apparently without her returning it, that he follows her around like a puppy. The song sounds even better when they have a piano. Other good songs by them are "'Till I Kissed You" and "Crying in the Rain."
Such legends! One of the last hits they had was "Born Yesterday" in 1986. It's a great song, well worth the listen. Phil and Don inspired so many artists.
Late 50's early 60's, gee whiz was pretty much appropriate. LOL In their young 20's, my goodness. I grew up listening to them. Beautiful harmony, brothers with perfect pitch. Simple melodies and to the point. Easy to hear and drift away with on a peaceful quiet day, with a radio on or record on the player, not cd, old records. Classic songs from days gone by. Aw, young love… sigh . . .I don’t remember what age I was at the time it was played on the radio. But I think before I was a teenager. Just beautiful, they were so cute and pure magic when they sang together.
My take on Cathy’s Clown is a little different, I’ve always figured that who ever her guy was, he was more serious about the relationship than she was. So she moved on, found the next guy, and the cycle continued. Hence the new guy’s her new puppet. For other songs, check Should We Tell Him and/or When Will I Be Loved
Lennon and McCartney idolized these guys. This was the vocal dynamic they wanted to achieve in the early days. My dad was lucky enough to be one of the last people to speak with Don Everly, besides his family. He talked to him in the hospital on a Wednesday, and then he was sent home had passed away at home by the weekend. RIP
" Cathy's Clown " is a popular song, written by Don Everly and recorded by The Everly Brothers in 1960. The lyrics describe a man who has been wronged and publicly humiliated by his lover: "Here he comes / That's Cathy's clown". The choruses are sung by brothers Don and Phil in their trademark close harmony style, while Don sings the bridges solo.
Exactly, not really any slang being used here. He is saying people call him Cathy's Clown because she doesn't take him seriously which has lead to him being humiliated. So he has to keep his head held high and act like a man so they don't see how much it hurts him. This is a break up song he has finally gathered the courage to dump her after she has wronged him, and is saying he doesn't need her kisses anymore.
This is the music that I loved back then when I was a 15 year old and listened to throughout my life, never ever tired of the wonderful harmonies. Maybe listen to the voices and less attention on the words, they were written for teenagers and the angst that we all go through.
One of the greatest duos ever. My favorite songs by them are Cathy's clown, Till I Kissed You, Walk right In and When will I be Loved. One of them wrote When will I be Loved, covered later by Linda Ronstadt did it justice. Fantastic. May they both RIP!!
Such a nostalgic sweet dreamy song. It was emblematic of the times. America had dreams of the future- flying cars, space travel, the world of the future. All I have to do is Dream was written for them by Felicia and Boudlieux Bryant who wrote many of their hits. They also wrote the song Rocky Top which is the state song of Tennessee.
Their guitars are perfectly synchronized too but those harmonies are divine. I love Cathy’s Clown for obvious reasons but it has a compelling beat and teasing lyrics.
Mom would tell me about the times Don & Phil would show up in town and they use to sing, while standing around the Jukebox at the bowling Alley in Henderson Ky...
Hey it's the 79 year old grandma, well I have said it before and will say it again, most of all you younger people are alive today because your parents, or grandparents fell in love listening to this kind of wonderful music. No wam bam thank you mam, just pure and beautiful romance, young people today wouldn't know romance if it bit them in the arse lol.
You know, as wonderful and beautiful and as talented as they were, you can completely understand why and how ELVIS popped onto the stage and pushed everyone aside. It was just the way it happened. And these guys are pure talent.
PERFECTION. Does NOT get any better. They r SO in tune to each other it’s crazy What they r doing is exceedingly difficult. They come in and end on the same note …. God the hours they must have practiced. Plus they usu only had to do one take when recording
The song is one of many great tunes written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, who wrote some of the great country music tunes of their time. The second is a Don Everly tune.
I'd suggest the live version that they did as a reunion concert in the early 80's of one of their most beautiful songs ever "Let It Be Me." He's saying that Cathy is lying to him, maybe seeing other guys and he feels like a clown, because everyone knows about it.
The two of them look so very young in this video! "Cathy's Clown" is the song writer whoever he may be or at least that's my take on it. The drama is rather adolescent to me, but that's who was driving the success of these singers & bands at that time.
Brothers Don & Phil Everly. Had a lot of hits back in the 50s & 60s. They had a big falling out as they got older, but thankfully made up before they passed away.
yes, Irish-Americans from Kentucky are not short on drama. The Everly Brothers represent the emergence of the rockabilly genre, when the songs were still sweet and sentimental, sometimes approaching maudlin.
Phil & Don were about the biggest thing on the air waves back then. They are from a town about 25 miles from where I live, but I lived in Detroit back then. Let it Be Me is the next one of theirs' you need to hear, then Wake up Little Suzy.
Hey man, I'd die a little inside too if every time I came around a group of people they were like "Oh hey, there's Cathy's clown!" because *everyone* knows she's treating me like crap and I'm just dealing with it! Until finally being like "I don't want your love/kisses anymore cause you're lying and cheating" - that's my take on it. :) This was my uncle's favorite song. He passed away about 5 years now and I think of him every time I hear it. He never married and died in his 70's, apparently only had one girlfriend that hurt him when he was younger. I think this song reminded him of her. Now it reminds me of him. 💕
For a more recent version of Cathy’s Clown, try Reba McEntire’s version (preferably the official video). Really well done and it demonstrates that the song is timeless.
Cathy is making a fool out of him! People are teasing him because he still loves her, and when they do, he feels like he will "die" of embarrassment. "Wake Up Little Suzy" is another great song of their's.
While it may sound like "crooner style" this song would be better classified under "ballads", which were very popular during those times. There is a subtle but definite difference between the two styles.
Phil and Don...Best close harmonies ever!! The lyric means that the singer feels like dying everytime one of his friends calls him 'Cathy's clown'. Because she made a fool of him and everyone's talking about it.
Thank you! Idk why, but I got SO frustrated when he said "I think that's some slang from that time?" 🙄🥴🤦
@@CameronCajun Yeah, he is usually very good at nailing down the meaning of lyrics, but that one was obvious to even the most casual observer.
Cathy's clown means she was making a fool out of him: lying and cheating, and everyone knows and makes fun of him whenever they see him, until he decides enough is enough, hence this song, ending it.
Check out Bye Bye Love
Exactly right, the song itself explains that about as well as it could.
Everly Brothers had quite a few hits. A couple of their early ones that you should hear are "Bye Bye Love" and "Wake Up Little Susie"
“Wake up little Susie” happened to Me/Us . There was hell to pay because We pulled something similar earlier the same month. The hardest thing was Her parents could hear my ‘59 Chevy truck coming. They would give Her a count down to get ready as They could hear me. There was no sneaking back in.
Another thing... Being brothers, their voices had similar qualities that seldom happen when unrelated singers perform together. Their sound was unmistakeable.
Their harmonies are perfect. Sometimes you can't tell which one is singing. Everything they sing is amazing. Cathy's Clown, Bye Bye Love, Wake up Little Susie should be your next reactions
Another amazing Everly Brothers is “Let It Be Me”. Their influence is profound on many artists
If I may add my perspective, I don't think of the references to death as "dramatic" so much as reflective of a teenager's naive, inexperienced perception that if his girl leaves him he will just DIE. They were basically teenagers singing to and for teenagers. I enjoy your reactions.
Very well said! That's how it was, thanks Kenneth😊
I really love their song Let it Be Me. Don't take this heaven from one, if you must cling to someone, now and forever let it be me
That had loads of hit records during the 50s and early 60s . And influenced many acts that followed. Eg the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel. Check out wake up little Suzy, bye bye love, bird dog, when will I be loved , take a message to Mary and let it be me . The harmonies are sublime and the were just as good live as on record. Also wings of a nightingale, born yesterday and I know love from the 80s . Cathys clown is about how his girl keeps him on a sting and is playing about with others make him look a fool in front of his peers. Hence Cathys clown. Interestingly the band behind him are the crickets who were Buddy Hollys band .
1956 baby here. My parents put a radio in my room when I was 3 years old, and so I listened to the hits from that era as my first real exposure to music. And "Cathy's Clown" was one of my faves.
I've always interpreted "Cathy" as being the name of the girl the lyricist wanted to break up with, and "clown" being a metaphorical reference to a clueless husband/boyfriend who was oblivious to the fact he was being used by his wife/girlfriend, or even outright cuckolded.
Another thing about Phil and Don is that they made the transition from crooners to early rock while still staying true to their own styles. Most crooners couldn’t do that. They were very influential in their time for bands that came after
Cathy played him and made him the laughingstock of the town. At least that's my interpretation.
They sing as if they had one voice. Perfect harmonies.
The Everly Brothers weren’t just “crooners”, they could rock, too. You should check out “Bye Bye, Love”, “Wake Up, Little Susie” and “Rip It Up” by them. They paved the way for a lot of later artists.
Thanks for your reactions!
I grew up listening to these guys because my parents were from an older generation. I absolutely still love hearing their songs today. Both of these songs played were a few of my favorites. One of my very top songs is "ebony eyes". It hits me in the feels. Also "wake up little susie", "til I kissed you", "bye bye love" and "Lucille" are good ones.
I remember my first 'transistor radio' in the early sixties. It was magic to be able to listen to a small radio without a plug. It also made one feel very independent of any adult interference. And to top it off certain stations played music that was our music.
Bye Bye Love and Wake Up Little Suzie my favorites.
Their harmony is legendary.
The EVERLY BROTHERS 🎸🎸 have such a good sound in their music 🎶 . Love to the innocence of the '50s and 60s . Keep showing more of the 👍👍👋👋. May they R.I P. 🌞 CALI !
"Cathy's Clown" means that the guy is so in love with her, apparently without her returning it, that he follows her around like a puppy.
The song sounds even better when they have a piano.
Other good songs by them are "'Till I Kissed You" and "Crying in the Rain."
Perfect harmonies.
Such legends! One of the last hits they had was "Born Yesterday" in 1986. It's a great song, well worth the listen. Phil and Don inspired so many artists.
Teenagers are sure of dying every time they have an emotion. Just any of their songs are great.
I grew up listening to the Beverly Brothers. I love your sweet smile when you listen.
Such fabulous harmonies, just the best 👌 😍 ❤ 💕!
Loved the Everly Brothers.Btw Don's daughter Erin was married to Axl Rose for about a year in the early 1990s.
This was the duo that inspire the ~ Bee Gees..
Great songs.
I love the Everly Brothers. They have amazing voices.
Everly Brothers Crying in The Rain is really good.
Their harmonies are wonderful.
Harmony is the Everly Brothers.
Late 50's early 60's, gee whiz was pretty much appropriate. LOL In their young 20's, my goodness. I grew up listening to them. Beautiful harmony, brothers with perfect pitch. Simple melodies and to the point. Easy to hear and drift away with on a peaceful quiet day, with a radio on or record on the player, not cd, old records. Classic songs from days gone by. Aw, young love… sigh . . .I don’t remember what age I was at the time it was played on the radio. But I think before I was a teenager. Just beautiful, they were so cute and pure magic when they sang together.
My take on Cathy’s Clown is a little different, I’ve always figured that who ever her guy was, he was more serious about the relationship than she was. So she moved on, found the next guy, and the cycle continued. Hence the new guy’s her new puppet.
For other songs, check Should We Tell Him and/or When Will I Be Loved
He's Cathy's boyfriend and he's a fool for her, hence Cathy's clown.
Their harmonies are wonderful. Glad you found Phil and Don Everly.
I loved hearing my momma play the piano and sing this song growing up! My best memories of my mom is her playing the piano and singing to us
Lennon and McCartney idolized these guys. This was the vocal dynamic they wanted to achieve in the early days. My dad was lucky enough to be one of the last people to speak with Don Everly, besides his family. He talked to him in the hospital on a Wednesday, and then he was sent home had passed away at home by the weekend. RIP
I like their later video live in London. Beautiful harmony.
Cathy’s clown became their signature song. I absolutely love their music!
One of my Dad's favs when i was growing up,'Cathys Clown' was mine from them when i was little
the harmony from these bros was amazing
" Cathy's Clown " is a popular song, written by Don Everly and recorded by The Everly Brothers in 1960. The lyrics describe a man who has been wronged and publicly humiliated by his lover: "Here he comes / That's Cathy's clown". The choruses are sung by brothers Don and Phil in their trademark close harmony style, while Don sings the bridges solo.
Exactly, not really any slang being used here. He is saying people call him Cathy's Clown because she doesn't take him seriously which has lead to him being humiliated. So he has to keep his head held high and act like a man so they don't see how much it hurts him. This is a break up song he has finally gathered the courage to dump her after she has wronged him, and is saying he doesn't need her kisses anymore.
This is the music that I loved back then when I was a 15 year old and listened to throughout my life, never ever tired of the wonderful harmonies. Maybe listen to the voices and less attention on the words, they were written for teenagers and the angst that we all go through.
Cathy's Clown was actually covered be Reba McEntire later on and she did an incredible rendition of it.
One of the greatest duos ever. My favorite songs by them are Cathy's clown, Till I Kissed You, Walk right In and When will I be Loved. One of them wrote When will I be Loved, covered later by Linda Ronstadt did it justice. Fantastic. May they both RIP!!
Another favorite. Thx for sharing. Loved your reaction 💕.
It is all about the best faternal harmonies ever
Such a nostalgic sweet dreamy song. It was emblematic of the times. America had dreams of the future- flying cars, space travel, the world of the future.
All I have to do is Dream was written for them by Felicia and Boudlieux Bryant who wrote many of their hits. They also wrote the song Rocky Top which is the state song of Tennessee.
We use to dance cheek to cheek to all of the Everly Bros. music.
Best teen group ever, with top-5 harmonies. Other awesome hits from them include "Let It Be Me" and "Wake Up, Little Suzy".
So sweet. And easy to sing along with....thanks!
My parents had an Everly Brothers 8 track and I listened to it all the time as a child.
Their guitars are perfectly synchronized too but those harmonies are divine.
I love Cathy’s Clown for obvious reasons but it has a compelling beat and teasing lyrics.
WOW teen memories.
Use to listen to them all the time. Have their records. These two were top picks.
Cathy's Clown was one of my top played songs on my iPod because it's so catchy and short, I never turned it off when I came on shuffle.
Every word is spot on together!
The same thing I wrote on the Kalin Twins applies here. My mother had this song on a 45 and I used to listen to this all the time. Thanks! 🔥
These were the hits. listen to their unknown work. That is understanding The Everly's.....
I don’t understand how you have never heard these songs!
Reba did an excellent cover of this song! You should definitely check that out.
Beautiful song
Mom would tell me about the times Don & Phil would show up in town and they use to sing, while standing around the Jukebox at the bowling Alley in Henderson Ky...
Hey it's the 79 year old grandma, well I have said it before and will say it again, most of all you younger people are alive today because your parents, or grandparents fell in love listening to this kind of wonderful music. No wam bam thank you mam, just pure and beautiful romance, young people today wouldn't know romance if it bit them in the arse lol.
You know, as wonderful and beautiful and as talented as they were, you can completely understand why and how ELVIS popped onto the stage and pushed everyone aside. It was just the way it happened. And these guys are pure talent.
This makes me wanna hop in a 59 Cadillac Coup DeVille and just cruise around town.
Or a '57 Chevy Bel Air!
They had an album entitled Songs Our Daddy Taught Us that had old folk songs. An Old Rocking Chair. The Lightning Express. Barbara Allen. Great stuff.
PERFECTION. Does NOT get any better.
They r SO in tune to each other it’s crazy What they r doing is exceedingly difficult. They come in and end on the same note …. God the hours they must have practiced.
Plus they usu only had to do one take when recording
Phil Everly wrote Cathy's Clown.
The song is one of many great tunes written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, who wrote some of the great country music tunes of their time. The second is a Don Everly tune.
I'd suggest the live version that they did as a reunion concert in the early 80's of one of their most beautiful songs ever "Let It Be Me."
He's saying that Cathy is lying to him, maybe seeing other guys and he feels like a clown, because everyone knows about it.
Listen to them singing The Lightning Express. If that doesn't choke you up,nothing will.
The definition of "teenyboppers"! Innocent, sweet and danceable. The EMO of the day. Cathy's clown is this guy who has been played for a fool by her
My favorite song by the Everly Brothers is “Ebony Eyes”. Sad song though.
The two of them look so very young in this video! "Cathy's Clown" is the song writer whoever he may be or at least that's my take on it. The drama is rather adolescent to me, but that's who was driving the success of these singers & bands at that time.
Brothers Don & Phil Everly. Had a lot of hits back in the 50s & 60s. They had a big falling out as they got older, but thankfully made up before they passed away.
The Everly Bros. We're 24 years old at the time of this performance.
yes, Irish-Americans from Kentucky are not short on drama. The Everly Brothers represent the emergence of the rockabilly genre, when the songs were still sweet and sentimental, sometimes approaching maudlin.
We had let be me sung at our wedding in 1971
I love this song, I first heard it in mafia 2
Phil & Don were about the biggest thing on the air waves back then. They are from a town about 25 miles from where I live, but I lived in Detroit back then. Let it Be Me is the next one of theirs' you need to hear, then Wake up Little Suzy.
That's what people were calling him, cause he still hung on to her even tho she treated him bad.
Love this reaction, can’t go wrong with the Everley Brothers. Love what you’re doing & your insight is great x
Hey man, I'd die a little inside too if every time I came around a group of people they were like "Oh hey, there's Cathy's clown!" because *everyone* knows she's treating me like crap and I'm just dealing with it! Until finally being like "I don't want your love/kisses anymore cause you're lying and cheating" - that's my take on it. :) This was my uncle's favorite song. He passed away about 5 years now and I think of him every time I hear it. He never married and died in his 70's, apparently only had one girlfriend that hurt him when he was younger. I think this song reminded him of her. Now it reminds me of him. 💕
The Everlys started that sound.
If you like this you should definitely check out a song called " more then words" by extreme.
For a more recent version of Cathy’s Clown, try Reba McEntire’s version (preferably the official video). Really well done and it demonstrates that the song is timeless.
He's saying he's not gonna let her clown him anymore, lol.
hahaha. You said Kathy's Song which is a song by a band Apoptygma Berzerk, nothing like the Everly Brothers but now I really want you to review that.
I like your on-air personality. So warm yet sophisticated!
Sir I think you would dig Blackberry Smoke. good one / whipperwill
Cathy is making a fool out of him! People are teasing him because he still loves her, and when they do, he feels like he will "die" of embarrassment. "Wake Up Little Suzy" is another great song of their's.
Just a fool for Kathy. You know what its like to love someone.
Still a fan
They were a major influence on the Beatles
That flickering fix it 😂 so bad. I wanted to get a ladder for u
It would be a good idea to check the cover of this song by Rita Wilson and Chris Cornell in backing vocals.
You should listen to Berna (UK rapper) his black box or mad about bars is what I recommend
While it may sound like "crooner style" this song would be better classified under "ballads", which were very popular during those times. There is a subtle but definite difference between the two styles.
He/ one of them are Cathy's Clown & he's embarrassed to be called that. He's the fool.
It is about a boy who loved a girl who didn't treat him right people were calling him Cathy's Clown (meaning he was a fool).
Could you react to “everything you know is wrong” by weird al. It’s about the same level as Albuquerque😂