Cathy's
Clown
Cathy's Clown was written and recorded by The Everly Brothers in 1960. The choruses were sung by
brothers Don and Phil in their trademark close harmony style, while Don sings the bridges solo.
It was noted for its unorthodox structure, such as
beginning on a chorus and having bridges but no verses. The song was a worldwide success and the best-selling
single of the Everly Brothers career. Due to its enduring influence on popular
music the song was added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2013.
Cathy's Clown sold eight million copies worldwide,
spending five weeks at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and one week on the R&B chart. The
song spent seven weeks at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in May and June 1960 and was the Everly
Brothers' biggest-selling single and their third and final U.S. number 1
hit. Billboard ranked it as the number 3 song of the year for
1960.
In 2004, it was ranked 149th Rolling Stone on the magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Phil
died January 3, 2014, in Burbank California from Lung Disease. Don is still alive
and is 82 years old
An added note:
In
November 2018, a judge ruled that Don was the sole writer of Cathy's Clown, as Phil had relinquished
his rights sometime before June 1980. Acuff-Rose Music,
which owned the song publishing, and BMI (the brothers' rights society) removed Phil's name
from all the royalty statements. In 2011, Don filed to regain ownership, with
the estate of Phil following in 2014.
For a waltz down memory lane click on the
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