So Sad
Performed by Mr. Moonlight
This Week's Song :
"So Sad"
by the Everly Brothers
recorded : March 24. 1960
chart position : #7
The Story Behind The Song : In May of 1957, the Everly Brothers had their first hit with "Bye Bye Love" and by the end of 1959 they had placed 13 songs on the Top Forty chart. Now, their contract was up and they were about to see what kind of a deal their impressive chart record could get them.
On the other side of this equation was Warner Brothers Records. Started in September of 1958, Warner Bros. Records had concentrated on the album market, (someone's crystal ball was a decade early) and as a result, Warner's was desperate for some hit singles to gain credibility with the young market. To date their biggest hit was really a novelty song "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb" a #4 hit by Edd Byrnes, who by no small coincidence came from Warner Bros. successful television division. Featured in the series "77 Sunset Strip" Edd, as a young star was very popular with the younger viewers who imitated his mannerism of constantly combimg his hair and in general just being the coolest cat on television. If you were watching that show you were actually seeing the blueprint for the character of "Fonzie" who was to emerge as a nostalgic cultural icon of the 1970's.
But, back to the Everly Brothers...Warner Bros. gave them a 10 year contract and a million dollars to sign with them. No big deal you say ? Well, remember, this was November of 1959, not too long after RCA had paid $35,000 dollars to sign Elvis Presley. It was reportedly the biggest recording contract ever, at that time
Warner's decision paid dividends from the start as the Everly's first hit for them was "Cathy's Clown" a song that hit #1 on the charts and stayed there for 5 weeks. Their old label continued to release old recordings that they retained the rights to, so, from May to September of 1960, the Everly Brothers had three top 10 hits, "Cathy's Clown", "When Will I Be Loved" (#8) and this, their second hit for Warner's "So Sad" which rose to #7. At this early stage in Rock&Roll there were very few artists who were capable of not only writing their own material but having the skill to determine how the song would take shape in the studio. The Everly Brothers did both. Of the three hits just mentioned, Don Everly wrote the first and third and Phil Everly wrote the second.
"So Sad" is a timeless song, in that everyone at some point in their life will be able to relate to it . Whether you have just started a relationship or have been with someone for years, you always reach a point where you think, "hmmmm, something is not right....something is changing."
Mr.Moonlight
Send e-mail to mr.moonlight@angelfire.com