5 Songs that Prove The Everly Brothers Did Heartbreak Better than Anybody Else

The Everly Brothers were by no means limited in their approach. Throughout their career, they proved adept at up-tempo ravers like “Bird Dog,” “Wake Up Little Susie,” and “Gone, Gone, Gone.” But there’s no doubt that they also carved out a niche as one of the go-to artists of their era for songs of lost love.

Something about the harmonies of Phil and Don just seemed to ooze melancholy whenever they sunk their teeth into a slow one. Here are five of their finest songs of heartbreak.

“Cathy’s Clown” from A Date with The Everly Brothers (1960)

This is the only song on this list where the tempo is slightly revved up a tad. It’s also sadly emblematic of the schism between the brothers, as a dispute over the songwriting was still up in the air when Phil passed away in 2014. In any case, it’s a crackerjack single, featuring snappy piano from Floyd Cramer that stands out in the arrangement. The lyrics tell of a guy who wants respect from the world, but none will be forthcoming until he gets some from his wayward girlfriend. “Cathy’s Clown,” released in their golden year of 1960, was the last of their U.S. No. 1 singles.

“So Sad (to Watch Good Love Go Bad)” from Crying in the Rain (1960)

Don Everly doesn’t get enough credit for being a very effective songwriter. He had a knack for knowing how a melody would play when sung by him and his brother in their exquisite harmonies. This beauty is emblematic of that. The narrator is somehow both a participant and observer in the proceedings. He’s the one whose love is crumbling, but he also manages to stand apart from it and view it as a travesty that affects the entire world around him. There’s a gentleness to the way the brothers render these lyrics that really cuts deep.

“Sleepless Nights” from Crying in the Rain (1960)

When they weren’t penning their own hits, Phil and Don often relied on the magnificent songwriting talents of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. The married couple had a way of spinning simple tales of heartbreak that contained deep, unspoken undercurrents of sorrow, especially when The Everlys were the ones doing the interpreting. In the case of “Sleepless Nights,” you’ll notice there’s no mention why this relationship fractured. It’s all about the torment that the narrator suffers because of its dissolution, especially when the sun goes down.

“Love Hurts” from A Date with The Everly Brothers (1960)

Has there ever been a more elemental truth uttered in the history of music? Many people know it from the surprise hit version by Nazareth in the ’70s, with lead singer Dan McCafferty singing with such rafter-scraping angst you can practically hear him rending his garments. But the Everlys got to this Boudleaux Bryant gem first, and as so often was the case in their catalog, they did the definitive take. Sadly, a publishing dispute relegated it to an album track for them, or else they likely would have had another smash single.

“Crying in the Rain” from Crying in the Rain (1960)

On a whim one day, Brill Building songwriters Carole King (music) and Howard Greenfield (lyrics) decided to deviate from their usual writing partners (Gerry Goffin and Jack Keller, respectively) and tried composing one together. Considering the result was “Crying in the Rain,” it’s a surprise they never did it again. Nonetheless, The Everly Brothers took the song and ran with it. They get deep inside this story of a guy who likes to hang out in bad weather, so the rest of the world can’t tell he’s a heartbroken wreck.

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