On this day (July 29) in 1989, Reba McEntire was at the top of the country chart with “Cathy’s Clown.” She released her cover of the Everly Brothers’ megahit as a single from her Platinum-selling 1989 album Sweet Sixteen. The song spent a week at the top of the country chart and was the only one of its four singles to reach the top of the country chart. The rest fell comfortably within the top 10.
McEntire didn’t swap the genders on her rendition of “Cathy’s Clown.” Instead, she shifted the perspective. The Everly Brothers’ original was from the perspective of a brokenhearted young man who had been humiliated by his ex-girlfriend, Cathy. McEntire chose to sing it from the perspective of a woman watching the situation unfold. Her narrator wants to be with the titular “clown” and is saddened by how his ex treated him. Moreover, she wishes he would stand up for himself instead of letting everyone talk down to him and call him Cathy’s clown.
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Reba McEntire Found Success with a Landmark Song
Nearly three decades before Reba McEntire released her hit rendition of “Cathy’s Clown,” the Everly Brothers released the original version. It was a massive hit for them.
“Cathy’s Clown” was the Everly Brothers’ first single for Warner Bros. Records. According to Songfacts, it was the first single issued by the label in the United Kingdom. It was also the first single to top the Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart simultaneously. It topped the American chart for five consecutive weeks and was the top song in England for seven weeks.
“Cathy’s Clown” also has an unusual structure. Unlike most popular songs of the day, it starts with the chorus. The song couldn’t start with the first verse because it technically doesn’t have one. The song consists of a chorus and a handful of bridges. While many artists and songwriters are afraid to think outside the box, Don Everly took a chance on something different, and it paid off in a big way.
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