Is it possible to do Nashville legends like The Everly Brothers justice with a cover? Especially one of their greatest hits? Singers and songwriters, Phil Everly and Don Everly are irreplaceable country music artists, so you might assume the answer is no. And you'd probably be right. Unless the person covering them is none other than the iconic Reba McEntire.
The Everly Brothers have an incredible catalog including "All I Have to Do Is Dream," "Walk Right Back," "Wake Up Little Susie," "Bye Bye Love," "Lucille," "Till I Kissed You," "Bird Dog," and "On the Wings of a Nightingale", written by Paul McCartney of the Beatles. McCartney and John Lennon were incredibly influenced by the brothers (as were the Beach Boys) and found inspiration for "Please Please Me" from "Cathy's Clown".
"Cathy's Clown" is an all-time great country song twice over thanks to both The Everly Brothers and Reba. It was the Everlys first single with Warner Bros, recorded in a single take in the recording studio. Reba covered the famous song on her sixteenth studio album, Sweet Sixteen, in 1989, released by MCA Records. And, of course, because this is Reba we're talking about, the song became a number-one single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was not exactly the Oklahoma native's first time at No. 1 — it was her thirteenth.
The music video, which starred Bruce Boxleitner as the titular "Cathy's Clown," was also a hit. Taking place in an old west town, the video follows Reba and the dusty, lonely cowboy she's singing about. Unlike in the original Everly Brothers version, McEntire's version has Reba as a third-person narrator, singing about someone else with a broken heart.
"Cathy's Clown" Lyrics:
I want your kisses that's for sure
I die each time
I hear the sound
They're saying here he comes
He's Cathy's clown
You know a man can't crawl
And when you let her tell you lies
And you let em pass you by
You're not a man at all
She don't want your kisses that's for sure
Why do you let them put you down
And let em call you Cathy's clown
Then you know that I'm sincere
I just think it's kinda sad
That she's treating you so bad
And I'm the one who cares
I want your kisses that's for sure
I die each time
I hear the sound
They're saying here he comes
He's Cathy's clown
You're Cathy's clown
Now Watch: Songs Every Reba McEntire Fan Knows By Heart
