Anyway, they were down to just one more big time number but neither "Bird Dog" nor "Devoted to You" was going to be it. No, they were going to have to wait until 1960 and the release of US/UK chart topper "Cathy's Clown" (which, for the record, just missed out on the top spot in Canada which naturally means it won't be appearing in this space). Until then, the Everlys were going to just have to make very good country-pop records that would chart well but few would remember even just a handful of years later. (Edit: Wait. Are "Crying in the Rain" and "Lucille" famous enough to be included? I don't think they were quite as big as the others but they can be on the periphery of signature Everlys' numbers)
As if they were hedging their bets, the Everlys decided to put out a double A-side as their follow up to their spring '58 smash "All I Have to Do Is Dream". They must have known what they were doing — either that or someone from their record label Cadence did. Except for the fact that nothing of the sort happened. American pressings had "Devoted to You" as 'side 1' with "Bird Dog" as 'side 2'. (Didn't anyone notify them that singles have lettered sides while albums are numbered? It's just basic vinyl common sense) Perhaps feeling weary from a back-to-back slow love songs, DJ's and the public opted for its lighter, more amusing flip side, which was definitely the right call.
Much like an E.P., a double A can be a nice way of presenting a fuller representation of where a group is at than a typical single release. Take The Beatles and the single which ought to have been their first double side. "I Feel Fine" and "She's a Woman" are both a little flawed and mundane but the two hint at a great deal that was coming. The latter opens with that trademark bit of feedback and the guitar work in general is terrific. Though played enthusiastically, it's a rather hollow song especially in the context of recent John Lennon compositions with far greater depth. Its B-side was very much the same even though it is an altogether different song. Derived from the emerging ska scene, its bouciness is tempered by a clanging proto-industrial sound. Great musically but the lyrics are a mess. Paul McCartney has never been much of a wordsmith (the title character from "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" is either a little boy or a university student) and "She's a Woman" is one of his weaker efforts in that regard as he seemingly went through a rhyming dictionary to get everything to fit.
Back to Don and Phil Everly, their double sided effort of "Bird Dog" and "Devoted to You" proved to be much less ambitious than the Fab Four with "I Feel Fine" and "She's a Woman" but neither were they as flawed. The latter has a much rougher edge to it than your typical Everly hit, with the guttural 'he's a bird'/'he's a dog' something of a welcome addition when held up against those sweet, southern harmonies they'd been perfecting since childhood. (It's a shame they never seemed to go in the direction of grittier country music following the magnificent 1968 album Roots) "Devoted to You" is less immediate than its companion. While lovely, it feels too much like a deep cut off a studio album that the hardcore fanbase latches on to rather than as a serious single in its own right.
Neither side is particularly stunning but they're both strong enough and could easily take a spot on any good Everly's compilation — as, indeed, they typically do to this day. But they likely weren't winning over any new fans with this single the way they would have with their three big hits that preceded it. Not every song can be a winner and they can't all knock the socks off listeners. Still, even when they were serving up just reasonable fare by their own standards it was still well above just about everyone else at the time. It's just too bad they won't be coming up in this space again since the likes of "Cathy's Clown", "Walk Right Back" and "Crying in the Rain" would have been welcome additions. They may have "only had four songs most people can remember but there were many, many more that deserve to be much better known.
Score: 7
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