Phil Everly - Last thing on my mind

[LeeLeeDe1]

Talk about SINGING from one's Heart and soul! mmmm mmmm mmmm You can feel the pain.

[Rob30Scott]

This is from the brilliant 1970 ABC 'Johnny Cash Presents The Everly Brothers' - Cash's summer replacement show.

[tomkesisaperv]

I'm still confused from what source this was taken. I thought I rembered seeing him sitting on a box the audience singing it solo. I don't think it's on any of his solo albums.

[BenBarfuss]

A solid cover, true to the timeless original. The aching sense of loss is palpable, as, however, is also the absence of the second Everly brother. The song cries out for the golden comfort of that magical two-part harmony.

[ssm070394]

Always loved the Everly Bros., but this is the best of Phil's songs that was done in 1970 as a fill in for Johnny Cash. I have seen the actual clip and found myself tearing up also. What a sad rendition of this somewhat sad song. Love Phil the best. Suzanne

[ladyjilomat]

Wow"Everly brothers!!!

[valentine0591]

I voted that I like this song because I love Phil Everly's voice. But it is painfully sad to hear this dear man break down in his own sadness.

[13loomisst]

Thanks very much.

[mickyblue247]

This is the saddest song I've heard in quite a while. I recall having the same feeling the first time I listened to Phil's version of this great weeper ! Thanks for posting Kilroy76 and for sharing Loretta.

[justmusicandme]

Thanks for posting this great song and album cover photo of Phil Everly. Some of the Everly Brothers music is proving quite difficult to find and purchase - especially their solo works from the Seventies and early Eighties. I feel very lucky to be able to hear this - Thanks to you and youtube!

[AGibsonJ]

Phil's voice is so unique and soulful. Wish there was a tape of this performance on the Everly's 70 show!

[jackie9247]

I SAW SOME OF THAT FOOTAGE. JUST AN EXCELLENT SOND AND I WONDER

WHAT HE WAS THINKING WHILE SINGING THIS GREAT SONG.

[patmandy2009]

How many agree you hope someone was there after the song ended to hold him and let him cry it out? He seems like a sensitive man but I am sure he would defend the wifes honor if anyone judged her at that time. Maybe not but he strikes me as a gentleman.

[nadinesdream]

@patmandy2009 ,

yes just about breaks your heart--

also like the--- Lion and the Lamb,,thinking he has a very soft loving heart.

[spagandtuna]

Always liked this version, but was it ever actually released or taken from a clip of their television show. I thought I saw him sitting on a piano singing it. No??

[estelle715]

this is incredible!As always a great voice,even when he sings alone! Almost cries! Thanx.

[wendythev]

I'll never forget this performance...it was incredibly touching and I had a big crush on Phil after that...

[patmandy2009]

Sang with deep hurt in his heart.

[thousandsmiles1]

A genius in distress. I'm speechless. . .

[marinafalls]

In 1970 both Don and Phil saw the divorce of their wives: Venetia and Jackie. That song he sang I sang when I was young and it's a country song: are you going away without a word of farewell, will there be not a trace left behind.. What makes this rendition rare is Phil's obvious emotion towards the end. The brother's relationship started splinter beg 1963. 1963 was British invasion which destroyed many 50s groups. The bros toured nonstop & still had to make records--so hard, hi stress.

[justmusicandme]

Phil Everly had, and has, one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. Please don't ever take this down - a long-time favorite.

[iowa61]

Emphasis on the "HAS..."

[justmusicandme]

@iowa61: You are correct , of course!! HAS!

[lettermen1]

Almost too much emotion to cope with on this rendition......thanks for the share, Loretta.

[Shabannie]

I enjoyed this too. Thank you for sharing.

---------Ellen

[jhoodcountry]

@justmusicandme i love this song. this is the first and only cover song i do so far, i was so inspired by Phil i had to learn it...Tom Paxton sings is just wonderful...

[marinafalls]

That day Don did drink on an empty stomach According to Don this was the "only" show he ever got drunk. He did say some weird things (not rude), did sing off key and what made Phil mad was the show's promoter was force to close the show early because of Don's poor performance. Phil considered it humiliating & broke his guitar. According to Phil it was a symbol of end of war. The brothers with bad luck too been fighting for the last 10 years. After Phil left, Don sobered & finished the show.

[norskygirl]

@marinafalls

Well, I guess you had to be there to know the real truth of what happened at Knotts! You had to see it, hear it & experience the heartbreak of it all. A lot of things have been written over the years about it (not all of it accurate) & Phil & Don both have tried to make it less traumatic than it really was... especially after they got back together! But, it was what it was & one only had to see & talk to Phil afterwards to know how bad it was!

[marinafalls]

Comments about last show I guess depends on which biography you read. I read "Walk Right Back": 10 weeks before the Knotts show Don told Phil he can't do anymore shows. However the Knotts show was contractual and not doing it meant being sued. The Knotts show was expected to be the last and Don told a reporter that day that this was the last show and he didn't want to be an Everly Brother anymore.

[factfinder4]

First time I've heard this. Really, really like it! Going on my Favorites listing

[ebfan41]

A beautiful song sung with deep feelings by Phil. I love this mans personality and his sense of humor and he doesn,t hold back and. You knew he was hurting when he sang this song..

[sue4343]

i could not handle this song the very first time i heard it. it made me cry too. i  never knew it was because of his first wife giving him divorce papers. imagine giving up phil? he is such a beautiful man.

[rattlunhum]

this is a picture of Eric Anderson (album cover of " 'bout changes and things" I believe) and although Tom Paxton did this song beautifully, I also believe Eric wrote it, but I've been wrong before.......

[Killroy76]

No, it is Phil Everly.. its the album cover of his album "Living Alone". The song is written by Tom Paxton.

[rattlunhum]

thank you for your reply. this pic is so extrordinarily like andersen, its uncanny...and he recorded this tune on an album in the 70's, with rick danko and another guy

[tomkesisaperv]

@rattlunhum Can you do just one bit of reasearch before you post such nonsense? Two errors here, what motivated you to post in the first place, and you say, you've been wrong before. Please tell me you don't work for the nuclear weapons program.

[heezabirddog]

@rattlunhum Phil Everly "living alone" 1979

[SAF57]

I've that the pleasure of seeing The Everlys in concert twice. First in 1985 in London, and then again five or six years ago here in Copenhagen where they performed as supporting act and with Simon & Garfunkel. Brilliant. Nothing less!

[justmusicandme]

Please don't ever remove this----I listen to it every day!

[belovia50]

Makes me cry...

[justmusicandme]

This is priceless! Beautiful and heartbreaking. Thanks for posting.

[EverlyLove]

Incredible. Based on everything I have seen and read about Phil, I suspect his character is as sweet and angelic as his voice. Was it he or his wife who ended the marriage; does anyone know? There is a video clip of this performance on You Tube, but it cuts off less than halfway into the song. Does anyone have a version of the full clip? I would kill to see it. I love the Everlys, but Phil is a special soul.

[gimp1967]

I FEEL THE SAME ..TRUELY SPECIAL

[norskygirl]

The 1970 "The Everly Brothers Show" was a summer replacement for the "Johnny Cash Show". He was served with papers before the taping of the show by his 1st wife Jacky. It hit him hard and he broke down. They retaped the song and gave him the option of which one to use on the show... he choose the original. What you see is what you get with Phil. He is charming, kind, funny, a devoted father and a true Southern Gentleman. He has a voice from heaven & he is the heart & soul of the Everly Bros.

[justmusicandme]

I don't know how he was able to finish the song at all under those conditions. Atrue professional. Beautiful.

[norskygirl]

He is all that and more. I often wonder what would have happen if he and Don had not reunited in 1984. His solo career was finally starting to take off (not so much here as in England... the Brits always loved the Eves). He was writing wonderful songs and all that stopped when they got back together. It's too bad more of his songs didn't make it on the albums they recorded after getting back together. I adore and respect this man so much, it is rare to find someone like him in the music world!

[belovia50]

I have the dvd of the Reunion and I've watched it a lot. There are instances that he acts like he isn't well. Plus, he was really thin. It seems that he began to gain weight after the Reunion and even looked better.

[norskygirl]

No, he was well, he was always thin a fit. Don gained weight after he quit smoking. This was a lot for Phil to manage at the time, a lot of mixed feelings, I am sure were hitting him at these shows. Don was the one who wanted to get back together, Phil still had doubts. There were some pretty bad things happening between them before the breakup and if anyone witnessed the final show at Knotts Berry farm, you knew Phil had had enough and was dying inside when he smashed his guitar and walked out!

[norskygirl]

It was all so shocking! They knew these were going to be their finally shows together & Phil was prepared to go out in style. But, Don was drunk that night... he couldn't remember the lyrics & was singing off key & being rather rude and crude at times. Finally, Phil couldn't stand it any longer. He told Don off by saying & this is not a quote- You may not care about the Everly Bros. but you are not going to take them and me down with you! Smashing his guitar, he left & Don finished the show.

[heezabirddog]

@norskygirl The reunion was 1983!

[norskygirl]

@heezabirddog

You are right on that... '84 is when it was shown on TV and later came out on video.

[mapo69]

Very very touching! Wow! Just so authentic! Would you perhaps have the footage of this on the Johnny Cash Show?

[AGibsonJ]

I think this is from the Everly Brother's Show, [summer replacement for the Johnny Cash Show].

[imusfan48]

Great rendition, no one better than the Don + Phil together! I have seen them 3 times in person, hope to see them again, but I fear they have retired? Jose Feliciano (sp?)does a great version of this song too!

[CoreyDamerell]

This was recorded for "The Everly Brothers Show," a 1970 summer replacement show. I've always loved Phil's rendition of this song.

[dazza1971]

An absolutely beautiful emotional performance sung with such emotion by Phil.

[phedge]

Thanks Kilroy76 for setting me right.

I never realized Phil sang solo prior to the bust-up.

A beautiful rendition nevertheless.

PJH

Victoria, BC

[phedge]

I'm not sure when Phil made this recording but I suspect it was after the infamous "breakup" with his brother Don.

That being the case my guess is he was actually singing about their relationship.

As someone who is estranged from his own brother . . . the song so emotionally sung is especially poignant.

PJH

Victoria, BC

[Killroy76]

It was actually before his breakup with Don he sang it. He is so emotional becaus of his break up with his first wife

[truethought62]

That beautiful high Kentucky tenor-you know that he felt this song at that time and there was no other way that he wanted this song to be-to feel truly alone WOULD be hell on earth...

[lettermen1]

A wonderful version. Of course it couldn't be anything else.

[iammarilyn60]

It's amazing that Phil could sing this at all, it was so painfully sad, yet so beautifully performed, even at the end, when the pain was jus too much to hold back.His voice now is just as pure as it was back then, though he is a lot happier now. Thanks for posting this.

[Cinders29]

What an amazing performance. SO deeply felt. Amazing and wonderful. The music and lyrics are by Tom Paxton, btw. If you want to give him credit for his great song. Lots of people have covered it. Phil's interpretation, though, is the best I ever heard. Thanks for posting this gem!

[Killroy76]

Congratulations Phil.. Here's on your good health at 69!

[MarilynAilene]

Don and Phil were fabulous together, and each was wonderful individually. I have loved them forever. In this song, Phil tears your heart out, both for him and for yourself for past hurts you may have had. I did.

[Chiselnyc]

My Daddy and I watched every one of the Everly's shows the summer they aired, and I'd love to buy them on DVD. Let's hope one day we can. Oh wow! Phil kind of breaks your heart with this touching performance. I love the Everly's (Don's lower voice too) at every stage of their long careers for different reasons ... and especially during these years.--Debra

[doglvr895]

You know...Phil was divorced from Jackie in 1970...I wonder if this song, with its beautiful words, just hit him during this time. Like Yatahae said...this song was performed in the early 70's on The Everly Brothers Show...some fotage of it can be seen on EB Rock & Roll Odessy. What a difficult time...I like Don, I like Phil with Don....but by far - Phil is my favorite! Thanks for posting this!

[codyfeatherwings]

why was mr. everly so emotional on this particular song? he puts a lot of passion and emotion in all his songs, or so it seems to me, but this song is different. this is a lovely song and he sings it beautifully. he seems to have had a lot of hurting times in his life, but this is only my opinion since i do not know him.

[AGibsonJ]

Many people say he's a genuinely sweet, caring guy and this song must have a deep meaning to him.

[NMSherwin]

Yeah, Phil's a sweetheart, but the fact was he was just going through a divorce and this song hit him, especially at the end.

[Cherub1956]

Ahhh, I remember so well that Johnny Cash summer show. It was love at first sight. My eyes on Phil of course.

[CupCaked]

Lovely! It's nice to hear Phil all by himself for a change of pace.

[AGibsonJ]

Beautiful, this is the elusive song that someone was trying to track down, love it!

[yatahae]

This song was written & sung by Tom Paxton. The big hit was Peter,Paul & Mary's version. Neil Diamond did it again in the early 70's about the same time Phil sang this version . It is especially haunting to listen to it by Phil not just because of the emotionalism but because of that beautiful clear voice thats as pure as rainwater.