About The Song
When Will I Be Loved was a song written by Phil Everly. He wrote this in his car, parked outside an A&W root beer stand. He took inspiration from his on-again, off-again romance with Jackie Ertel-Bleyer, the stepdaughter of Cadence Records founder, Archie Bleyer. Phil and Jackie got married in 1963 and divorced in 1972.
The song describes a man who has had extremely bad fortunes with his romantic relationships, and wonders when his luck will change.
The Everly Brothers had already moved from Cadence Records to Warner Bros. when their former label issued this as a single in 1960. Hoping to shift from their signature rockabilly style to mainstream pop-rock, they were already achieving their goal as the pop-oriented “Cathy’s Clown” climbed to #1.
The release of “When Will I Be Loved” was not only a throwback to their old sound, but it also threatened to derail their success by splitting airplay among their other tunes. But the public couldn’t get enough of the Everlys and they notched four Top 10 hits that year, including the #8 entry “When Will I Be Loved.”
When Will I Be Loved was recorded in Nashville in February, 1960. In addition to the Everly Brothers, the tune features Nashville legends Chet Atkins on guitar and Floyd Cramer on piano. When the song was released in the summer of 1960, it made it to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop charts.
The song begins with a brief four-note intro, followed by the Everlys’ inimitable harmony delivered in diatonic thirds. One interesting fact is that in 1960 the Everlys moved from Cadence Records to Warner Brothers. At that time their music shifted from their earlier country rockabilly sound to a more conventional pop style. As a result, the Cadence Records release When Will I Be Loved is one of the Everlys’ last country-style hits.
Video
Lyrics
I’ve been made blue
I’ve been lied to
When will I be loved?
I’ve been turned down
I’ve been pushed ’round
When will I be loved?
When I meet a new girl
That I want for mine
She always breaks my heart in two, it happens every time
I’ve been cheated
Been mistreated
When will I be loved?
When I meet a new girl
That I want for mine
She always breaks my heart in two, it happens every time
I’ve been cheated
Been mistreated
When will I be loved?
When will I be loved?
When will I be loved?