I LOVE THIS!! Though she was pretty much a one-hit wonder, I think Skeeter Davis is brilliant in this song. The clarity and utterly true pitch, the charming drawl (probably Texan) are just so perfect. Every time I hear it I just. . . kvell. Who says there are no pop masterpieces? The spoken interlude coinciding with the key modulation is spot-on. I can't listen to it enough. And this from someone who generally hates country music. A bit of background:
In 1963, Davis achieved her biggest success with country pop crossover hit "The End of the World". The song just missed topping the country and pop charts that year; however, it did top the adult contemporary charts. The record was also a surprise top-five hit on the rhythm and blues charts, making Davis one of the few white female singers to have a top-10 hit in that market. The single sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. This song was likely the first popular example of Sound on Sound where the erase magnet was disabled and the artist sang along with the recording or the original recording was mixed with the live artist voice and re-recorded, Therefore, it sounds like a duet in places. "The End of the World" soon became Davis's signature song. - Wikipedia
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