"So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" is a song written by Don Everly, which was released by

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

in 1960. The song was later a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

hit for multiple artists in the 1970s and 80s.

The Everly Brothers version

In 1960, The Everly Brothers released the song as a single and on the album '' It's Everly Time''. The song was a top 10 hit in multiple countries, and spent 12 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 7,Hot 100 - The Everly Brothers So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) Chart History
''Billboard.com''. Retrieved April 1, 2018. while reaching No. 4 on the United Kingdom's '' Record Retailer'' and '' New Musical Express'' charts,Everly Brothers - Full Official Chart History
''

Official Charts Company The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts in ...

''. Accessed October 15, 2015British Newsnotes
, '' Billboard'', October 17, 1960. p. 6. Retrieved April 1, 2018. and No. 7 on New Zealand's "Lever Hit Parade"."Lever Hit Parade" 03-Nov-1960
''Flavour of New Zealand''. Retrieved April 1, 2018. The song was a major hit in other countries as well.

Chart performance

Cover versions

In 1968,

The Hombres The Hombres were an American garage rock band from Memphis, Tennessee, known primarily for the 1967 single, "Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)". Origins Formed in 1966, The Hombres comprised Jerry Lee Masters (leader and bass player); Gary Wayn ...

included a cover on their only album ''

Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out) "Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)" is a 1967 song by the Hombres and the title track of their album of the same name. It is, according to AllMusic journalist Stewart Mason, a "deadpan southern-fried parody" of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick B ...

''. In 1969,

Dillard and Clark Dillard & Clark was a country rock duo which featured ex-Byrds member Gene Clark and bluegrass banjo player Doug Dillard. History The group was formed in 1968, shortly after Clark departed the Byrds and Dillard left the Dillards. It was conside ...

included a cover on their LP "Through the Morning, Through the Night". This group consisted of Gene Clark of

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

and

Doug Dillard Douglas Flint Dillard (March 6, 1937 – May 16, 2012) was an American musician noted for his banjo proficiency and his pioneering participation in late-60s country rock. Biography Early life Dillard, who grew up on a farm near Salem, Missouri, ...

The Dillards The Dillards are an American bluegrass and country rock band from Salem, Missouri. The band is best known for introducing bluegrass music into the popular mainstream with their appearance as " The Darlings" on '' The Andy Griffith Show''. B ...

, as well as future member of

The Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles and six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s ...

Bernie Leadon Bernie Leadon (pronounced ''led-un''; born July 19, 1947) is an American singer, musician, songwriter and founding member of the Eagles, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Prior to the Eagles, he was a member ...

Brian Hyland Brian Hyland (born November 12, 1943) is an American pop singer and instrumentalist who was particularly successful during the early 1960s. He continued recording into the 1970s. AllMusic journalist Jason Ankeny says "Hyland's puppy-love pop v ...

released a version of the song on his 1969 album ''Tragedy-A Million to One''. In 1970, a cover of was released by

Hank Williams, Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...

and

Lois Johnson Lois Johnson Scoggins (May 15, 1942 – July 7, 2014) professionally known as Lois Johnson was an American country music singer. She was from Maynardville, Tennessee. She recorded for different labels between 1969 and 1978, charted twenty singl ...

as a single and on the album ''Removing the Shadow''. Their version reached No. 12 on ''Billboard''s

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...

chart, No. 8 on the ''Cash Box'' Country Top 65, No. 8 on the '' Record World'' Top Country Singles chart, and No. 10 on

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

's "Top 50 ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Country" chart.

Connie Smith Connie Smith (born Constance June Meador; August 14, 1941) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her contralto vocals have been described by music writers as significant and influential to the women of country music. A similarity h ...

released a cover of the song in 1976, as a single and on her album '' I Don't Wanna Talk It Over Anymore''. Smith's version reached No. 31 on the ''Billboard''s Hot Country Singles chart and No. 19 on the ''Cash Box'' Top 100 Country chart. In 1977, Don Everly released a solo version of the song on the album ''Brother Juke-Box''. A cover was released by

Steve Wariner Steven Noel Wariner (born December 25, 1954) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Initially a backing musician for Dottie West, he also worked with Bob Luman and Chet Atkins before beginning a solo career in the late ...

in 1978, which reached No. 76 on the ''Billboard''s Hot Country Singles chart, No. 73 on the ''Cash Box'' Top 100 Country chart, and No. 81 on the '' Record World'' Country Singles Chart. Emmylou Harris released a cover of the song on her 1982 album '' Last Date'', and as a single. In 1983, Harris's version reached No. 28 on the ''Billboard''s Hot Country Singles chart, No. 31 on ''Cash Box''s Top 100 Country Singles, and No. 14 on Canada's ''RPM'' "Country 50 Singles" chart. The Sweethearts of the Rodeo covered the song on their ''

One Time, One Night ''One Time, One Night'' is the second studio album by American country music duo Sweethearts of the Rodeo, released in 1988 via Columbia Records. The album includes "Satisfy You" and "Blue to the Bone," which both hit #5 on the Billboard Hot C ...

'' album in 1998, but the song was not released. The French singer

Françoise Hardy Françoise Madeleine Hardy (; born 17 January 1944) is a French former singer and songwriter. Mainly known for singing melancholic sentimental ballads, Hardy has been an important figure in French pop music since her debut, spanning a career o ...

included the song in her year 2000 album '' Clair-obscur'' as a duet with

Étienne Daho Étienne Daho (; ; born 14 January 1956) is a French singer. He has released a number of synth-driven and rock- surf influenced pop hit singles since 1981. Career Daho was born in Oran, French Algeria. He sings in a low, whispery voice somew ...

Jeff Lynne Jeffrey Lynne (born 30 December 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder of the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970. As a songwriter, he has cont ...

also recorded it on his album ''

Long Wave In radio, longwave, long wave or long-wave, and commonly abbreviated LW, refers to parts of the radio spectrum with wavelengths longer than what was originally called the medium-wave broadcasting band. The term is historic, dating from the e ...

'' in 2012.

References

{{Emmylou Harris 1960 songs 1960 singles The Everly Brothers songs Hank Williams Jr. songs Connie Smith songs Steve Wariner songs Emmylou Harris songs Songs written by Don Everly Warner Records singles