"Bird Dog" is a song written by

Boudleaux Bryant Felice Bryant (born Matilda Genevieve Scaduto; August 7, 1925 – April 22, 2003) and Diadorius Boudleaux Bryant (; February 13, 1920 – June 25, 1987) were an American husband-and-wife country music and pop songwriting team. They were be ...

and recorded 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 and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...

. It was released in 1958 and was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Country Chart for six weeks. The song also hit No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (stalled behind

Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno (; 9 January 1928 – 6 August 1994) was an Italian singer, actor and, later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song " Nel blu dipinto di blu", for which he received the fir ...

's " Nel blu, dipinto di Blu (Volare)" and

Tommy Edwards Thomas Jefferson Edwards (February 17, 1922 – October 23, 1969) was an American singer and songwriter. His most successful record was the multi-million-selling song " It's All in the Game", becoming the first African-American to reach No. 1 ...

' " It's All in the Game"), as well as peaking at no. 2 for three weeks on the R&B charts.

Background

The song deals with the singer's dismay that a boy, by the name of Johnny, is trying to take his girlfriend away. The singer calls him a bird dog as a result of his behavior. The musical structure is relatively unusual in that it has a 12 bar blues stanza and an 8 bar blues chorus.

Personnel

Don Everly Isaac Donald Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) was an American musician. Everly was one-half of the singing duo The Everly Brothers alongside his younger brother Phil Everly, Phil. Early life Don was born in Brownie, Kentucky on Febru ...

– vocals, guitar *

Phil Everly Phillip Everly (January 19, 1939 – January 3, 2014) was an American musician, who was one half of the duo The Everly Brothers alongside his older brother Don. Early life Phil was born in Chicago in 1939 to Isaac Milford "Ike" Everly, Jr. (190 ...

– vocals, guitar * Floyd "Lightnin Chance – double bass

Charts

All-time charts

Cover versions

*In 1958, Morris And Mitch recorded a version which was released in the UK. *In 1966,

The Newbeats The Newbeats were a 1960s American pop vocal trio, led by Larry Henley. They are best remembered for their hits " Bread and Butter" and " Run, Baby Run". Members The group's members were: * Larry Henley (born Lawrence Joel Henley, June 30, 1937 ...

released their rendition of the song as a single.The Newbeats, "Bird Dog" single release
Retrieved April 25, 2015 *In 1975, English

Glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was primarily defined by the flamboyant clothing, makeup, and hairstyles of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists d ...

band

Mud Mud (, or Middle Dutch) is loam, silt or clay mixed with water. Mud is usually formed after rainfall or near water sources. Ancient mud deposits hardened over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone (generally cal ...

recorded a cover on their album ''Use Your Imagination'' which reached No. 33 on the UK charts. *In 1978,

the Bellamy Brothers The Bellamy Brothers are an American pop and country music duo from Darby, Florida. The duo consists of brothers David Milton Bellamy (born September 16, 1950) and Homer Howard Bellamy (born February 2, 1946). The duo had considerable musical s ...

recorded it, reaching No. 86 on the

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 along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bird Dog (song) 1958 songs 1958 singles 1966 singles Songs written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant The Everly Brothers songs Hep Stars songs The Newbeats songs The Bellamy Brothers songs Cadence Records singles