The Dillards - Nobody Knows (1968)

Formed by brothers Doug and Rodney in Salem, Missouri in 1962, this American bluegrass band was vital in development of the country-styled rock in southern California during the 1960s. They introduced bluegrass music to the nation as a whole by playing music on The Andy Griffith Show, starring in a recurring role as the fictional band, “The Darlings.” Many bands of the 1960s took a country and bluegrass style of music and blended it with rock, pop, and psychedelic music. Perhaps the most notable group of the time to do this was The Byrds, who cite this band as having a very strong impact on their sound. Other artists to have been influenced by this group include the Eagles, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dan Fogelberg, Linda Ronstadt, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Elton John, Fairport Convention, and many, many others. In turn, the country and bluegrass artists influenced by this band have gone on to largely influence artists in various genres to this day.

In 1968, the group decided to give in to the ’60s pop music surrounding the globe and branched out to a bluegrass sound that featured orchestration and drums. Doug Dillard, a founding brother in the band, was unhappy with the new direction that the group was headed and decided to go his own way. The new musical style of the group was first fully featured on their fourth album, Wheatstraw Suite, and rejected by Capitol Records, who the group was signed with. To get the record out, the group signed on to their old label, Elektra. This song was the second track on the album and written by Mitch Jayne, the bass player, and Rodney Dillard, a founding brother.



The Dillards - Nobody Knows (1968)

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Lyrics:

Nobody knows
Nobody ever knows
No one ever knows
When things won’t stay the same

She’s in love with you
And you know you love her, too
There will come a time
When she won’t know your name

There’s a lot of things to die
Every time the day goes by
There’s a lot of things
That people can’t explain

You can be in love today
By meaning every word you say
Knowing when tomorrow comes a word you say

Will be a lie

Nobody knows
Nobody ever knows
No one ever knows why
Love must go away

We play the games
And never really understood
Never really understand the games we play

Nobody knows
Nobody ever knows
No one ever knows
When things won’t stay the same

She’s in love with you
And you know you love her, too
There will come a time
When she won’t know your name