The Twilights - Cathy, Come Home (1967)

In the 1960s, a town just north of Adelaide in South Australia, called Elizabeth, was largely populated by British emigrants. It was also the hometown of this band and its members, all of whom had been born in Britain but relocated with their families to Elizabeth, Australia. Glenn Shorrock, Mike Sykes, and Clem “Paddy” McCartney came together because of these similar roots and formed an a capella trio in 1965, calling themselves The Twilights. They were often backed by local bands like The Vector Men and The Hurricanes when putting on performances. Eventually, the members of The Twilights and The Hurricanes merged, creating a six man lineup and adopting The Twilights’ name. After a bit of shuffling- still in early 1965- the final group solidified and consisted of Glenn Shorrock, Laurie Pryor, Clem “Paddy” McCartney, John Bywaters, Terry Britten, and Peter Brideoake. Those members remained together until the band dissolved in 1969. Shorrock would go on to participate in other bands, most notably the Little River Band, and Terry Britten became an internationally successful producer and songwriter, writing hits for Tina Turner, Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, Status Quo, Michael Jackson, and many others.

By 1967, the group had relocated to London, donning mod styles and Beatles-inspired mustaches. Glenn Shorrock was quoted as stating that London was very difficult to work in because of all of the extremely talented musicians. He claimed that even bands you had never heard of were incredibly selective.

This song, written by band member Terry Britten, was recorded and released in November 1967. It steadily climbed the charts and plateaued at number four in January 1968. It was written by Britten after having been inspired by the one-off television drama of the same name, Cathy, Come Home, which had been released in November 1966. It was one of the last successful songs released by the band.



The Twilights - Cathy, Come Home (1967)

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Lyrics:

(Cathy, come home)
(Come)
(Come)
(Come)

Cathy, come home
Can't you see that I need it?
Cathy, come home
You must see it to believe it
Cathy, come home

I found someone to comfort me
Someone who finally let me be myself
My mind, I think, is much too small
To see the writing on the wall is here

Cathy, come home
Can't you see that I need it?
Cathy, come home
You must see it to believe it
Cathy, come home

If seeing is believing, then I see the truth
With you on my mind, I just can't seem to lose
(Lose)

My mind's made up; that's all I see
The writing's plain- as plain can be to me

Cathy's back, now she's all mine
Now everything's just turned out fine for me

Cathy, come home
Can't you see that I need it?
Cathy, come home
You must see it to believe it
Cathy, come home

Cathy, come home
(Cathy, come home)
Cathy, come home
(Cathy, come home)
(Home)
(Home)
(Home)
(Home)
(Home…)