Skeeter Davis Made History in 1962 With This Incredibly Sad Song

Skeeter Davis had plenty of country hits, including “Set Him Free”, “Am I That Easy To Forget?”, “The Hand You’re Holding Now”, and more. But her biggest hit is unquestionably “The End Of The World”. Out in 1962, it is part of Skeeter Davis Sings The End of the World, her fourth studio album. It was written by Arthur Kent and Sylvia Dee.

“The End Of The World” starts with, “Why does the sun go on shining? / Why does the sea rush to shore? / Don’t they know it’s the end of the 2orld / ‘Cause you don’t love me any more.”

Not only is “The End Of The World” Skeeter Davis’s biggest hit, but it also made history. “The End Of The World” made Davis the only female artist to reach the  Top 10 on Billboard‘s Hot 100, Adult Contemporary, R&B, Easy Listening, and Country charts. No other female artist in history had ever achieved such chart success.

Although she had other successful singles, Skeeter Davis only had one more Top 5 hit after “The End Of The World”. In 1967, Davis had her last song to hit the Top 5 with “What Does It Take (To Keep a Man Like You Satisfied)”. Dee later said “The End Of The World” was inspired by the loss of her own father.

The Success of Skeeter Davis After “The End Of The World”

Although Davis didn’t write “The End Of The World”, she felt a personal connection to the song. Davis got her start singing with Betty Jack Davis (no relation) as teenagers. Together, they released music as The Davis Sisters. Their hits include  “I Forgot More Than You’ll Ever Know”, which became a No. 1 single for them. Tragically, the two were in a car accident together, with Betty Jack Davis losing her life in the crash.

After Betty Jack Davis was killed, Skeeter Davis continued as The Davis Sisters for a while, before embarking on her solo career.

After “The End Of The World”, Skeeter Davis did have a few other moderate crossover hits. Still, they were not as successful as “The End Of The World”. She followed this song with “I’m Saving My Love”, “I Can’t Stay Mad At You”, “He Says The Same Things To Me”, and “Gonna Get Along Without You Now”.

Skeeter Davis’s final Top 20 single as a solo artist came in 1973. That year, she released “I Can’t Believe That It’s All Over”.

Photo by Harold Barkley/Toronto Star via Getty Images

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