Ann-Margret started recording for RCA in 1961, but her recording career was not as successful as her concurrent movie career. She had a sexy, throaty singing voice comparable to Eartha Kitt or Nancy Sinatra, and RCA attempted to capitalize on her "Female Elvis" comparison by her recording a version of Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" and other songs stylistically similar to Presley. She scored one minor hit, "I Just Don't Understand" (which entered the Billboard Top 40 in the third week of August 1961 and stayed 6 weeks, peaking at #17.) Her only charting album is The Beauty and the Beard (1964), on which she was accompanied by trumpeter Al Hirt. The contract with RCA ended in 1966.
Years later, she returned to music at the end of Disco era. Her 1980 album, "Ann-Margret" became a success with both singles, "Midnight Message" and "Love Rush" reaching the Top 10 of the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. In the early 1980s, the album was followed up with the single, "Everybody Needs Somebody Sometimes" and the B-Side "Hold Me/Squeeze Me." Ann Margret has continued to record music sporatically since then.
[edit]Film career
In 1961 she also made her film début for in Pocketful of Miracles, starring Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, and Hope Lange, a remake of the Oscar-winning 1933 film Lady for a Day; both versions were directed by the great Frank Capra. She followed that role with the successful remake of Rodgers' and Hammerstein's musical State Fair in 1962. Her next starring role, as the all-American teenager in Bye Bye Birdie, made her a major star. When she filmed Viva Las Vegas with Elvis Presley the two began an affair that received considerable attention from the gossip columnists in various media. The reports led to a showdown with a very worried Priscilla Beaulieu, which she recounts in her 1985 book, Elvis and Me, including Ann-Margret's attempt to "cut her off at the pass" with a press announcement that Ann-Margret and Elvis were engaged to be married. Although he ended the affair, Presley remained a friend and continued to send her flowers at the opening of each of her stage appearances until he died. Of all the Hollywood starlets he had worked with or had a relationship with, Ann-Margret was the only one to attend his funeral.
In 1963, Ann-Margret was featured and guest-starred, in animated form, in an episode of Hanna-Barbera's The Flintstones as "Ann-Margrock." Decades later, she recorded the theme song to the live-action film The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas in character as Ann-Margrock. The song she recorded was a modified version of the "Viva Las Vegas" theme.\
In March 1966, Ann-Margret and entertainers Chuck Day and Mickey Jones teamed up for a USO tour to entertain U.S. servicemen in remote parts of Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia. She still has great affection for the veterans and refers to them as "my gentlemen". [1] Ann-Margret, Day and Jones reunited for an encore of this tour for veterans and troops at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada in November 2005. [2]
In 1971, she starred in Mike Nichols's Carnal Knowledge, marking a change from her sex-kitten musical roles, garnering a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The following year, while performing at Lake Tahoe, Nevada, she fell 22 feet from the stage and suffered injuries that put her out of commission for several months. Throughout the 1970s, Ann-Margret balanced her live performances with a string of critically acclaimed dramatic film performances that played against her glamorous image, including Tommy in 1975, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In addition, she has been nominated for ten Golden Globe Awards, winning five times including Best Actress for Tommy. She also did a string of successful TV specials, starting with The Ann-Margret Show for NBC in 1968. Now in her mid-60s, she continues to act in movies.
In 1994, she published an autobiography titled Ann Margret: My Story (ISBN 0-399-13891-9). She has been married to actor Roger Smith since 1967. Smith suffers from myasthenia gravis, and Ann-Margret has devoted much of her life to caring for him.
In 2001 Ann-Margret made her first appearance in a stage musical, playing the character of Mona Stangley in a new touring production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
She has also filmed the movie "Mem-o-re", where she stars with Billy Zane and Dennis Hopper.
Little Boy
Ann-Margret Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our newborn King to see, pa-rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring pa-rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King pa-rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum. rum pum pum pum
So to honor Him pa-rum pum pum pum
When we come
I am a poor boy too, pa-rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring pa-rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give our King pa- rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Shall I play for you, pa-rum pum pum pum
on my drum?
Mary nodded pa-rum pum pum pum
The Ox and Lamb kept time pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him pa -rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Then He smiled at me pa-rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum
The lyrics to "Little Boy" by Ann-Margret & Al Hirt describe the story of the birth of Jesus and the visit by the Wise Men. The singer describes how they were told to come see the newborn King and they brought their finest gifts to lay before him. The singer admits that he is a poor boy and has no gifts to bring except for his drum. Mary nods in approval and the Ox and Lamb keep time while the singer plays his drum for the baby Jesus. He notes that he played his best for him and that Jesus smiled at him in response.
The lyrics to "Little Boy" depicts a moment of humility and love, emphasizing the importance of giving what we have, even if it seems small or insignificant. The singer's offering of his drum can be seen as a symbol of his love and devotion to the baby Jesus, and his willingness to use his talents to honor him. The song also highlights the idea of equality and the worthiness of even the poorest individuals to share their gifts and talents.
Line by Line Meaning
Come, they told me pa-rum pum pum pum
We were informed to come and see the newborn King while singing 'pa-rum pum pum pum'
Our newborn King to see, pa-rum pum pum pum
We've come to see the newly born King through our musical journey of 'pa-rum pum pum pum'
Our finest gifts we bring pa-rum pum pum pum
We have brought our most precious gifts to offer the King while singing 'pa-rum pum pum pum'
To lay before the King pa-rum pum pum pum
These gifts are meant to be presented to the King while chanting 'pa-rum pum pum pum'
Rum pum pum pum. rum pum pum pum
We repeat the drum sound 'rum pum pum pum' after every line of our song
So to honor Him pa-rum pum pum pum
We have come to honor the King by singing a song that goes 'pa-rum pum pum pum'
When we come
We have arrived to greet and pay our respects to the King
Little Baby pa-rum pum pum pum
The King, whom we have come to see, is a little baby and we sing 'pa-rum pum pum pum' to express our joy
I am a poor boy too, pa-rum pum pum pum
I am a humble child with no wealth who sings 'pa-rum pum pum pum' in admiration of the King
I have no gift to bring pa-rum pum pum pum
I have no material things worthy of being offered to the King and express this through 'pa-rum pum pum pum'
That's fit to give our King pa- rum pum pum pum
I do not have any gifts suitable for the King, and I declare this through 'pa-rum pum pum pum'
Shall I play for you, pa-rum pum pum pum on my drum?
I ask the King if I can offer my drumming skills while singing 'pa-rum pum pum pum'
Mary nodded pa-rum pum pum pum
Mary, the mother of the King, gave me permission to play the drums and nodded while I was singing 'pa-rum pum pum pum'
The Ox and Lamb kept time pa-rum pum pum pum
The animals - Ox and Lamb - kept the beat of the drum, which was being played while singing 'pa-rum pum pum pum'
I played my drum for Him pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for the King who was being cherished, and sang 'pa-rum pum pum pum'
I played my best for Him pa -rum pum pum pum
I played the best of my abilities for the King, while repeating 'pa-rum pum pum pum' through my song
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
We continue chanting the sound of the drum 'rum pum pum pum' after every line of our song
Then He smiled at me pa-rum pum pum pum
The King smiled at me, who was playing the drum, while singing 'pa-rum pum pum pum'
Me and my drum
As a poor child with nothing to offer, I played my drum for the King and sang 'pa-rum pum pum pum'
Lyrics © CONSALAD CO., Ltd., INTERNATIONAL KORWIN CORP, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Simeone, Henry V Onorati, Katherine Kennicot Davis, Lorenzo Definti
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind