She began as a Broadway musical actress, starring in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1949, and Hello, Dolly! in 1964, when she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She revived both roles several times throughout her career, most recently playing Dolly in 1995. Channing was nominated for her first Tony Award in 1956 for The Vamp followed by a nomination in 1961 for Show Girl. She received her fourth Tony Award nomination for the musical Lorelei in 1974.
As a film actress, she won the Golden Globe Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Muzzy in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Her other film appearances include The First Traveling Saleslady (1956) and Skidoo (1968). On television, she appeared as an entertainer on variety shows, from The Ed Sullivan Show in the 1950s to Hollywood Squares. She had a standout performance as The White Queen in the TV production of Alice in Wonderland (1985), and had the first of many TV specials in 1966, An Evening with Carol Channing.
Channing was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1981 and received a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 1995. She continued to perform and make appearances well into her 90s, singing songs from her repertoire and sharing stories with fans, cabaret style. She released an autobiography, titled Just Lucky I Guess, in 2002, and Larger Than Life, a documentary film about her career, was released in 2012.
Discography
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Columbia Records, 1950
Show Girl, 1961
Hello, Dolly!, RCA Records, 1964
Lorelei, Decca Records, 1974
Hello, Dolly!, 1994
Additional albums:
Archy And Mehitabel - A Back-Alley Opera (with Eddie Bracken), 1954
Carol Channing, Vanguard Records, 1961
Carol Channing Reads Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Caedmon Records, 1962
Carol Channing Entertains, Command Records, 1965
Carol Channing Reads Madeleine, Caedmon Records, 1970s
C and W (with Webb Pierce), Plantation Records, 1976
Carol Channing and Her Country Friends (guest appearances by Jimmy C. Newman, Hank Locklin, and others), Plantation Records, 1977
Carol Channing on Tour, 51 West Records, 1980
Jazz Baby, DRG Records. 1994
Just Lucky, I Guess: A Memoir of Sorts, Audiobook, 2003
For Heaven's Sake, New Day Records, 2010
True To The Red, White, and Blue, Homesick Entertainment, 2012
Put On Your Sunday Clothes
Carol Channing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a world outside of Yonkers
Way out there beyond this hick town, Barnaby
There's a slick town, Barnaby
Out there
Full of shine and full of sparkle
Close your eyes and see it glisten, Barnaby
Listen, Barnaby...
There's lots of world out there
Get out the brillantine and dime cigars
We're gonna find adventure in the evening air
Girls in white in a perfumed night
Where the lights are bright as the stars!
Put on your Sunday clothes, we're gonna ride through town
In one of those new horsedrawn open cars
We'll see the shows at Delmonicos
And we'll close the town in a whirl
And we won't come until we've kissed a girl!
Put on your Sunday clothes when you feel down and out
Strut down the street and have your picture took
Dressed like a dream your spirits seem to turn about
That Sunday shine is a certain sign
That you feel as fine as you look!
Beneath your parasol, the world is all a smile
That makes you feel brand new down to your toes
Get out your feathers, your patent leathers
Your beads and buckles and bows
For there's no blue Monday in your Sunday...
No Monday in your Sunday...
No Monday in your Sunday clothes!
Put on your Sunday clothes when you feel down and out
Strut down the street and have your picture took
Dressed like a dream your spirits seem to turn about
That Sunday shine is a certain sign
That you feel as fine as you look!
Beneath your parasol, the world is all a smile
That makes you feel brand new down to your toes
Get out your feathers
Your patent leathers
Your beads and buckles and bows
For there's no blue Monday in your Sunday clothes!
Put on your Sunday clothes when you feel down and out
Strut down the street and have your picture took
Dressed like a dream your spirits seem to turn about
That Sunday shine is a certain sign
That you feel as fine as you look!
Beneath your bowler brim the world's a simple song
A lovely lilt that makes you tilt your nose
Get out your slickers, your flannel knickers
Your red suspenders and hose
For there's no blue Monday in your Sunday clothes!
Ermengarde keep smiling no man wants some little meaning!
Ambrose do a turn, let me see!
Mr.Hackl, Mr.Tucker don't forget Irene and Minnie,
Just forget you ever heard a word from me!
All Aboard!
All Aboard!
All Aboard!
All Aboard!
Aboaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard!
All Aboard! All Aboard! All Aboard! All Aboard!
Put on your Sunday clothes there's lots of world out there
Put on your silk cravat and patent shoes
We're gonna find adventure in the evening air
To town we'll trot to a smokey spot
Where the girls are hot as a fuse!
WOW
Put on your silk high hat and at the turned up cuff
We'll wear a hand made gray suede buttoned glove
We wanna take New York by Storm!
We'll join the Astors
At Tony Pastor's
And this I'm positive of
That we won't come home
No we won't come home
No we won't come home until we fall in love!
"Put on Your Sunday Clothes" is a song that was sung by Carol Channing in the movie "Hello Dolly." It is a song that gives the advice of dressing in your Sunday best when you are feeling down and out. The song is meant to encourage people to find adventure and feel good about themselves. The first verse of the song talks about the world outside Yonkers, which is described as a slick town full of shine and sparkle. It encourages people to close their eyes and imagine the glistening world that exists beyond their current situation. The second verse of the song tells listeners to strut down the street in their Sunday best, have their picture taken, and feel good about themselves. The song tells people to dress up with specific items such as feathers, patent leathers, beads, buckles, and bows.
The lyrics of the song "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" provide motivation to make the most of life by presenting a mental image of a world full of adventure and glamour. It encourages the listeners to put their best foot forward and shows that they can change their mood by simply dressing up. The song captures the mood of the time it was written, which was one of exuberance and happiness. The song is unforgettable not only for its lyrics but its upbeat rhythm and its moral of living life to the fullest.
Line by Line Meaning
Out there
Beyond this place
There's a world outside of Yonkers
Outside this town, there's another world
Way out there beyond this hick town, Barnaby
Far beyond Yonkers, which is a small town
There's a slick town, Barnaby
There's a big, modern city where things are happening
Full of shine and full of sparkle
Bright and glamorous
Close your eyes and see it glisten, Barnaby
Imagine this world and all its glamour in your mind
Listen, Barnaby...
Pay attention, Barnaby
Put on your Sunday clothes,
Dress up
There's lots of world out there
There's a big world beyond Yonkers to explore
Get out the brillantine and dime cigars
Use fancy hair products and smoke cheap cigars
We're gonna find adventure in the evening air
We'll have exciting experiences in the night
Girls in white in a perfumed night
Pretty, fragrant women out at night
Where the lights are bright as the stars!
Where the city lights shine like stars
We're gonna ride through town
Travel through the city
In one of those new horsedrawn open cars
In a fancy horse-drawn convertible
We'll see the shows at Delmonicos
We'll go to the theater at Delmonicos, a fancy restaurant
And we'll close the town in a whirl
We'll have a great time and stay out until late
And we won't come until we've kissed a girl!
We'll stay out until we've had an exciting night with a girl
Put on your Sunday clothes when you feel down and out
Dress up when you're feeling sad and lonely
Strut down the street and have your picture took
Walk confidently and get your picture taken
Dressed like a dream your spirits seem to turn about
When you dress up, it can improve your mood
That Sunday shine is a certain sign
Dressing up can have a positive effect on your mood
That you feel as fine as you look!
When you dress up, you feel good about yourself
Beneath your parasol, the world is all a smile
When you go outside with an umbrella, the world seems brighter
That makes you feel brand new down to your toes
Dressing up can make you feel like a new person
Get out your feathers, your patent leathers
Wear your fanciest clothes and shoes
Your beads and buckles and bows
Wear your accessories
For there's no blue Monday in your Sunday...
Dressing up can make any day feel special
No Monday in your Sunday...
You can feel like it's a weekend day every day
Put on your silk cravat and patent shoes
Wear your fancy silk scarf and shiny shoes
To town we'll trot to a smokey spot
We'll go to a place in the city where people gather to have fun
Where the girls are hot as a fuse!
Where there are attractive women
Put on your silk high hat and at the turned up cuff
Wear your fancy silk top hat and rolled-up sleeves
We'll wear a hand made gray suede buttoned glove
We'll wear fancy gloves made of gray suede
We wanna take New York by Storm!
We want to have a great time in New York
We'll join the Astors
We'll hang out with the rich and famous Astor family
At Tony Pastor's
We'll go to Tony Pastor's theater
And this I'm positive of
I'm certain of this
That we won't come home
We'll stay out all night
No we won't come home
We won't go home
No we won't come home until we fall in love!
We'll stay out all night until we find a girl we like
Contributed by Grace W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.