Caterina Valente (born January 14, 1931 in Paris) is an Italian-born singer… Read Full Bio ↴Caterina Valente (born January 14, 1931 in Paris) is an Italian-born singer, dancer, and actress. She comes from an Italian artist family; her father Giuseppe was a well-known accordion player, her mother, Maria Valente, a musical clown. She had three siblings, of whom Silvio Francesco was also active in show business.

In 1952 she married juggler Erik van Aro (Gerd Eric Horst Scholz). He recognized her talent and accompanied her in her initial years of worldwide success, although they later divorced. In 1953, she made her first recordings with Kurt Edelhagen. Soon afterwards she achieved great success with songs like "Malagueña", "The Breeze and I", and "Dreh dich nicht um" with the Werner Müller orchestra. In 1955 she was featured on the "Colgate Comedy Hour" with Gordon MacRae. Between 1966 and 1972 she was a frequent guest on the Dean Martin Show. In 1972, she married the British pianist Roy Budd; they had a son, Alexander, but they divorced in 1979.

In Germany she was a major performer of Schlager music. There she recorded Cole Porter's "I love Paris" i.e. "Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe", which sold more than 500,000 copies in (1954.) Like in other countries where she was popular, some in Germany mistakenly consider her a German singer.

Over the years, she has recorded or performed with many international stars, including Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Woody Herman, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Buddy Rich, Sy Oliver, Claus Ogerman, and Chet Baker.

In 2001, she released a new album Girltalk with harpist Catherine Michel. She is also the mother of singer Eric van Aro, Jr.

sidewalks of new york
Caterina Valente Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

East Side, West Side, all around the town
The kids sang "ring around rosie", "London Bridge is falling down"
Boys and girls together, me and Mamie O'Rourke
We tripped the light fantastic on the sidewalks of New York

East Side, West Side, all around the town
Sweet Mamie grew up and bough herself a sweet little Alice-blue gown
All the fellas dug her, you should have heard them squark

When I escorted Mamie round the sidewalks of New York

East Side, West Side, riding through the parks
We started swinging at Jilly's then we split to P.J.Clark's
On to Chuck's Composite, then a drink at The Stork

We won't get home until morning 'cause we're going to take a walk
On the sidewalks of New York

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Caterina Valente’s song “Sidewalks of New York” reminisces about the writer's experiences in New York City, particularly the happening places and people they have encountered. The song paints the picture of youth and adventure, where the East Side, West Side, and all around the town, young boys and girls together, took turns singing ring-around-a-rosie and London Bridge is falling down. The lyrics convey a sense of innocence and fun before it shifts to the writer's experience with a particular person - Mamie O’Rourke.

The writer describes how Mamie grew up and bought herself a sweet Alice-blue gown that caught everyone's attention, including the boys who couldn't resist but squawk at her. The writer accompanies Mamie to different locations in the city on a night out. They first ventured out to Jilly’s and then P.J. Clark's where they started swinging until they got to Chuck's Composite and then finally ended up with a drink at The Stork. They had so much fun that they didn’t get home until the following morning, concluding that they will take a walk on the sidewalks of New York.

Line by Line Meaning

East Side, West Side, all around the town
We explored every corner of New York City, from the East Side to the West Side and everywhere in between.

The kids sang 'ring around rosie', 'London Bridge is falling down'
We heard children playing classic nursery rhymes like 'ring around rosie' and 'London Bridge is falling down' on the streets.

Boys and girls together, me and Mamie O'Rourke
I walked with my friend Mamie O'Rourke and we saw many boys and girls hanging out together.

We tripped the light fantastic on the sidewalks of New York
We danced and enjoyed ourselves on the sidewalks of New York City.

Sweet Mamie grew up and bough herself a sweet little Alice-blue gown
Mamie O'Rourke became an adult and bought herself a beautiful light blue dress.

All the fellas dug her, you should have heard them squark
Many men found Mamie attractive and couldn't help but make comments about her beauty.

When I escorted Mamie round the sidewalks of New York
I walked with Mamie on the sidewalks of New York while many men admired her.

East Side, West Side, riding through the parks
We traveled through various New York City parks, from the East Side to the West Side.

We started swinging at Jilly's then we split to P.J.Clark's
We went to the famous jazz club, Jilly's, and then went to P.J. Clark's, a popular restaurant.

On to Chuck's Composite, then a drink at The Stork
We went to Chuck's Composite, another jazz club, and then had a drink at The Stork, a nightclub.

We won't get home until morning 'cause we're going to take a walk
We enjoyed our night out so much that we decided to take a stroll through the city and wouldn't return home until the early morning.

On the sidewalks of New York
Our adventures throughout the city were enjoyed on the iconic sidewalks of New York.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TOMMY COLLINS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS