He and Jerry Lewis formed the immensely popular comedy duo Martin and Lewis, with Martin serving as the straight man to Lewis' slapstick hijinks. Martin went on to become a star of concert stages, nightclubs, audio recordings, motion pictures, and television, and was also a member of the "Rat Pack". Martin was the host of the television variety programs The Dean Martin Show and The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. His relaxed, warbling, crooning voice earned him dozens of hit singles, including his signature songs "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare", and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"
Martin was born on June 7, 1917, in Steubenville, Ohio, to an Italian father, Gaetano Alfonso Crocetti (1894–1967), and an Italian-American mother, Angela Crocetti (née Barra; 1899–1966). They were married in 1914. His father, who was a barber, was originally from Montesilvano, in Abruzzo, and his maternal grandparents' origins are believed to be also from Abruzzo, although they are not clearly known. Martin had an older brother named William Alfonso Crocetti (1916–1968). Martin's first language was Abruzzese, a dialect of Neapolitan, and he did not speak English until he started school at the age of five. He attended Grant Elementary School in Steubenville, where he was bullied for his broken English. He later took up the drums as a hobby as a teenager. Martin then dropped out of Steubenville High School in the 10th grade because he thought he was smarter than his teachers. He bootlegged liquor, served as a speakeasy croupier, was a blackjack dealer, worked in a steel mill, and boxed as a welterweight.
As Martin's solo career grew, he and Frank Sinatra became friends. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Martin and Sinatra, along with friends Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and Sammy Davis, Jr. formed the Rat Pack, so-called after an earlier group of social friends, the Holmby Hills Rat Pack centered on Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, of which Sinatra had been a member (The Martin-Sinatra-Davis-Lawford-Bishop group referred to themselves as "The Summit" or "The Clan" and never as "The Rat Pack", although this has remained their identity in popular imagination). The men made films together, formed part of the Hollywood social scene, and were politically influential (through Lawford's marriage to Patricia Kennedy, sister of President John F. Kennedy).
The Rat Pack was legendary for its Las Vegas Strip performances. For example, the marquee at the Sands Hotel might read DEAN MARTIN—MAYBE FRANK—MAYBE SAMMY. Their appearances were valuable because the city would flood with wealthy gamblers. Their act (always in tuxedo) consisted of each singing individual numbers, duets and trios, along with seemingly improvised slapstick and chatter. In the socially charged 1960s, their jokes revolved around adult themes, such as Sinatra's womanizing and Martin's drinking, as well as Davis's race and religion. Sinatra and Martin supported the civil rights movement and refused to perform in clubs that would not allow African-American or Jewish performers. Posthumously, the Rat Pack has experienced a popular revival, inspiring the George Clooney/Brad Pitt "Ocean's Trilogy."
Martin returned to films briefly with appearances in the star-laden, critically panned but commercially successful The Cannonball Run and its sequel Cannonball Run II. He also had a minor hit single with "Since I Met You Baby" and made his first music video, which appeared on MTV. The video was created by Martin's youngest son, Ricci. On March 21, 1987, Martin's son, actor Dean Paul Martin (formerly Dino of the 1960s "teeny-bopper" rock group Dino, Desi & Billy), died when his F-4 Phantom II jet fighter crashed while flying with the California Air National Guard. Martin's grief over his son's death left him depressed and demoralized. Later, a tour with Davis and Sinatra in 1988, undertaken in part to help Martin recover, sputtered.
Martin, who responded best to a club audience, felt lost in the huge stadiums they were performing in at Sinatra's insistence, and he was not interested in drinking until dawn after performances. His final Vegas shows were at Bally's Hotel in 1990. There he had his final reunion with Lewis on his 72nd birthday. Martin's last two TV appearances involved tributes to his former Rat Pack members. On December 8, 1989, he joined stars in Sammy Davis Jr's 60th anniversary celebration, which aired a few weeks before Davis died from throat cancer. In December 1990, he congratulated Sinatra on his 75th birthday special.
Martin, a heavy smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in September 1993, and was told that he would require surgery to prolong his life, but he rejected it. He retired from public life in early 1995 and died of acute respiratory failure resulting from emphysema at his Beverly Hills home on Christmas Day, 1995 at the age of 78. The lights of the Las Vegas Strip were dimmed in his honor. Martin's body was interred at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. The crypt features the epitaph "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime", the title of his signature song.
In 1996, Ohio Route 7 through Steubenville was rededicated as Dean Martin Boulevard. Road signs bearing an Al Hirschfeld caricature of Martin's likeness designate the stretch with a historical marker bearing a small picture and brief biography in the Gazebo Park at Route 7 and North Fourth Street. An annual Dean Martin Festival celebration is held in Steubenville. Impersonators, friends and family, and entertainers, many of Italian ancestry, appear. In 2005, Clark County, Nevada, renamed a portion of Industrial Road as Dean Martin Drive. A similarly named street was dedicated in 2008 in Rancho Mirage, California. Martin's family was presented a gold record in 2004 for Dino: The Essential Dean Martin, his fastest-selling album, which also hit the iTunes Top 10, and in 2006 it was certified "Platinum".
For the week ending December 23, 2006, the Dean Martin and Martina McBride duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" reached No. 7 on the R&R AC chart. It also went to No. 36 on the R&R Country chart – the last time Martin had a song this high in the charts was in 1965, with the song "I Will," which reached No. 10 on the Pop chart. An album of duets, Forever Cool, was released by Capitol/EMI in 2007. It features Martin's voice with Kevin Spacey, Shelby Lynne, Joss Stone, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Robbie Williams, McBride and others. His footprints were immortalized at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in 1964. Martin has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one at 6519 Hollywood Boulevard for movies; the second at 1617 Vine for recordings; and a third at 6651 Hollywood Boulevard for television. In February 2009, Martin was honored with a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Four of his surviving children, Gail, Deana, Ricci and Gina accepted it on his behalf. In 2010, Martin received a posthumous star on the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Martin was married three times. His first wife was Elizabeth Anne "Betty" McDonald, (July 14, 1922 – July 11, 1989) of Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. Martin and McDonald married in 1941 and had four children: Craig Martin (born 1942), Claudia Martin (March 16, 1944 – February 16, 2001), Gail Martin (born 1945); and Deana Martin (born 1948). Martin and McDonald divorced in 1949 and Dean gained custody of their children. Betty lived out her life in relative obscurity in San Francisco, California.
Martin's second wife was Dorothy Jean "Jeanne" Biegger (March 27, 1927 – August 24, 2016), a former Orange Bowl queen from Coral Gables, Florida. Their marriage lasted 24 years (1949–1973) and produced three children: Dean Paul Martin (November 17, 1951 – March 21, 1987), Ricci Martin (September 20, 1953 – August 3, 2016)[15] and Gina Martin (born 1956).
Martin's third marriage, to Catherine Hawn, lasted three years before Martin initiated divorce proceedings. They had no biological children of their own but Martin adopted Hawn's daughter, Sasha.
Martin's uncle was Leonard Barr, who appeared in several of his shows. In the 1960s and early 1970s, he lived at 363 Copa De Oro Road in Bel Air, Los Angeles, before selling it to Tom Jones for $500,000 in June 1976.
Martin's son-in-law was the Beach Boys' Carl Wilson, who married Martin's daughter Gina. Figure skater Dorothy Hamill and actress Olivia Hussey were his daughters-in-law during their marriages to Martin's son, Dean Paul Martin.
Zing
Dean Martin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing boom)
A funny melody that keeps you singing
(Zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing boom)
And in your memory it keeps on ringing
(Zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing boom)
Can work a charm on arm and arm when two hearts are clinging
So take the one you love and start to dance
While music is playing and dancers are swaying
The gay cabellero may feel cupid's arrow
You dance with a new love you may find a true love
Who will say I do love and make your heart go zing-a zing-a boom
(Zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing boom)
You can't escape it once the music gets you
(Zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing boom)
You can't forget it for it never lets you
(Zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing boom)
And if you're worried or anything upsets you
There's one thing that will chase away the blues
Zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing boom
While music is playing and dancers are swaying (zing-a zing-a boom)
The gay caballero may feel cupid's arrow (zing-a zing-a boom)
You dance with a new love you may find a true love (zing-a zing-a boom)
Who will say I do love and make your heart go zing-a zing-a boom (zing-a zing-a boom)
(Zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing boom)
Zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing boom
(You can't escape it once the music gets you
Zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing boom
(Can't forget it for it never lets you)
Zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing boom
And if you're worried or anything upsets you
There's one thing that will chase away the blues
(Zing-a zing-a boom zing-a zing-a boom zing-a zinga-boom)
Zing-a zing-a boom boom
The lyrics of Dean Martin's song Zing-a Zing-a Zing Boom revolve around the power of the music to create a romantic and joyful atmosphere. The song's catchy melody and rhythm can affect the listener's memory and emotions, making them feel happy and carefree. It is a reminder that music is a universal language that transcends cultures and can bring people together in love, dance, and joy.
The song suggests that dancing with a new love can lead to finding true love, and that the rhythm of the music can ignite romantic feelings in couples. It is a song about being upbeat, forgetting your worries, and letting the music take control of your mood. The lyrics also emphasize that the music can have a positive effect on people's emotions, making them feel better and chase away their blues.
Overall, Zing-a Zing-a Zing Boom is a classic feel-good song that celebrates the power of music to lift one's spirits and create a romantic and joyful atmosphere. It beautifully captures the essence of the golden era of music and is still popular to this day.
Line by Line Meaning
Zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-boom
This phrase refers to a catchy, upbeat melody that fills you with excitement and joy.
Zing-a zing-a zing-a zing-a zing boom
The melody is so memorable that it stays with you long after you hear it.
A funny melody that keeps you singing
The melody is lighthearted and playful, making you want to sing and dance along.
And in your memory it keeps on ringing
The melody is so catchy that it keeps playing over and over in your head.
Can work a charm on arm and arm when two hearts are clinging
The melody is romantic and can bring people closer together, especially when they dance and hold each other.
So take the one you love and start to dance
The song inspires you to take action and dance with the one you love.
You will find a one way ticket to romance
Dancing with your loved one can be a romantic experience that takes you on a journey filled with love and passion.
While music is playing and dancers are swaying
The atmosphere is lively and exciting when music is playing and people are dancing.
The gay cabellero may feel cupid's arrow
Even the most carefree and lighthearted person can fall in love when they dance to this wonderful melody.
You dance with a new love you may find a true love
Dancing with someone new can lead to falling in love and finding your soulmate.
Who will say I do love and make your heart go zing-a zing-a boom
When you find true love, your heart will experience an explosion of joy and happiness that matches the energy of the melody.
You can't escape it once the music gets you
The melody is so infectious that it's impossible to avoid dancing and feeling its energy once you hear it.
You can't forget it for it never lets you
The melody is unforgettable and stays with you forever once you experience it.
And if you're worried or anything upsets you
If you're feeling down, the melody can lift your spirits and make you feel better.
There's one thing that will chase away the blues
The melody has the power to make you happy and chase away any sadness or negative feelings.
Zing-a zing-a boom zing-a zing-a boom zing-a zinga-boom
This repetition of the phrase emphasizes the explosive and joyful nature of the melody.
Zing-a zing-a boom boom
The melody ends with a burst of energy and excitement.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind