La Rosa was born in Brooklyn, New York. In 1947, at age 17, he joined the United States Navy after finishing high school, becoming a radioman. He sang in a Navy choir, at the officers club, and at bars to pay for his drinks.
The young sailor's Navy buddies managed to promote him to Arthur Godfrey - at the time one of America's leading radio and television personalities, and himself a Naval Reserve officer, whom the Navy often accommodated as a nod to the good publicity he gave the service. The Navy buddy most instrumental in this was George "Bud" Andrews, from Omaha, Nebraska, the seaman mechanic on Godfrey's airplane. While working on Godfrey's plane, Andrews struck up a conversation with Godfrey and told him that he really should hear his buddy sing. They arranged a time for LaRosa to audition in Pensacola, Florida, where LaRosa was stationed. Godfrey was impressed, offering La Rosa a job. Godfrey had LaRosa flown to New York to appear on his television show, with Godfrey ending the spot by saying, "When Julie gets out of the Navy he'll come back to see us."
Discharged from the Navy on a Friday, La Rosa went to Godfrey on the following Monday, and a week later, in November 1951, he appeared on Godfrey's variety show. He was a regular on both the morning Arthur Godfrey Time (broadcast on both the CBS radio and television networks) and the Wednesday night variety show Arthur Godfrey and His Friends.
LaRosa was joining a show that was extremely profitable for the new CBS television network. CBS owner William S. Paley disliked much of the show, in which a Time magazine article found Godfrey to be vulgar and "scatological". Hearing that William Paley thought the Godfrey TV show 'lacked movement,' Godfrey brought on a line of hula dancers and leered into the TV camera: 'Is that enough movement for you, Bill?'" But CBS management supported the show, which was extremely successful and inexpensive to produce.
La Rosa was on Godfrey's shows from November 19, 1951 to October 19, 1953. When Archie Bleyer, Godfrey's bandleader, formed Cadence Records in 1952, the first performer signed was La Rosa. Cadence's first single, which was also La Rosa's first recording, was "Anywhere I Wander". It reached the top 30 on the charts, and his next recording, "My Lady Loves To Dance", was a moderate success. As with the other "Little Godfreys", as the cast members were known, Godfrey had discouraged La Rosa from hiring a manager or booking agent, preferring to have his staff coordinate and negotiate on La Rosa's behalf. Godfrey's contracts with his artists, however, did not preclude them from doing so. After La Rosa's third recording, and a dispute with Godfrey over his failure to attend a Godfrey-mandated dance class required of all cast members (the singer claimed a family emergency), La Rosa hired his own agent and manager: Tommy Rockwell.
With hit recordings and his appearances on Godfrey's shows, La Rosa's popularity grew exponentially. At one point, La Rosa's fan mail eclipsed Godfrey's. A year after La Rosa was hired, he was receiving 7,000 fan letters a week. Godfrey did not react well to receiving a formal notification that LaRosa had hired Rockwell as his manager. After consulting with CBS President Frank Stanton, on the morning of October 19, 1953 (in a segment of the show broadcast on radio only), after La Rosa finished singing "Manhattan" on Arthur Godfrey Time, Godfrey fired La Rosa on the air, announcing, "that was Julie's swan song with us." La Rosa tearfully met with Godfrey after the broadcast and thanked him for giving him his "break". La Rosa was then met at Godfrey's offices by his lawyer, manager and some reporters. Tommy Rockwell was highly critical of Godfrey's behavior, angrily citing La Rosa's public humiliation.
The "humility" comment backfired badly on Godfrey. Stanton himself later admitted "maybe (the on-air firing) was a mistake." Comedians began working the phrase "no humility" into their routines. Singer Ruth Wallis, known for her raunchy double entendre novelties, recorded "Dear Mr. Godfrey", a biting satire on the matter, which made it to #25 on the Billboard charts in November 1953. Days after firing La Rosa, Godfrey also fired bandleader Archie Bleyer, owner of La Rosa's label Cadence Records, for producing spoken word records for Cadence featuring Chicago-based talk host Don McNeill, whose Don McNeill's Breakfast Club on ABC Radio opposite Godfrey's morning show was considered a direct competitor, even though McNeill's success was nowhere on a par with Godfrey's.
The firing did not hurt La Rosa's career in the short run. Ed Sullivan immediately signed La Rosa for appearances on his CBS Toast of the Town TV variety show, which sparked a feud between him and Godfrey. La Rosa's first appearance on Toast of the Town following the firing got a 47.9 Trendex rating,[citation needed] and La Rosa would appear 12 more times on Sullivan's show that year.
Shortly after he left Godfrey, La Rosa's third recording, "Eh, Cumpari", hit #1 on the Cash Box chart and #2 on the Billboard chart, and La Rosa got an award as the best new male vocalist of 1953. "Eh, Cumpari" was followed by another major hit, "Domani". For thirteen weeks during the summer of 1955, La Rosa had a three-times-a-week television series, The Julius La Rosa Show, featuring Russ Case and his Orchestra. The Julius La Rosa Show aired in an hour-long format in the summers of 1956 and 1957 at 8 p.m. Eastern on Saturdays on NBC as a seasonal replacement for The Perry Como Show.
In 1981, Peter Kelley, who handled Godfrey's commercial bookings, suggested the host reunite with cast members from his morning show and record a reunion album. Though Godfrey initially balked, recalling his disputes with LaRosa and other cast members, he agreed to a meeting, and was amenable to having LaRosa participate. LaRosa, feeling sufficient time had passed, was also amenable. At the meeting, held at Godfrey's Manhattan office, Godfrey brought up the firing and asked LaRosa why he didn't tell the 'truth' as Godfrey saw it: that LaRosa had asked to be released from his contract and Godfrey had obliged. When LaRosa started to respond by reminding him of the dance class dispute, Godfrey exploded in anger. LaRosa left, and any talk of the reunion show ended forever.
La Rosa tired of revisiting the Godfrey affair, in part because it had been rehashed so many times, but he was also known to declare publicly Godfrey was in fact the one individual who made his career, but La Rosa always added, "He wasn't a very nice man (to me)."La Rosa appeared on a range of television shows including The Honeymooners in 1953, What's My Line?, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, The Polly Bergen Show (two episodes, including the 1957 premiere), The Merv Griffin Show and Laverne and Shirley in 1980. He starred in the 1958 film Let's Rock. In 1977 he hosted an unsold game show pilot for NBC called "Noot's Game".
In the 1980s, La Rosa received a non-contract, recurring role in the NBC soap opera Another World, for which he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor in the Daytime Emmy Award.
La Rosa eventually moved on to a long-time disk jockey position at New York's WNEW and continued to sing and occasionally record. As late as 1999, LaRosa was a disc jockey on WNSW hosting "Make Believe Ballroom Time". La Rosa, profiled by jazz critic and composer Gene Lees, has continued to work clubs and release records and compact discs. New York Times film critic Stephen Holden says: "His singing is very direct and unpretentious - he can wrap his voice tenaciously around a melody line and bring out the best in it." He has also been a frequent contributor to comedian Jerry Lewis's marathon annual Labor Day telethon programs for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, often hosting the New York outpost of the shows.
In 2008, LaRosa said "Music is 'a very egotistical thing.' 'It makes me feel good' and fortunately, I have the capacity to make people feel good who hear me feeling good.'"
LaRosa lived in Westchester County, New York.
La Rosa's name was used in a joke by Coach in the sitcom Cheers, in the episode "Friends, Romans, And Accountants".
Eh Cumpari!
Julius La Rosa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chi si sona? Un friscalettu
E comu si sona you friscalettu?
You friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam
E cumpari, ci vo sunari
Chi si sona? You saxofona
E comu si sona you saxofona?
You friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam
E cumpari, ci vo sunari
Chi si sona? You mandolinu
E comu si sona you mandolinu?
A pling a pling, you mandulin
Tu tu tu tu you saxofona
You friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam
E cumpari, ci vo sunari?
Chi si sona? You viulinu
E comu si sona you viulinu?
A zing a zing, you viulin
A pling a pling, you mandulin
Tu tu tu tu you saxofona
You friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam
E cumpari, ci vo sunari?
Chi si sona? A la trumbetta
Ma comu si sona a la trumbetta?
Papapapa a la trumbetta
A zing a zing, you viulin
A pling a pling, you mandulin
Tu tu tu tu you saxofona
You friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam
E compari, ci vo sunari?
Chi si sona? A la trombona
Ma comu si sona a la trombona
A fumma a fumma a la trombona
Pa-pa pa-pa pa la trumbetta
A zing a zing, you viulin
A pling a pling, you mandulin
Tu tu tu tu you saxofona
You friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam
Tipiti tipiti
Tipiti tipiti tam
The lyrics to Julius La Rosa's song "Eh Cumpari" depict a festive atmosphere in which different instruments are being played and celebrated. The song begins with a question: "Eh Cumpari, ci vo sunari?" which translates to "Hey buddy, do you want to play some music?" The response is a call-and-response style which introduces different instruments, starting with a "friscalettu" (a small flute), then a saxophone, mandolin, violin, trumpet, and finally a trombone. Each instrument is introduced with a unique sound which is described in the lyrics, such as "tipiti tipiti tam" for the friscalettu, "tu tu tu tu" for the saxophone, "a pling a pling" for the mandolin, "a zing a zing" for the violin, "papapapa" for the trumpet, and "a fumma a fumma" for the trombone.
The overall theme of the song is one of celebration and joy through music. It encourages people to come together and play different instruments, regardless of their level of expertise or familiarity with the specific instrument. The repetition of the instruments and their sounds reflects the fun and playful nature of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Eh Cumpari, ci vo sunari
Oh, my friend, let's make some music
Chi si sona? Un friscalettu
Who's playing? A flute-like instrument
E comu si sona you friscalettu?
How does the friscalettu sound?
You friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam
It goes like this, tipiti tipiti tam
E cumpari, ci vo sunari
Oh, my friend, let's make some music
Chi si sona? You saxofona
Who's playing? A saxophone
E comu si sona you saxofona?
How does the saxophone sound?
Tu tu tu tu you saxofona
It goes like this, tu tu tu tu
You friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam
And the friscalettu goes, tipiti tipiti tam
E cumpari, ci vo sunari
Oh, my friend, let's make some music
Chi si sona? You mandolinu
Who's playing? A mandolin
E comu si sona you mandolinu?
How does the mandolin sound?
A pling a pling, you mandulin
It goes like this, a pling a pling
Tu tu tu tu you saxofona
And the saxophone goes, tu tu tu tu
You friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam
While the friscalettu goes, tipiti tipiti tam
E cumpari, ci vo sunari?
Oh, my friend, let's make some music
Chi si sona? You viulinu
Who's playing? A violin
E comu si sona you viulinu?
How does the violin sound?
A zing a zing, you viulin
It goes like this, a zing a zing
A pling a pling, you mandulin
And the mandolin goes, a pling a pling
Tu tu tu tu you saxofona
While the saxophone goes, tu tu tu tu
You friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam
And the friscalettu goes, tipiti tipiti tam
E cumpari, ci vo sunari?
Oh, my friend, let's make some music
Chi si sona? A la trumbetta
Who's playing? A trumpet
Ma comu si sona a la trumbetta?
But how does the trumpet sound?
Papapapa a la trumbetta
It goes like this, papapapa
A zing a zing, you viulin
And the violin goes, a zing a zing
A pling a pling, you mandulin
While the mandolin goes, a pling a pling
Tu tu tu tu you saxofona
And the saxophone goes, tu tu tu tu
You friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam
And the friscalettu goes, tipiti tipiti tam
E compari, ci vo sunari?
Oh, my friend, let's make some music
Chi si sona? A la trombona
Who's playing? A trombone
Ma comu si sona a la trombona
But how does the trombone sound?
A fumma a fumma a la trombona
It goes like this, a fumma a fumma
Pa-pa pa-pa pa la trumbetta
And the trumpet goes, pa-pa pa-pa pa
A zing a zing, you viulin
While the violin goes, a zing a zing
A pling a pling, you mandulin
And the mandolin goes, a pling a pling
Tu tu tu tu you saxofona
While the saxophone goes, tu tu tu tu
You friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam
And the friscalettu goes, tipiti tipiti tam
Tipiti tipiti
Tipiti tipiti
Tipiti tipiti tam
Tipiti tipiti tam
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@danielvieira5490
Eh Cumpari
Si vuo sonare
Che se suona la Cosa Nostra
È come se suona la Cosa Nostra
Tá tatatatatatata !!!
Ti pi ti pitit tá
Eh Cumpari
Si vuo sonare
Che se suona la 'Ndrangheta
È come se suona la 'Ndrangheta
Tá tata tatatatataata.
'Ndrangheta
Tatatatata
La Cosa Nostra
Ti pi ti ti piti tá
Eh Cumpari
Si vuo sonare
Che se suona la Camorra
È come se suona la Camorra
Tatatatata
La Camorra
Tatatatata
La 'Ndrangheta
Tatatatataata
La Cosa Nostra
Tatatatatataa
Ti piti ti pi ti ta
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@ynkybomber
I am going to surprise my 90 year old grandma at Christmas by singing this for her. I do not speak any other Italian but she does.
@dar5108
Go for it aj
@pyrrhospizza5938
That's an amazing idea, she'll love it
@jamespfitz
HOW DID IT GO!?!!
@custerranch
Please tell me you did it!
@dar5108
Missing my father Salvatore brought me here. Ti Amo Poppi.
@KayBacci
I've just discovered this song and this gorgeous singer. I'm English, but I've lived in Italy for 25 years. I adore traditional Italian songs, and this song had me dancing around the room. I'll listen to it over and over again! It makes me feel happy!
@barryperri6629
Love this song! Can listen to it over and over for hours.
@rg1whiteywins598
I love this sond so much as an Italian American.🥰🥰🥰🥰
@tambrosia
this song was sung at every wedding, holy communion, confirmation, reception.
Heck even sung at the after burial service. Loved it when the old guys would sing it and slip in those dirty hand signals, like in the Godfather wedding scene.
Listening to the song is better than reading it....but watch the godfather wedding scene so you get the hand gestues....