In his youth, Prima played trumpet with Irving Fazola, his brother's band, and the pit band of the Saenger Theater. In 1933 he began his busy recording career, as part of the David Rose orchestra at station WGN, Chicago; he was also part of the small recording group The Hotcha Trio, with Rose on piano and Norman Gast on violin. In 1934 Prima moved to New York, working regularly on 52nd Street with old New Orleans friends like Eddie Miller (tenor sax and clarinet) and George Brunies (trombone), and also new acquaintances like Pee Wee Russell (clarinet). Prima's informal jazz group was known as Louis Prima and His New Orleans Gang, and this band recorded prolifically for Brunswick through 1936, and then for Vocalion and Decca.
Prima's 1936 composition, "Sing Sing Sing", which he had released with the New Orleans Gang in March, 1936 as a Brunswick 78, Brunswick 7628, with "It's Been So Long" as the B side, became one of his biggest hits and one of the most covered standards of the swing era; Benny Goodman's performance of the song at Carnegie Hall with a featured performance by Gene Krupa on drums has become iconic.
Louis Prima and His Band
Prima moved to Los Angeles to headline at the Famous Door nightclub. He appeared in several Hollywood movies, including a featured performance with Bing Crosby in the 1936 film Rhythm on the Range. Prima and his Dixieland Gang continued to play club dates across the nation, including a 1939 stint at New York's Hickory House.
Big bands were big business then, and Prima apparently bowed to pressure from booking agents and formed a conventional big band in 1940. He exploited a distinctive, shuffling beat (which he called "Gleeby Rhythm"); this trademark Prima shuffle remained part of his repertoire for two decades. Prima sang most of the band vocals, with Lily Ann Carol as the "girl singer." Prima's high-powered drummer at this time was Jimmy Vincent, an energetic teenager who remained with the Prima band for many years.
In 1947 he added singer Cathy Ricciardi, who recorded under the name Cathy Allen. She was succeeded in 1949 by Keely Smith (who was to become his fourth wife), and the band concentrated on novelty songs like "Civilization (Bongo Bongo Bongo)" and "All Right, Louis, Drop the Gun." Prima's big band continued into the early 1950s, with a series of novelty recordings supervised (sometimes heavy-handedly) by record producer Mitch Miller.
Vegas years
The popularity of the big-band sound started to wane, and Prima began losing money, just as he needed it to support the pregnant Smith. Prima found work with Smith in small venues all over the East Coast. Eventually he called up his friend Bill Miller, who was then entertainment director of The Sahara nightclub and casino in Las Vegas, and asked for a job. His friend Cab Calloway warned him against the cramped Sahara lounge, but the financial pressure was too great. Prima telephoned saxophonist Sam Butera and instructed him to pick up a few musicians and go to Las Vegas in time for Prima's debut.
Prima acknowledged his new musicians for the opening-night crowd, and spontaneously asked Butera what the name of the band was. Butera ad-libbed, "The Witnesses!" From then on, Sam Butera and the Witnesses backed Prima and Smith on stage and records.
Prima and Smith worked hard throughout the 1950s, performing multiple shows a night and finishing at 6 a.m. Their efforts were rewarded with a resurgence in their popularity, and they were at least partly responsible for making the lounge at The Sahara a hotspot. On stage, Prima insisted on Smith adopting a humorless, poker-faced character that would play straight to Prima's zany ad libs. Smith actually had a fine sense of comedy that is often audible on the team's recordings; no matter how much the incorrigible Prima tried to disrupt her vocals, Smith would often come back with a funny remark of her own.
Louis Prima and Keely Smith were very much the model for Sonny & Cher: the exuberant Italian musician and the serious, exotic female singer, Smith and Cher both being of Cherokee descent (although Cher's heritage is primarily Armenian). Similarly, echoes of the stage banter between Prima and Butera would be heard years later in the early performances of the E Street Band and the interplay between Bruce Springsteen and Clarence Clemons.
In 1959, Prima and Smith won the Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus for "That Old Black Magic."
In 1956 the Prima ensemble performed at the Sahara Hotel and Casino to record tracks for the album The Wildest!. It was an attempt by Capitol Records to capture the essence of the Vegas act. Over the next nine years, Prima and Smith raised two children, while he made scores of records, owned racehorses, appeared on television, and even opened a golf course. They outgrew the lounge and were promoted to the big room. They appeared in a few quickie musical films, including Senior Prom and Hey Boy! Hey Girl! Prima co-produced the feature Twist All Night, in which his band also appeared.
During this whirlwind of activity, according to Smith, the couple drifted farther and farther apart. One night, he refused to conduct for one of Smith's performances, delegating to Butera instead. A few days later they were in court, petitioning for divorce.
Later years
Following the divorce, he began dating Gia Maione. Maione was a long-time fan of Prima's, was already familiar with all the arrangements to his songs, and even kept a signed photo of him in her purse. She eventually became Prima's fifth and final wife, and was with the band right up until 1975. By this point, the band was putting out a markedly different and more contemporary sound, with electric organs and synthesizers, even dabbling in progressive rock.
In 1967 Prima's distinctive voice and jazzy delivery landed him a role in Walt Disney's animated feature The Jungle Book, as the raucous orangutan King Louie. He performed the hit song "I Wanna Be Like You" on the soundtrack, leading to the recording of two albums with Phil Harris: The Jungle Book and More Jungle Book, on Disneyland Records. He can also be heard on the soundtrack of another cartoon feature, The Man Called Flintstone.
He suffered a mild heart attack in 1973. In 1975, following headaches and episodes of memory loss, Louis Prima sought medical attention, and found out he had a stem brain tumor. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and went into a coma following surgery to remove the tumor. He never recovered, and died three years later, having been moved back to New Orleans. He was buried in Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans; his gray marble crypt is topped by a figure of Gabriel, the trumpeter-angel. The inscription on the crypt's door quote the lyrics from one of his hits: "When the end comes, I know, they'll all say 'just a gigolo' as life goes on without me. Lovingly, your little family..."
Oh Marie
Louis Prima Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh Marie (oh Marie)
In your arms I'm longing to be (longing to be)
Uh baby (baby)
Tell me you love me (tell me you love me)
Kiss me once while the stars shine above me (shine above me)
Hey hey Marie (hey Marie)
In your arms now I'm longing to be (longing to be)
Oh baby (oh baby)
Tell me you love me (tell me you love me)
Hey Marie (hey Marie)
Hey Sammy, come here boy
Hey Marie
Hey Marie, hey Marie
Quantu sonnu
Aggio perso per te
Famme addurmì
Famme addurmì
Una notte, una notte
Una notte, una notte abbracciato
Una notte abbracciato, abbracciato
Una notte, una notte abbracciato
Come on boy, what's the matter with you?
Una notte abbracciato
Quantu sonnu
Aggio perso per te
Ha ha ha ha
Famme addurmì
Hey Marie, hey Marie
Hey Marie, hey Marie, hey Marie, hey Marie, hey Marie
Oh Marie by Louis Prima is a classic Italian-American song that combines jazz and swing music with traditional Italian influences. The song tells the story of a man who is in love with Marie and longs to be in her arms. He asks her to tell him that she loves him and to kiss him while the stars shine above them. The lyrics are delivered in a playful and flirtatious manner, with Prima’s signature scatting and energetic vocal performance.
The song also includes a verse in Italian, where the man tells Marie how much he misses her and asks her to let him sleep in her arms for one night. The addition of Italian lyrics adds to the song’s romantic and nostalgic feel, evoking memories of Italian-American culture and traditions. Overall, Oh Marie is a joyful and upbeat song about love and desire, with an irresistible melody that invites the listener to sing and dance along.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Marie (oh Marie)
Addressing Marie in a longing tone
Oh Marie (oh Marie)
Repeating the address to show interest
In your arms I'm longing to be (longing to be)
Expressing the desire to be held by Marie
Uh baby (baby)
Using an endearing term to refer to Marie
Tell me you love me (tell me you love me)
Asking Marie for reassurance of affection
Kiss me once while the stars shine above me (shine above me)
Requesting a romantic moment with Marie under the night sky
Hey hey Marie (hey Marie)
Getting Marie's attention with enthusiasm
Oh Marie (oh Marie)
Pleasantly addressing Marie again
In your arms now I'm longing to be (longing to be)
Reiterating the desire to be held by Marie
Oh baby (oh baby)
A tender nickname for Marie
Tell me you love me (tell me you love me)
Asking for reassurance of love again
Hey Marie (hey Marie)
Calling for Marie's attention again
Hey Sammy, come here boy
Calling for a dog named Sammy
Quantu sonnu
Italian for 'how much sleep'
Aggio perso per te
Italian for 'I lost sleep for you'
Famme addurmì
Italian for 'let me sleep'
Famme addurmì
Repeating the request to sleep
Una notte, una notte
Italian for 'one night, one night'
Una notte, una notte abbracciato
Italian for 'one night, one night embraced'
Una notte, una notte abbracciato, abbracciato
Repeating the desire to embrace for one night
Una notte, una notte abbracciato
Repeating the desire to embrace for one night
Come on boy, what's the matter with you?
Addressing Sammy with curiosity
Una notte abbracciato
Italian for 'one night embraced'
Quantu sonnu
Repeating the Italian phrase for 'how much sleep'
Aggio perso per te
Repeating the Italian phrase for 'I lost sleep for you'
Ha ha ha ha
Laughing about the situation
Famme addurmì
Repeating the Italian phrase for 'let me sleep'
Hey Marie (hey Marie)
Addressing Marie one last time
Hey Marie (hey Marie)
Repeating the address with affection
Hey Marie (hey Marie)
Repeating the address with insistence
Hey Marie (hey Marie)
Repeating the address with enthusiasm
Hey Marie (hey Marie)
Repeating the address with fondness
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harold Barlow, Eduardo Di Capua, Ferdinando Russo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jyrgalbek Omurgazy uulu
Oh Marie (oh Marie)
Oh Marie (oh Marie)
In your arms I'm longing to be (longing to be)
Uh baby (baby)
Tell me you love me (tell me you love me)
Kiss me once while the stars shine above me (shine above me)
Hey hey Marie (hey Marie)
Oh Marie (oh Marie)
In your arms now I'm longing to be (longing to be)
Oh baby (oh baby)
Tell me you love me (tell me you love me)
Hey Marie (hey Marie)
Hey Sammy, come here boy
Hey Marie
Hey Marie, hey Marie
Quantu sonnu
Aggio perso per te
Famme addurmì
Famme addurmì
Una notte, una notte
Una notte, una notte abbracciato
Una notte abbracciato, abbracciato
Una notte, una notte abbracciato
Come on boy, what's the matter with you?
Una notte abbracciato
Quantu sonnu
Aggio perso per te
Ha ha ha ha
Famme addurmì
Hey Marie, hey Marie
Hey Marie, hey Marie, hey Marie, hey Marie, hey Marie
Piergiorgio Montanari
Here from Italy thanks to The Catcher in the Rye
Oh Marie (oh Marie)
Oh Marie (oh Marie)
In your arms I'm longing to be (longing to be)
Uh baby (baby)
Tell me you love me (tell me you love me)
Kiss me once while the stars shine above me (shine above me)
Hey hey Marie (hey Marie)
Oh Marie (oh Marie)
In your arms now I'm longing to be (longing to be)
Oh baby (oh baby)
Tell me you love me (tell me you love me)
Hey Marie (hey Marie)
Hey Sammy, come here boy
Hey Marie
Hey Marie, hey Marie
Quantu sonnu
Aggio perso per te
Famme addurmì
Famme addurmì
Una notte, una notte
Una notte, una notte abbracciato
Una notte abbracciato, abbracciato
Una notte, una notte abbracciato
Come on boy, what's the matter with you?
Una notte abbracciato
Quantu sonnu
Aggio perso per te
Ha ha ha ha
Famme addurmì
Hey Marie, hey Marie
Hey Marie, hey Marie, hey Marie, hey Marie, hey Marie
Jeff Little
Damn. Every member of this band was an absolute badass. In a time when it was impossible to fake ANYthing, everyone had to be 100% on point all the time. You just can't beat the realness of that.
fuzz foster
Simply superb,Sam was a damn good saxophonist to be able to follow Louis line all the time,what a band.
Pod69
They're all playing like the world's going to end tomorrow. Sublimely brilliant.
Jyrgalbek Omurgazy uulu
Oh Marie (oh Marie)
Oh Marie (oh Marie)
In your arms I'm longing to be (longing to be)
Uh baby (baby)
Tell me you love me (tell me you love me)
Kiss me once while the stars shine above me (shine above me)
Hey hey Marie (hey Marie)
Oh Marie (oh Marie)
In your arms now I'm longing to be (longing to be)
Oh baby (oh baby)
Tell me you love me (tell me you love me)
Hey Marie (hey Marie)
Hey Sammy, come here boy
Hey Marie
Hey Marie, hey Marie
Quantu sonnu
Aggio perso per te
Famme addurmì
Famme addurmì
Una notte, una notte
Una notte, una notte abbracciato
Una notte abbracciato, abbracciato
Una notte, una notte abbracciato
Come on boy, what's the matter with you?
Una notte abbracciato
Quantu sonnu
Aggio perso per te
Ha ha ha ha
Famme addurmì
Hey Marie, hey Marie
Hey Marie, hey Marie, hey Marie, hey Marie, hey Marie
D Doeser
Welterusten voor straks Slaap lekker allemaal en gezond weer op Rij voorzichtig denk aan mij ❤🇳🇱🙏🎸👋
Comrade
The instrument is in perfect sync with Loius' voice! Awesome song!
Sam
So good. I wish they'd still make music like this today.
RiverboatJoe
most classic italian-sicilian-american song ever. we all grew up hearing this. damn those great memories. just a kid in dads car with this on. damn i wish i could re-live it.
RiverboatJoe
how??
sos van eey
play maffia 2 dude,, you will not regret it