The second son of Swedish parents, George Waldemar and Ethel Irene (Orr) Nelson, he was born in Jersey City, New Jersey and raised in the affluent suburb of Ridgefield Park, where the street of Ridgefield Park High School, where he attended and starred on the football team, is now named after him. He became an Eagle Scout at 13 and in adult life a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America.[1] He graduated from Rutgers University, where he played football despite his slight build, was a member of Cap and Skull,[2] and entered law school. In college, he played saxophone in a small band and coached football to earn money, but faced with the Depression, he turned to music as a full-time career.
Ozzie started his entertainment career as a band leader. He formed and led the Ozzie Nelson Band, and had some initial limited success. He made his own 'big break' in 1930. The New York Daily Mirror ran a poll of its readers to determine their favorite band. He knew that news vendors got credit from the newspaper for unsold copies by returning the front page and discarding the rest of the issue. Gathering hundreds of discarded newspapers, the band filled out ballots in their favor. They edged out Paul Whiteman and were pronounced the winners. From 1930 through the 1940s Nelson's band recorded prolifically—first on Brunswick, then Vocalion and finally Bluebird. In 1934 Nelson enjoyed success with his hit song, "Over Somebody Else's Shoulder" which he introduced. Nelson was their primary vocalist (and from August, 1932) duets with Harriet Hilliard. Nelson's calm, easy vocal style was popular on records and radio and quite similar to son Rick's voice.
In October 1935 he married the band's vocalist Harriet Hilliard. The couple had two children. David, born in 1936, became an actor and director. Eric ("Ricky"), born in 1940, became an actor and singer.
Ozzie Nelson appeared with his band in feature films and short subjects of the 1940s, and often played speaking parts, displaying a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor (as in the 1942 musical Strictly in the Groove). He shrewdly promoted the band by agreeing to appear in Soundies, three-minute musical movies shown in "film jukeboxes" of the 1940s. In 1952, when he and his family were established as radio and TV favorites, they starred in a feature film, Here Come the Nelsons.
In the 1940s Ozzie began to look for a way to spend more time with his family, especially his growing sons. Besides band appearances, he and Harriet had been regulars on Red Skelton's radio show. He developed and produced his own radio series, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. The show went on the air in 1944, with the sons played by actors until 1949, and in 1952 it moved over to television. The show starred the entire family, and America watched Ozzie and Harriet raise their boys. Nelson was producer and co-writer of the entire series. He was very hands-on and involved with every aspect of the radio and then TV program.
In 1973, Ozzie Nelson published his autobiography, "Ozzie," (Prentice Hall, 1973, ISBN 0-13-647768-2). He suffered from recurring malignant tumors in his later years, died of liver cancer at age 69, and is interred with his wife and son Ricky in the Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
For his contribution to the television industry, Ozzie Nelson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6555 Hollywood Boulevard. He has an additional star with his wife at 6260 Hollywood Boulevard for their contribution to radio.
Two Sleepy People
Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wake up, Ginny Simms
Wake up, Harry Babbitt
Come on here, chil'en
Let's have a little harmony
Here we are, out of cigarettes
Two sleepy people by dawn's early light
And too much in love to say goodnight
Yes, here we are
In a cozy chair
Pickin' on a wishbone
From the frigid air
Two sleepy people with nothing to say
And too much in love to break away
Do you remember the nights we had to linger in the hall
Now my father didn't like you at all (you're telling me)
Do you remember the reason why we married in the fall?
To rent this little nest and get a bit of rest
Well here we are, just about the same
Foggy little fella
And a drowsy little dame
Two sleepy people by dawn's early light
And too much in love to say goodnight
Two sleepy people by dawn's early light
And too much in love to say goodnight
Ho hum, ho hum
Too much in love to say goodnight
The song "Two Sleepy People" by Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra is a charming love song that portrays two lovers who are too much in love to say goodnight. In the first verse, the couple has run out of cigarettes and are sitting together, holding hands and yawning, as they realize how late it is. Despite their sleepiness, they are clearly devoted to each other, and the song suggests that their love is so strong they cannot bear to part ways at the end of the evening.
In the second verse, the couple is shown sitting together in a cozy chair, picking on a wishbone, and contemplating their love for each other. They admit that they have nothing left to say, but they are content just being together. The song then transitions into a recollection of their past, with the couple reminiscing about the nights they had to linger in the hall and the reason why they married in the fall. The song concludes with the couple still too much in love to say goodnight, even though they are both feeling sleepy.
Overall, "Two Sleepy People" is a beautifully romantic song that celebrates the simple pleasures of being with the one you love. It portrays a couple who are content just being together, even if they have run out of things to say.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we are, two sleepy people
We are two people who are both very tired
Wake up, Ginny Simms
Wake up, Harry Babbitt
Come on here, chil'en
Let's have a little harmony
Addressing two singers named Ginny Simms and Harry Babbitt and asking them to sing in harmony with us
Here we are, out of cigarettes
Holding hands and yawning, look how late it gets
We are out of cigarettes and we are holding hands and yawning because it is very late
Two sleepy people by dawn's early light
And too much in love to say goodnight
We are both still awake at dawn, too tired to stay up but too in love to say goodnight
Yes, here we are
In a cozy chair
Pickin' on a wishbone
From the frigid air
We are sitting in a comfortable chair, picking at a wishbone, while the air around us is very cold
Two sleepy people with nothing to say
And too much in love to break away
We are both too tired to talk, but we are also so in love that we do not want to separate
Do you remember the nights we had to linger in the hall
Now my father didn't like you at all (you're telling me)
Do you remember the reason why we married in the fall?
To rent this little nest and get a bit of rest
Do you remember how we used to have to wait in the hallway because my father did not approve of you? And do you recall that we got married in the fall so that we could rent this small home and get some much-needed rest?
Well here we are, just about the same
Foggy little fella
And a drowsy little dame
We are both still the same, tired man and woman who are foggy and drowsy
Two sleepy people by dawn's early light
And too much in love to say goodnight
We are both still awake at dawn, too tired to stay up but too in love to say goodnight
Ho hum, ho hum
Too much in love to say goodnight
We are both so much in love that we cannot bring ourselves to say goodnight, despite how tired we are
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: Frank Loesser, Hoagy Carmichael
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@texkcreeper4495
Still a favorite
@Tettelito
indie lullabies? MILLION DOLLAR IDEA!
@hellowaya
wow great cover
@ashleyjinnette
i fell asleep with this song