Clooney's first recordings, in May 1946, were for Columbia Records. She sang with Tony Pastor's big band. Clooney continued working with the Pastor band until 1949, making her last recording with the band in May of that year and her first as a solo artist a month later, still for Columbia.
She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit Come On-a My House written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian (better known as David Seville, the father figure of Alvin and the Chipmunks), which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" (a cover version of the Italian song Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina by Alberto Rabagliati), "Mambo Italiano", "Tenderly", "Half as Much", "Hey There" and "This Ole House", although she had success as a jazz vocalist. Clooney's career languished in the 1960s, partly due to problems related to depression and drug addiction, but revived in 1977, when her White Christmas co-star Bing Crosby asked her to appear with him at a show marking his 50th anniversary in show business. She continued recording until her death in 2002. She was the aunt of Academy Award winning actor George Clooney; mother-in-law of singer Debby Boone; and sister to former television personality Nick Clooney. She was the ex-wife of Jose Ferrer; mother of actor Miguel Ferrer
Clooney was diagnosed with lung cancer at the end of 2001. Around this time, she gave her last concert, in Hawaii, backed by the Honolulu Symphony Pops; her last song was "God Bless America".
A Beautiful Friendship
Rosemary Clooney Lyrics
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It ended a moment ago.
This is the end of a beautiful friendship,
I know,
'Cause your eyes told me so.
We've always been
Like sister and brother,
When we looked at each other.
That was the end of a beautiful friendship,
And just the beginning of love.
That was the end of a beautiful friendship,
And just the beginning of love!
In Rosemary Clooney's song A Beautiful Friendship, she sings about the end of a friendship that transitions into the beginning of love. The lyrics speak to the idea that sometimes friendships become something more, and that change can come unexpectedly. The line "This is the end of a beautiful friendship, I know, 'Cause your eyes told me so" encapsulates the realization that something has shifted in the relationship between two people. The use of the word "beautiful" in the title and lyrically suggests that the friendship was special and valuable, but ultimately couldn't withstand the shift into something romantic.
The song also speaks to the familiarity and closeness that can develop between friends. The line "We've always been like sister and brother, until tonight, when we looked at each other" conveys a sense of comfortable intimacy that has developed over time. However, the line "That was the end of a beautiful friendship, and just the beginning of love" poignantly captures the bittersweet nature of the transition. It leaves the listener with a sense of possibility and hope for what could come next.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the end of a beautiful friendship,
Our friendship has come to an end.
It ended a moment ago.
It just happened very recently.
This is the end of a beautiful friendship,
Our once beautiful friendship is now over.
I know,
I can sense it.
'Cause your eyes told me so.
I saw it in your eyes.
We've always been
Our relationship has always been.
Like sister and brother,
We have been very close, like siblings.
Until tonight,
Up until this moment.
When we looked at each other.
When we shared a meaningful gaze.
That was the end of a beautiful friendship,
Our friendship ended at that very moment.
And just the beginning of love.
But it was just the start of our romantic relationship.
That was the end of a beautiful friendship,
At that moment our friendship ceased to exist.
And just the beginning of love!
But it marked the start of a new romantic journey for us.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Donald Kahn, Stanley H. Styne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind