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 Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
Rosemary Clooney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That when you turned and smiled at me
A nightingale sang in Berkeley square
The moon that lingered over London town
Poor puzzled moon he wore a frown
How could he know we two were so in love
The whole damned world seemed upside down
The streets of town were paved with stars
It was such a romantic affair
And as we kissed and said goodnight
A nightingale sang in Berekeley square
How strange it was
How sweet and strange
There was never a dream to compare
To those hazy crazy nights we met
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley square
Ah this heart of mine
Loud and fast
Like a merry-go-round in a fair
We would dance cheek to cheek
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley square
The dawn came stealing up
All gold and blue
To interrupt our rendez-vous
I still remember how you smiled and said
Was that a dream or was it true?
Our homeward step was just as light
As the dancing feet of Astaire
And like an echo far away
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley square
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley square
That night in Berkeley square.
"A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square" is a romantic song by Rosemary Clooney that describes a lovely romantic evening spent in the historic London district of Berkley Square. The singer describes how the world seemed to be upside down, and the streets of town were paved with stars. The moon, setting the scene for the lovers, was puzzled at their affection, and their lovemaking was accompanied by the sweet song of a nightingale. They danced cheek to cheek, and the night was hazy and crazy. The lyrics depict the tender feelings of love and romance, which the sweet song of the nightingale exemplifies.
Line by Line Meaning
But I'm perfectly willing to swear
I have complete confidence in my statement
That when you turned and smiled at me
I believe that when you smiled at me
A nightingale sang in Berkeley square
I heard a beautiful bird sing when we were in Berkeley square
The moon that lingered over London town
The moon was hovering over the city of London
Poor puzzled moon he wore a frown
The moon looked confused and made a face
How could he know we two were so in love
It was impossible for the moon to know we were in love
The whole damned world seemed upside down
Everything felt so different and strange
The streets of town were paved with stars
The city streets were beautifully lit and magical
It was such a romantic affair
Our evening was incredibly romantic
And as we kissed and said goodnight
We ended our night with a kiss
A nightingale sang in Berkeley square
I heard that beautiful bird sing again
How strange it was
It was so odd
How sweet and strange
It was oddly sweet
There was never a dream to compare
There was nothing to compare to what we just experienced
To those hazy crazy nights we met
Those wild and ambiguous nights that we first met
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley square
That bird sang again
Ah this heart of mine
My heart
Loud and fast
Was beating quickly and loudly
Like a merry-go-round in a fair
It felt like I was on a merry-go-round at a fair
We would dance cheek to cheek
We would dance holding each other close
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley square
The bird was still singing
The dawn came stealing up
The morning slowly approached
All gold and blue
The sky was gold and blue
To interrupt our rendez-vous
Our meeting was interrupted by the sunrise
I still remember how you smiled and said
I clearly remember how you smiled and spoke
Was that a dream or was it true?
Did that really happen or was it a dream?
Our homeward step was just as light
We walked home with a light step
As the dancing feet of Astaire
Just like the dancing feet of the famous Fred Astaire
And like an echo far away
I heard the bird chirping faintly in the distance
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley square
That bird was still singing in the square
And a nightingale sang in Berkeley square
The songbird continued to sing the whole night through
That night in Berkeley square.
I'll never forget our night in Berkeley Square.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Eric Maschwitz, Manning Sherwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind