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".
And the Angels Sing
Rosemary Clooney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"Glory to the new-born King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled."
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th' angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem."
"Glory to the new-born King!
Christ, by highest heaven adored:
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold him come,
Offspring of the favoured one.
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see;
Hail, th'incarnate Deity:
Pleased, as man, with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King!
Hail! the heaven-born
Prince of peace!
Hail! the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings
Mild he lays his glory by,
Born that man no more may die:
Born to raise the son of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King !"
The first stanza of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is about the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ by the herald angels. They proclaim "glory to the new-born king" and the arrival of peace on earth which brings forgiveness and reconciliation between God and sinners. The chorus urges all the nations to join the angels in announcing the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. The central message of this stanza is the announcement of the good news of Jesus' birth to the world.
The second stanza of the song deals specifically with the person of Jesus Christ. It highlights the fact that Christ is the Lord of heaven and earth, the one inscribed in the heavens as the highest, and the favored one. He is the embodiment of God, veiling himself in human flesh to live among mankind. The use of "Emmanuel" - a name that means "God is with us" - reinforces the idea of Christ's divine and human natures. The stanza proclaims "Glory to the new-born King!" where it emphasizes that Christ is fully divine and fully human and deserves all the glory accorded to him.
The third and final stanza of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" praises Christ as the "Heaven-born Prince of peace" and "Son of Righteousness" who comes with light and life. Christ's presence and resurrection bring healing and enable salvation; as such, he is the Savior who lays his glory down but raises humanity from the dead. The final chorus declares "Glory to the new-born King!" as a recognition of gaining new spiritual life through Christ, as he is the one who came to earth to give meaning, hope, and purpose to human lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Listen! the angels who bring important news about the birth of Jesus Christ sing,
"Glory to the new-born King!
"Praise the newly born King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
There will be peace and mild mercy on Earth.
God and sinners reconciled."
God has reconciled with sinners.
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
All people from all nations should rise with joy.
Join the triumph of the skies;
Join the triumph and glory of heaven.
With th' angelic host proclaim,
Proclaim it together with the angels.
"Christ is born in Bethlehem."
"Christ was born in Bethlehem."
Christ, by highest heaven adored:
Jesus Christ, who is adored by the highest heavens,
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Jesus Christ, the Lord of infinity,
Late in time behold him come,
He arrived late in time, as we can see.
Offspring of the favoured one.
Jesus Christ, who is born from the chosen one.
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see;
The Godhead is hidden in a human body.
Hail, th'incarnate Deity:
Hail the Deity who is now in human form:
Pleased, as man, with men to dwell,
He is pleased to live with men as one of them,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hail! the heaven-born
Hail Christ who was born in heaven,
Prince of peace!
He is the prince of peace.
Hail! the Son of Righteousness!
Hail the Son who is righteous!
Light and life to all he brings,
He brings light and life to all.
Risen with healing in his wings
He has risen with healing power in hand.
Mild he lays his glory by,
He humbly lays aside his heavenly glory,
Born that man no more may die:
He was born to save mankind from eternal death.
Born to raise the son of earth,
Born to resurrect the children of Adam.
Born to give them second birth.
Born to give them a second chance at life..
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Listen! the angels who bring important news about the birth of Jesus Christ sing,
"Glory to the new-born King!"
"Praise the newly born King!"
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Charles Wesley, Felix Mendelssohn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind