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".
Do You Miss New York?
Rosemary Clooney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From time to time I find myself engrossed
With other erstwhile denizens of the Apple
While we sit around and take L.A. to task
There's a question someone's bound to ask
And with this complex matter we must grapple
Does your laid back lifestyle
Lack a certain satisfaction?
Do you ever burn to pack up and return
To the thick of it, or are you really sick of it?
As you always say
Do you miss the pace? The rat race, a racket
If you had to face it now
Do you still think you could hack it?
When you're back in town for a quick look around
How is it? Does it seem like home
Or just another nice place to visit?
And were those halcyon days
Just a youthful phase you outgrew?
Tell me, do you miss New York?
Do you miss New York?
Do you miss the strain, the traffic, the tension?
Do you view your new terrain
With a touch of condescension on this quiet street?
Is it really as sweet as it seems out here?
Do you dream your dreams out here or is that passé?
Do you miss the scene? The frenzy, the faces
And did you trade the whole parade
For a pair of parking places?
If you had the choice would you still choose to do it all again?
Do you find yourself standing in line to see Annie Hall again?
And do you ever run into that someone who used to be you?
Tell me, do you miss New York? Me too
In "Do You Miss New York", Rosemary Clooney sings about the nostalgia and longing that people feel for their past lives in New York. The song is about the mixed emotions that people from New York City may have when they move to another place. The lyrics describe the conflicting feelings of love and hate towards the city's fast-paced lifestyle, traffic, and tension.
The song portrays the emotional turmoil of people who have left their frenzied New York lifestyles for something quieter and asks whether they miss their previous life. Clooney sings about the struggle to adapt to a new city and compares the bittersweet memories of New York's hectic days with the peacefulness of life on the West Coast. She recognizes the irresistible charm of the city- the "rat race, racket, and parade," but asks the important question "were those halcyon days just a youthful phase?"
The song's message is that people can miss where they came from, even as they enjoy their new life. Rosemary Clooney's "Do You Miss New York" is an introspective ballad that captures a sense of yearning for the Big Apple, but also a sense of detachment from the place that one used to call home.
Line by Line Meaning
Since I took a left and moved out to the coast
Ever since I left New York and moved to the west coast
From time to time I find myself engrossed
Sometimes, I get so absorbed with the life that I had in New York
With other erstwhile denizens of the Apple
With former inhabitants of New York
While we sit around and take L.A. to task
While we criticize and blame Los Angeles for things
There's a question someone's bound to ask
Someone is sure to ask this question
And with this complex matter we must grapple
We have to deal with this complicated issue
Do you miss New York? The anger, the action
Do you feel homesick for New York? The rushing, the excitement
Does your laid back lifestyle
Is your relaxed lifestyle
Lack a certain satisfaction?
Missing something satisfying?
Do you ever burn to pack up and return
Do you have a strong desire to pack up and come back
To the thick of it, or are you really sick of it?
To hustle and bustle of the city, or are you actually tired of it?
As you always say
Like you usually say
Do you miss the pace? The rat race, a racket
Do you miss the fast-paced lifestyle? The competitive environment
If you had to face it now
If you had to live in it now
Do you still think you could hack it?
Do you think you could still manage it?
When you're back in town for a quick look around
When you come back to the city for a brief visit
How is it? Does it seem like home
How does it feel? Does it seem familiar like home?
Or just another nice place to visit?
Or just another pleasant place to visit?
And were those halcyon days
And were those happy, carefree days
Just a youthful phase you outgrew?
Just a period of youth that you have already outgrown?
Tell me, do you miss New York?
Please tell me, do you miss New York?
Do you miss the strain, the traffic, the tension?
Are you feeling nostalgic for the stress, the traffic, the anxiety?
Do you view your new terrain
Do you see your current environment
With a touch of condescension on this quiet street?
With some arrogance on this peaceful street?
Is it really as sweet as it seems out here?
Is it actually as pleasant as it appears here?
Do you dream your dreams out here or is that passé?
Do you dream your aspirations here, or is that outdated?
Do you miss the scene? The frenzy, the faces
Are you missing the social circle? The chaos, the familiar people
And did you trade the whole parade
Did you exchange the entire production
For a pair of parking places?
For a couple of parking spots?
If you had the choice would you still choose to do it all again?
If you could decide again, would you still want to go through everything again?
Do you find yourself standing in line to see Annie Hall again?
Are you still queueing up to watch Annie Hall again?
And do you ever run into that someone who used to be you?
And do you happen to meet someone who used to be just like you?
Tell me, do you miss New York?
Tell me, do you feel nostalgic for New York?
Me too
I do too
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DAVE FRISHBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind