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".
Get out of town
Rosemary Clooney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The curtains drawn,
And I at least pretended
That love was dead and gone.
But now, from nowhere,
You come to me as before
To take my heart,
Get out of town
Before it's too late, my love.
Get out of town,
Be good to mister please!
Why wish me harm?
Why not retire to a farm
And be contented to charm
The birds off the trees?
Just disappear,
I care for you much too much,
And when you are near,
Close to me dear,
We touch too much!
The thrill when we meet
Is so bitter-sweet
That, darling, it's getting me down;
So on your mark,
Get set,
Get out of town!
The lyrics to Rosemary Clooney's song "Get Out of Town" are a plea for a former lover to leave before rekindling their romance. The song's opening lines reveal that the singer had thought love was over between them, but the ex-lover's sudden return stirs up painful feelings. Despite caring for the ex-lover, she urges them to leave before it's too late, begging them to be good to Mister. She can't bear to be near them because their interaction brings back too many emotions, which she describes as bitter-sweet. She asks why they can't retire to a farm and be contented with the simple pleasures of life, indicating that their being together only serves to "charm the birds off the trees."
The song's overall message is bittersweet, as the singer tries to rationalize her decision to push the ex-lover away. It's at once a plea and a goodbye, acknowledging the power of their connection but accepting that it's time to let go. The lyrics and the tearjerker melody work together to create an emotional rollercoaster of a song that speaks to anyone who has ever struggled to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
The farce was ended,
The situation, which was a charade, is over now.
The curtains drawn,
The show is over, time to move on.
And I at least pretended
I was trying to deceive myself that love was gone.
That love was dead and gone.
Believing that love is over and nonexistent.
But now, from nowhere,
Suddenly, without warning, you reappear in my life.
You come to me as before
Revisiting our past, and our former love affair.
To take my heart,
You want to be the only one in my life, to possess my heart.
And break my heart once more.
Leaving me in pieces, heartbroken and shattered once again.
Get out of town
Leave before things get any worse.
Before it's too late, my love.
Leave now, while there is still a chance for you to change things for the better.
Be good to mister please!
Please be kind to your new lover and stop tormenting me.
Why wish me harm?
Why do things that hurt me?
Why not retire to a farm
Why not leave this place (my life) and live somewhere peacefully?
And be contented to charm
Be happy with doing peaceful things, like charming animals.
The birds off the trees?
Enjoy nature's beauty, charm the birds off the trees, and aimlessly wander around the countryside.
Just disappear,
Vanish, go away, and don't come back.
I care for you much too much,
I still have much love and affection for you.
And when you are near,
Whenever you're around me....
Close to me dear,
Being so close to me can be dangerous.
We touch too much!
Physical contact between us leads to emotional distress and affection.
The thrill when we meet
Our encounters may be thrilling, but they're also dangerous.
Is so bitter-sweet
Our relationship contradicts itself; on one hand, thrilling and exciting, yet also dangerous and painful.
That, darling, it's getting me down;
Our relationship is mentally exhausting and makes me depressed.
So on your mark,
Be ready, prepare yourself.
Get set,
Get ready to leave town.
Get out of town!
Leave now, before it's too late, for both of us.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind