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".
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
Rosemary Clooney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That glorious song of old
From Angels playing near the earth
To touch their harps of gold
Peace on the earth could will two men
From Heaven's all-gracious King
The world in solemn stillness lay
And I hear them singing
Sing, I do hear them singing
The first Noel the Angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep
The song "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" is a Christmas classic that was first published in 1849. The lyrics describe the beauty of the nativity scene and the celestial beings hovering above the earth, playing their harps of gold. The song draws the listener's attention to the peace on earth that was proclaimed by the Heavenly King, as the world lay in solemn stillness to hear the angels sing. The song's message centers around the belief that there is hope for humanity, and unity can be found amongst all who believe.
The first verse describes the arrival of the angels, who play near the earth as a prelude to their song. The second verse speaks of their message of "peace on earth, goodwill to all men." During this moment, the world is in a state of silent, somber contemplation, and all are listening intently to the angel's hymn.
In the final verse, the singer expands the story to the shepherds, who heard the first announcement of Jesus' birth from the angels. They are out, tending their flocks on this frigid and dark winter's night, yet they hear the angels' message and find hope despite their current circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
It came upon the midnight clear
A description of the moment when a clear and bright light appeared in the middle of a night
That glorious song of old
A reference to a beautiful and well-known song that was heard before
From Angels playing near the earth
Angels were in close distance to the ground
To touch their harps of gold
Playing harps made of gold
Peace on the earth could will two men
Two men working together could make peace on earth a reality
From Heaven's all-gracious King
The one who gave the gift of grace from heaven
The world in solemn stillness lay
A calm and quiet world was observed
To hear the Angels sing
Angels were singing and people were listening
And I hear them singing
The singer confirms that she hears the angels singing
Sing, I do hear them singing
The singer is emphasizing and restating that she does in fact hear the angels singing
The first Noel the Angel did say
The first announcement of Jesus' birth was made by an angel and it was referred to as 'Noel'
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
The announcement was made to a group of shepherds who were lying down in a field
In fields where they lay, they keeping their sheep
The shepherds were in a field while they were tending to their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep
The announcement occurred during a cold and dark winter night
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: LEE EVANS, TRADITIONAL, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind