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".
Route 66
Rosemary Clooney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Travel my way, take the highway that's the best
Get your kicks on Route 66.
Well it winds from Chicago to LA,
More than two thousand miles all the way,
Get your kicks on Route 66.
Oklahoma City looks so, so pretty
You'll see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico)
Flagstaff, Arizona, don't forget Wynonna
Klingman, Barstow, San Bernardino
If you get hip to this kind of trip,
When you make that California trip,
Get your kicks on Route 66.
(If you ever plan to motor West,
Go west, it's best, travel my way,
Take the highway that's the best,
Get your kicks on Route 66.
Big 6, 6
It winds from Chicago to L.A. Califor- n-i-a
Almost two thousand miles all the way,
Get your kicks on Route 66.)
Now you go thru St. Luie, Joplin, Missouri,
And Okalahoma, City is mighty pretty,
You'll see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico
(Flagstaff, Arizona), don't forget Wynonna
Klingman, Barstow, San Bernardino
Won't you get hip to this timely tip,
Take a trip, take a tip,
When you make that California trip,
Get your kicks on Route 66.
Make your way on (66)
Get tray gay on (66)
Get your kicks on Route 66.
Route 66, as its name suggests, is a song about Route 66 which was a highway running across America, from Chicago all the way down to California. The lyrics are encouraging people to take a trip down this historic highway and experience all the things along the way. The song tries to entice people into taking the route by showing all the beautiful places that they can go, such as Amarillo, New Mexico, Flagstaff, and San Bernardino. The scenic journey has a length of over two thousand miles, and this song is considered an anthem that eulogizes the highway.
The song also mentions various cities, for instance, Amarillo and Oklahoma City, to name a few, all fitting into the narrative of taking the road trip. Thus, the song's purpose is to make people excited about taking Route 66, with the lyrics picking out various highlights of the route, be it the cities or just the scenery, attempting to persuade listeners to set out on an adventure.
Line by Line Meaning
Well if you ever plan to motor west
In case you ever decide to travel towards the western parts of America
Travel my way, take the highway that's the best
Come along with me and take the most suitable highway
Get your kicks on Route 66.
Enjoy yourself on Route 66
Well it winds from Chicago to LA,
It curves from Chicago all the way to Los Angeles
More than two thousand miles all the way,
It goes for more than two thousand miles all through
Get your kicks on Route 66.
Have a great time on Route 66
(Well it goes to St. Louis, down to Missouri
The highway goes through St. Louis and southwards to Missouri
Oklahoma City looks so, so pretty
Oklahoma City looks very beautiful
You'll see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico)
You will encounter Amarillo, Gallup, and New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona, don't forget Wynonna
Don't miss Flagstaff, Arizona, and take a look at Wynonna
Klingman, Barstow, San Bernardino
Additionally, pass through Klingman, Barstow, and San Bernardino
If you get hip to this kind of trip,
If you understand and appreciate this kind of journey
When you make that California trip,
If you are embarking on a trip to California
Get your kicks on Route 66.
Make sure to have fun on Route 66
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bobby W Troup
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind