Rosemary Clooney (born 23 May 1928 in Maysville, Kentucky, USA – 29 June 20… Read Full Bio ↴Rosemary Clooney (born 23 May 1928 in Maysville, Kentucky, USA – 29 June 2002) was an American singer and actress.

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".

Strike Up the Band
Rosemary Clooney Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Let the drums roll out
Let the trumpet call
While the people shout "Strike up the band"

Hear the cymbals ring
Callin' one and all
To the martial swing, strike up the band

There is work to be done, to be done
Let's have fun, fun, fun
You son of a gun of a gun, take your stand

Form a line, oh, oh
Come on, let's go
Hey, leader, strike up the band!

There is work to be done, to be done
Let's have fun, fun, fun
Come on, son of a gun of a gun, take your stand

Form a line, oh, oh
Come on, let's go
Hey, Mr. Leader,

Hey, Mr. Leader,
Please strike up the band

Overall Meaning

Rosemary Clooney's "Strike Up the Band" is a classic swing tune, showcasing the joy and energy of a marching band in full swing. The song begins with a call to action, inviting the drums and trumpet to start playing, while the crowd cheers on. Clooney invites the audience to listen to the sound of the cymbals ringing and to join in on the fun.

The lyrics present a clear invitation to join the marching band in a martial swing, encouraging everyone to take their stand and come together to form a line. The song's lyrics also suggest that while having fun is important, there is still work to be done. Clooney urges the audience to take their stand and to be a "son of a gun of a gun" in order to get the job done.

Overall, the song's upbeat tempo and energetic lyrics convey a sense of excitement and energy for life. It is a call to action, an invitation to join the fun, and a reminder that there is work to be done but that doesn't mean we can't have a good time doing it.

Line by Line Meaning

Let the drums roll out
Begin the music with the sound of the drums.

Let the trumpet call
Add the trumpets to create a call to action.

While the people shout "Strike up the band"
Assemble the band to play music and excite the people.

Hear the cymbals ring
Listen to the sound of the cymbals.

Callin' one and all
Inviting everyone to come and listen.

To the martial swing, strike up the band
Play a marching song to pump up the energy and create a movement.

There is work to be done, to be done
Tasks need to be completed and addressed.

Let's have fun, fun, fun
Don't forget to have a good time while completing the task.

You son of a gun of a gun, take your stand
Addressing someone to take charge and take action.

Form a line, oh, oh
Get organized and line up in preparation for action.

Come on, let's go
Time to start and take action.