After singing in church choirs, Shirley recorded her first demo with a group of friends in 1950. Some months later, her solo voice caught the attention of Aladdin Records owner Eddie Messner, who tracked her down and paired her as a duo with a school friend, Leonard Lee.
As "Shirley & Lee," they recorded their debut single "I’m Gone," produced by Cosimo Matassa, which reached #2 on the Billboard R&B charts in 1952. The record contrasted Goodman’s soprano with Leonard's baritone, in a way in which subsequent songwriters have suggested was influential on the development of ska and reggae.
In their early songs, they pretended as if they were sweethearts and were dubbed "the Sweethearts of the Blues." However, they changed style in 1956 and recorded "Let the Good Times Roll," which became their biggest hit reaching #1 on the R&B chart and #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Although the follow-up, "Feel So Good" also made the charts, the duo’s later releases were less successful, and Goodman and Leonard split up in 1962. Leonard made some subsequent solo records with little success.
In the mid 1960s, Shirley Goodman moved to California, where she worked as a session singer on records by Sonny and Cher, Dr. John and others, and also formed a duo for a time with Jessie Hill. She sang backing vocals on The Rolling Stones’ Exile On Main Street album, but then briefly retired from the music industry.
Later in 1974, as Shirley Goodman Pixley, she was contacted by her friend Sylvia Robinson, previously of the duo Mickey and Sylvia and now co-owner of the All Platinum record label, and was persuaded to record the lead vocal on a dance track, "Shame, Shame, Shame." Credited to Shirley & Company, the record became an international pop hit, reaching #12 on the Billboard chart and presaging the disco boom. After a few further recordings and tours, Goodman finally retired from the music industry after returning to New Orleans in the late 1970s.
Two Happy People
Shirley & Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Holding hands and yawning; look how late it gets,
Two sleepy people, by dawn's early light,
Too much in love to say good-night.
Say, here we are, in this cozy chair,
Picking on a wishbone from the Frigidaire,
Two sleepy people, with nothing to say,
Do you the remember the nights we used to linger in the hall?
Papa didn't like you at all,
But I was crazy 'bout you, baby!
Do you remember the reason why we married in the Fall?
To rent this little nest, and get a bit of rest!
Well, here we are, just about the same,
Gawky little fellow, dizzy little dame,
Two sleepy people, by dawn's early light,
Much to much in love to say good-night.
Good-night!
The opening lines of "Two Sleepy People" paint a picture of a couple who are out of cigarettes, holding hands, and yawning due to their lateness. They are too much in love to say goodnight, and as the dawn approaches, they find themselves nestled in a cozy chair, picking on a wishbone from the fridge. They do not have much to say to each other, but they are much too much in love to break away from each other.
The song then takes a nostalgic turn when the couple reminisces about the nights they used to linger in the hall. The singer mentions that her father didn't like her partner, but she was crazy about him. They married in the fall to rent a little nest and get some rest. The song then brings the listeners back to the present, where the same couple is still together. They describe themselves as a "gawky little fellow" and "dizzy little dame," and they are still too much in love to say goodnight.
Overall, "Two Sleepy People" is a sweet and charming love song about a couple who are so in love that they can't bear to be apart from each other. It portrays the kind of love that is comfortable and familiar yet still passionate and heartwarming.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we are, out of cigarettes,
We're sitting here without any cigarettes.
Holding hands and yawning; look how late it gets,
We're holding hands and tired, noticing how late it's gotten.
Two sleepy people, by dawn's early light,
We're both sleepy, and the sun is beginning to rise.
Too much in love to say good-night.
We're so in love that we don't want to say goodbye for the night.
Say, here we are, in this cozy chair,
Hey, we're sitting together in this comfortable chair.
Picking on a wishbone from the Frigidaire,
We're absentmindedly playing with a wishbone from the fridge.
Two sleepy people, with nothing to say,
We're both tired and don't have much to talk about.
Much to much in love to break away.
But we're so in love that we don't want to separate.
Do you remember the nights we used to linger in the hall?
Do you remember how we used to spend time in the hallway?
Papa didn't like you at all,
My father didn't approve of you.
But I was crazy 'bout you, baby!
But I was head-over-heels for you, darling!
Do you remember the reason why we married in the Fall?
Do you remember why we decided to get married in the autumn?
To rent this little nest, and get a bit of rest!
So we could find a cozy home and relax a bit!
Well, here we are, just about the same,
And now, here we are, pretty much the same.
Gawky little fellow, dizzy little dame,
You were a clumsy guy, and I was a bit scatterbrained.
Two sleepy people, by dawn's early light,
We're still tired, as the sun continues to rise.
Much to much in love to say good-night.
But we're so in love that we can't bring ourselves to say goodnight.
Good-night!
End of song.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network
Written by: Frank Loesser, Hoagy Carmichael
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paul Riofski
Love all your Gene and Eunice posts, Choock!
Paul Riofski
And of course all your Shirley and Lee posts, like this great one, Choock! My fingers got away with me and typed the above comment on the wrong post -- oops! Both true, though!
Choock5219
Their 4th Aladdin release
Choock5219
@srercrcr "Dream" On!
Steve
Wishful Sunday....three wishes and a genie. My wish has something to do with Jeanie!
TONE B HURT
hey hey hey Now!