The Ames Brothers got their beginning in Malden, where all four were born. The act consisted of Joe (born 3 May 1921), Gene (born 13 February 1923), Vic (born 20 May 1925 - died 23 January 1978) and Ed (born 9 July 1927).
Born into a non-professional but musical family, the boys were brought up on classical and operatic music. Their parents, David and Sarah Urick, were Russian Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine who read Shakespeare and semi-classics to their nine children from the time they were old enough to listen.
The brothers formed a quartet with a cousin Lennie, and had been touring United States Army and Navy bases entertaining the troops and were offered a job at the Foxs and Hounds nightclub, one of the fanciest clubs in Boston. This one week engagement turned into several months when the word got around of their appearance. At the time, they were going by the name of the Amory Brothers, a name taken from Vic's middle name and they were becoming quite popular in the area. It was at this time that Joe decided to rejoin the group. He said they were just having too much fun together for him to miss out. Taking their act to New York they got a job with bandleader Art Mooney. One day while at Leeds Publishing Company in search of a song called "Should I" that their mother had asked them to sing, Milt Gabler of Decca Records heard them singing it and had them cut a few sides for Decca Records just before the ban which started in January, 1948.
A year later when the ban was lifted, the Ames Brothers were the first artists to record for Coral Records. The name Amory was shortened to Ames. They were swept into national top billing with their first hit record, "Rag Mop," in January, 1950. Doing radio shows for free at times just for the experience, they later became regulars on such shows as The Arthur Godfrey Hour. One of the first acts to appear on the original Ed Sullivan Show when it was known as Toast of the Town, they made their debut with him when the show was telecast live from Wanamaker's Department Store.
Soon, they were the top paid group in nightclubs and supperclubs everywhere and their popularity on television was nationwide. In 1956 they starred in their own show, The Ames Brothers Show, which was seen on Friday nights. It was the first syndicated television show to be shown in foreign countries.
Over their fifteen year career the prolific Brothers notched up 50 U.S. chart entries, 21 of them on the Coral label before signing with RCA Victor. The group disbanded in the 1960s but Ed Ames went on with a successful singing and acting career, including playing Daniel Boone's sidekick, Mingo, on the successful Daniel Boone television series (1964-1970).
They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
Summer Sweetheart
The Ames Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Say I'm not a summer sweetheart
Left to cry when summer
Laughter's gone
And tell me that you need me
Say I'm not a summer sweetheart
Left alone with winter coming on
And tell when the beach umbrellas
Are no longer on the sand
When leaves fall on the tennis court
We'll still be hand in hand
Oh, let me hear you say though
We began as summer sweethearts
We found love that never will be old
The summer love that never
Will grow cold
Oh, let me hear you say though
We began as summer sweethearts
We found love that never will be old
The summer love that never
Will grow cold
The lyrics to The Ames Brothers' song "Summer Sweetheart" describe the fear and vulnerability that can accompany a summer romance. The singer pleads with their lover to assure them that their love is real and not just a fleeting season of passion. They want to believe that their love will last beyond the summer and into the colder, lonelier months.
The first verse sets the stage for the singer's anxiety - they want to be told that they are not just a "summer sweetheart," someone to pass the time until the leaves turn and the days grow shorter. They crave reassurance that their feelings are reciprocal and long-lasting. The second verse mirrors this sentiment, with the singer asking to be assured that they won't be left alone when winter comes.
The third verse is where the song takes a turn towards the hopeful. The singer speaks of future moments when the couple will still be together, even when summer has faded away. They imagine holding hands on the beach in the fall, defying the changing seasons. Finally, in the last two lines of the song, the singer asks to be told that their love will never grow cold - a plea to be reassured that they will always be loved and valued, no matter the time of year.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of yearning and uncertainty, but ultimately ends on a note of hope and optimism for the couple's future together.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell me that you love me
Express your love to me
Say I'm not a summer sweetheart
Affirm that our love is not just a summer fling
Left to cry when summer laughter's gone
Don't abandon me once summer ends
And tell me that you need me
Let me know that you rely on me
Left alone with winter coming on
Don't leave me when times get tough
And tell when the beach umbrellas are no longer on the sand
Promise to stick together through the changing seasons
When leaves fall on the tennis court
Even when things get messy and unpredictable
We'll still be hand in hand
We'll stay together through it all
Oh, let me hear you say though we began as summer sweethearts
Despite our beginnings, confirm that our love is real and lasting
We found love that never will be old
Our love is timeless and will never fade
The summer love that never will grow cold
Our love will never lose its passion and heat
Writer(s): Paul Klein, Fred Ebb Copyright: Edward B Marks Music Company
Contributed by Samuel P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.