“Patty Andrews, the lead singer of the Andrews sisters group was born in Mound, Minnesota on February 16, 1918 in a house that occupied the property where The Gillespie Center stands today.
During the 1920’s Laverne, Maxene and Patty Andrews spent their summers in Mound, living with their parents in a house across the street from the grocery store that was owned by Pete and Ed Sollie, bachelor uncles of the three girls. (Today, Green T Accounting occupies the Sollie grocery store building and The Gillespie Center is on the land where the Andrews Sisters’ house once stood.)” - From a commentary by Tom Rockvam that appeared in The Laker Newspaper during 2005.
They started their career as imitators of an earlier successful singing group, the Boswell Sisters. After singing with various dance bands and touring on Vaudeville, they first came to national attention with their recordings and radio broadcasts in 1937. Their music entertained Allied troops worldwide during World War II, sold war bonds, appeared in several films (including a few Abbott and Costello features), and performed for soldiers serving overseas. Their first film with Abbott and Costello, the pre-war comedy Buck Privates, introduced their best-known recording, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" which would win Best Song at the Academy Awards.
They also recorded many songs with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and other popular artists of the era. Their popularity was such that after the war they discovered that some of their records had actually been smuggled into Germany after the labels had been changed to read "Hitler's Marching Songs."
After a brief hiatus after the war, the sisters regrouped, performing in clubs throughout the United States and Europe. They broke up in 1953, with Patty's choice to go solo. Their last appearance together was in 1962 on The Dean Martin Show. Laverne, who had cancer, retired soon after; she died five years later, in 1967 at the age of 55.
After a long silence, the two surviving sisters had something of a comeback when Bette Midler recorded a cover of their song "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." Maxene and Patty appeared both together and separately throughout the 1970s, with Maxene releasing a solo album in 1986. Their most notable comeback; however, was in the Sherman Brothers' nostalgic World War II musical: "Over Here!" which premiered on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre in 1974. The musical featured the two then living sisters (Maxene and Patty) and was written with them in mind for the leads. It launched the careers of many, now notable theater and film icons (John Travolta, Marilu Henner, Ann Reinking, et al). Ironically it was the last major hurrah of the sisters and was cut short due to a frivolous lawsuit initiated by Patty's husband to the show's producers.
Throughout their long career, the sisters had sold over 60 million records. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
The last of the three sisters Patty Andrews died of natural causes at her home in Northridge, California on January 30, 2013, just 17 days before her 95th birthday. The sisters were interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California, close to their parents.
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E-lim-i-nate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mr. In-between
You got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
And have faith, or pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene
To illustrate his last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do, just when everything looked so dark?
Man, they said we better ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive
E-lim-i-nate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mr. In-between
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between
Do you hear me?
Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear
About the eliminatin' of the negative
And the accent on the positive
And gather 'round me children if you're willin'
And sit tight while I start reviewin'
The attitude of doin' right
You've gotta ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive
E-lim-i-nate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mr. In-between
You got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Otherwise (otherwise), pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene
To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they say
Say when everything looked so dark?
Man, they said we better ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive
E-lim-i-nate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mr. In-between
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between
The Andrews Sisters's song "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" is relevant even in today's world, as its timeless message of focusing on the positive aspects of life rather than dwelling on the negative is still applicable. The lyrics advise individuals to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative while latching on to the affirmative and not messing with Mr. In-between. This message prompts us to be optimistic, hopeful, and proactive in challenging situations, rather than allowing fear, doubt, and anxiety to take over. The song also suggests that it is important to spread joy and minimize the gloom in our lives, as pandemonium can arise if we do not do so.
The lyrics go on to illustrate the point that negative circumstances can be turned around if one adopts a positive mindset. The examples of Jonah in the whale and Noah in the ark elucidate that even in the midst of seemingly insurmountable difficulties, they chose to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative and latch on to the affirmative. This attitude of doing right helped them to come out of the worst circumstances unscathed. The song urges listeners to follow in their footsteps and look for the silver lining in every cloud, focusing on positivity in order to overcome all obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
You got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive
You need to emphasize the good things in life
E-lim-i-nate the negative
Get rid of negative thoughts and actions
And latch on to the affirmative
Hold on to positive thoughts and actions
Don't mess with Mr. In-between
Don't be indecisive or uncertain
You got to spread joy up to the maximum
You should make every effort to spread happiness
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Reduce or eliminate negative feelings
And have faith, or pandemonium
Believe in yourself or chaos may ensue
Liable to walk upon the scene
It could appear unexpectedly
To illustrate his last remark
As an example of his point
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
Biblical figures who overcame adversity
What did they do, just when everything looked so dark?
What actions did they take in difficult times?
Man, they said we better ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive
They decided to focus on the good
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between
Don't be hesitant or unsure
Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear
Pay attention because I will explain
About the eliminatin' of the negative
The importance of removing negativity
And the accent on the positive
And emphasizing positivity
And gather 'round me children if you're willin'
Come closer and listen if you want to
And sit tight while I start reviewin'
Be patient as I explain further
The attitude of doin' right
The mindset of doing what is correct
Otherwise (otherwise), pandemonium
Otherwise, chaos may ensue
To illustrate my last remark
As a further example
What did they say
What were their words?
Say when everything looked so dark?
During a difficult situation
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between
Don't hesitate or be indecisive
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LandryRobbins
You've got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
Have faith or pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene
To illustrate his last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they do
Just when everything looked so dark
Man, they said we better, accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No, do not mess with Mister In-Between
Do you hear me?
Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear
About the elininatin' of the negative
And the accent on the positive
And gather 'round me children if you're willin'
And sit tight while I start reviewin'
The attitude of doin' right
You've gotta accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
You've got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom, down to the minimum
Otherwise pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene
To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark
What did they say
Say when everything looked so dark
Man, they said we better accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister In-Between
No, don't mess with Mister In-Between
@sauquoit13456
On February 23rd, 1945. exactly seventy five years ago today, Bing Crosby and The Andrew Sisters' "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive" peaked at #2 {for 1 week} on Billboard's 'Best-Selling Retail Records' chart, for the week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "Rum and Coca-Cola" by The Andrew Sisters...
According to Billboard, "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive" was tied at #2 with "Don't Fence Me In" by Bing Crosby and The Andrew Sisters...
The remainder of the Best-Selling Records' Top 10 on February 23rd, 1945:
At#3. "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive" by Johnny Mercer and The Pied Pipers
#4. "Rum and Coca-Cola" by Abe Lyman and His Orchestra
#5. "Cocktails For Two" by Spike Jones and His City Slickers
#6. "Candy" by Johnny Mercer with Jo Stafford and The Pied Pipers
#7. "I'm Beginning To See The Light" by Harry James with vocals by Kitty Kallen
#8. "A Little On The Lonely Side" by Frankic Carle with vocals by Paul Allen
#9. "Don't Fence Me In" by Sammy Kaye with vocals by Billy Williams
#10. "I Wanna Get Married" by Gertrude Niesen
@theplaiddad1594
The world could use more music like this today.
@ErioT
That's right, especially after a post-nuclear environment
@TheHarrisontemple
@@ErioT your comment is ageing quite well lmao
@javierrosado611
Definitely
@Dr.KarlowTheOctoling
@@ErioT Specifically in the North East United States.
@khalilolemdjedli
There is no music can fix the mess that we living in
@wadebarnett2542
In these troubled times, we need to hold onto a song like this.
@iEnderJaysonTDA
That's what the Crosby brothers intended.
@Imani_AM
This is my favorite song!
@mikebrown4297
Why not put it on your Facebook ?