“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.
Don't Bring Lulu
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's a darn nice girl,
But don't bring Lulu.
You can bring Rose
With her turned up nose,
But don't bring Lulu.
What the boys don't want to do,
When she struts her stuff around,
London bridge is falling down,
You can bring cake
Or Porterhouse steak,
But don't bring Lulu.
Lulu gets blue
And she goes cuckoo
Like a clock up on the shelf,
She's the kind of smartie
Who breaks up every party,
Hullabalooloo, don't bring Lulu,
She'll come by herself.
The Andrews Sisters's song Don't Bring Lulu is a fun and upbeat tune that has a clear message - don't invite Lulu to the party. The song details the behavior of Lulu, who always wants to do what the boys don't want to do. When Lulu is around, London bridge is falling down, which is a metaphor for chaos and destruction.
The song suggests that Lulu is a restless and unpredictable person who disrupts parties and gatherings. When Lulu comes to a party, she goes cuckoo like a clock up on the shelf, which implies that she becomes unhinged or erratic. The singer warns the audience to not bring Lulu because she is the kind of smartie who breaks up every party. The phrase "Hullabalooloo" is a nonsensical word that emphasizes the chaos and noise that Lulu brings wherever she goes.
The lyrics of Don't Bring Lulu are a lighthearted commentary on the challenges of hosting a party or social gathering where guests may not always behave in a predictable or desirable way. The song is a fun reminder that sometimes it's better to avoid inviting certain people to events to ensure that everything goes smoothly.
Line by Line Meaning
You can bring Pearl,
You may invite Pearl, a girl believed to be pleasant, but
She's a darn nice girl,
She’s well-mannered and pleasing in character, but
But don't bring Lulu.
It is advisable to avoid inviting Lulu.
You can bring Rose
You may also invite Rose, who
With her turned-up nose,
Has a rather oddly-shaped nose. Nonetheless,
But don't bring Lulu.
It is best not to invite Lulu or things could go awry.
Lulu always wants to do,
Lulu has the tendency to desire what might not be of the boys' interest,
What the boys don't want to do,
Lulu would try to pursue acts and nuisances the boys won't usually approve of. When Lulu flaunts herself,
When she struts her stuff around,
Her actions might result in widespread chaos and disarray, and
London Bridge is falling down,
Her mischievous personality and wild behavior could lead to the collapse of everything in her surroundings.
You can bring cake
You may also take delight in bringing cake, or even
Or Porterhouse steak,
A particular beef cut suggested to be quite savory. However, still
But don't bring Lulu.
The safest option would be to avoid extending an invitation to Lulu.
Lulu gets blue
Lulu experiences moments of sadness, and this could drive her insane, such that
And she goes cuckoo
She would become irrational and act impulsively, akin to that of how a disturbed clock sounds like when ticking.
Like a clock up on the shelf,
A comparison to the sound that a clock typically makes, suggesting that it is better to leave Lulu alone and not to provoke her further
She's the kind of smartie
Lulu is the type of person who can perceive and comprehend things easily or often gives the impression of being intelligent, yet
Who breaks up every party,
She often ends up causing chaos and discord in any gathering she attends. So much so that some might even call it a Hullabalooloo,
Hullabalooloo, don't bring Lulu,
A commotion, uproar, or disturbance that is frequently caused when Lulu is present demands a warning to anyone planning an event. That warning is that Lulu should not be invited.
She'll come by herself.
The risk is that Lulu might decide to attend the event on her own, whether or not she has been invited. It's best to be safe and not take any chances
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BILLY ROSE, LEW BROWN, RAY HENDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shotsbylulu
my name is Lulu and my pop would always sing it to me, and he passed just over a year ago, this makes me so emotional
@kateslate8149
The best part about the internet is that you can just look up a song like this and hear it on demand. I remember My late step mother singing this song in the kitchen when I was little. I've never heard a recorded version of it until now.
@RudyJHaluza
Makes me happy and cry hearing this - mom used to sing it (and other oldies) when she was doing chores
@susiepam2716
We used to sing in the back of the car while my dad drove. We had a lot of words wrong.
@martyneilan8947
I used to hear Uncle Floyd play and sing this song on his show back in the 80s.
@elizabethgibson5116
My granddad used to sing this to my granny especially the part about Pearl, as that was my grannies name ❤
@buttercup7900
Looked this up after watching AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington dance to this on Strictly Come Dancing, fantastic. A TV dance competition in the UK.
@martonlittmann4649
Ah yess
@alicelebiez6814
Same !!!
@ania5038
They should have won!!!