“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.
Dont Blame Me
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've hung around you just like a fool
Falling head and heels in love like a kid out of school.
My poor heart is in an awful state now
But it's too late now to call a halt
So if I become a nuisance it's all your fault!
Don't blame me for falling in love with you
I'm under your spell but how can I help it!
Don't' blame me!
Can't you see when you do the things you do!
If I can't conceal the thrill that I'm feeling,
Don't blame; me.
Ican't help it if that doggoned moon above
Makes me need someone like you to love!
Blame your kiss as sweet as a kiss can be
And blame all your charms that melt in my arms
But don't blame me.
I like every single thing about you
Without a doubt you are like a dream
In my mind I find a picture of us as a team
Ever since the hour of our meeting
I've been repeating a silly phrase
Hoping that you'll understand me one of these days.
Don't blame me for falling in love with you
I'm under your spell but how can I help it!
Don't' blame me!
Can't you see when you do the things you do!
If I can't conceal the thrill that I'm feeling,
Don't blame; me.
Ican't help it if that doggoned moon above
Makes me need someone like you to love!
Blame your kiss as sweet as a kiss can be
And blame all your charms that melt in my arms
But don't blame me.
The Andrews Sisters' Don't Blame Me is a buoyant tune about falling in love and accepting the consequences of that emotional state. The song's protagonist has fallen head over heels for someone and is aware of how foolish they may look, but they can't help it. The person they adore has placed a spell on them, and they are powerless to resist it.
At the start of the first verse, the singer notes that they became infatuated with this person on a "lucky night." They admit to being a bit of a fool, unable to resist the allure of love. However, their heart is now in a bad shape, and they are too far gone to turn back. "If I become a nuisance, it's all your fault," they say, perhaps indicating some frustration with the effects of love.
The chorus is the most memorable aspect of the song, with the singer pleading not to be blamed for their emotions. They paint an amusing picture of being helpless under the charms of their sweetheart, and it is difficult not to smile along with them. They acknowledge that they are in love and that everything this person does makes them feel thrilled.
The song is clever because it does not take itself too seriously, and its light-hearted tone elevates the sentiment. The Andrews Sisters' harmonies add to the appeal of the music, and the arrangement is compelling. The song leaves the listener feeling buoyant and perhaps in love themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Ever since the lucky night I found you
Since I met you that fateful night, my life has changed for the better.
I've hung around you just like a fool
I've been spending all my time with you, even though it might seem foolish to others.
Falling head and heels in love like a kid out of school.
I'm deeply in love with you and can't help acting like a young and inexperienced lover.
My poor heart is in an awful state now
My heart is in a lot of pain and turmoil right now.
But it's too late now to call a halt
But it's too late to stop this feeling of love I have for you.
So if I become a nuisance it's all your fault!
If my love for you becomes too overwhelming and causes trouble, it's because you're the one responsible for making me fall in love.
Don't blame me for falling in love with you
Please don't hold me accountable for falling in love with you.
I'm under your spell but how can I help it!
I'm enchanted by you, and I can't resist my feelings for you.
Can't you see when you do the things you do!
Can't you see that the way you act and behave is what's causing me to fall in love with you?
If I can't conceal the thrill that I'm feeling,
If I can't hide the excitement and joy I feel when I'm with you,
Don't blame; me.
Please don't blame me for my emotions and feelings that I can't control.
I can't help it if that doggoned moon above
I can't control the effect that the moon has on my emotions and feelings towards you.
Makes me need someone like you to love!
The moon heightens my emotions and desire for someone like you.
Blame your kiss as sweet as a kiss can be
Your sweet kisses are the ones to blame for my love for you.
And blame all your charms that melt in my arms
All your charming traits that make me melt in your arms are also to blame for my love for you.
But don't blame me.
But please don't blame me for falling in love with you, as it's something beyond my control.
I like every single thing about you
I admire and like everything about you.
Without a doubt you are like a dream
You are like a dream come true, and there's no doubt about it.
In my mind I find a picture of us as a team
In my imagination, I picture us together, working as a team.
Ever since the hour of our meeting
Since the moment we met,
I've been repeating a silly phrase
I've been saying something silly over and over.
Hoping that you'll understand me one of these days.
I'm hoping that you'll understand my feelings for you one day.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DOROTHY FIELDS, JIMMY MC HUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Angel Willis
This was my Mum and Dad's favourite tune when they were sweethearts xx