“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.
Fugue For Tinhorns
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're off for a day at the races
And who knows, who wins, who shows, who plays
I know
You know?
I know
Well, go
Well, hand me the form, I'm a little bit
I got the horse right here
The name is Paul Revere
And here's the guy that says if the weather's clear
Can do, can do
And this guy says the horse can do
If he says the horse can do
Can do, can do
I'm picking Valentine
'Cause on the morning line
The guy has got him figured at five to nine
But look at Epitaph, he wins it by a half
According to this here in the Telegraph
Epitaph, Valentine and Revere
I got the horse right here, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute
For Paul Revere I'll bite
I hear his foot's alright
Of course it all depends
If it rained last night
I know it's Valentine
The morning words looks fine
Besides, the jockey's brother's a friend of mind
And just a minute, boys, I got the press-box noise
Because my great grandfather was Equipoise
Epitaph, Valentine, Paul Revere
I got the horse right here
Just a second, just a second, just a second
I tell you Paul Revere
Now, this is no bum steer
It's from a handycapper that's real sincere
I go from Valentine
'Cause on the morning line
The guy has got him figured at five-to-nine
So make it Epitaph
He wins it by a half
According to this here in my Telegraph
Epitaph, Valentine, Paul Revere
I got the horse right here
(And the winner, Twinkletoes)
Twinkletoes?
We had the horse right here
The Andrews Sisters' song "Fugue For Tinhorns" is about going to the races and picking out which horse to bet on. The singers discuss different horses and their odds of winning, highlighting the excitement and unpredictability of horse racing. They exchange ideas on which horse to choose and base their predictions on research and word of mouth. The song's chorus, "I got the horse right here," emphasizes their confidence in their chosen horse and their excitement at the prospect of winning. The song's lyrics are filled with clever wordplay and puns, adding to the playful and lighthearted tone of the song.
Overall, "Fugue For Tinhorns" is an entertaining, comedic take on horse racing and betting. The Andrews Sisters' harmonies and lively delivery add to the energy of the song, making it a fun and catchy tune to listen to. The song captures the excitement and thrill of horse racing, while also poking fun at the unpredictable nature of gambling.
Line by Line Meaning
We're off
We're heading out
We're off for a day at the races
We are heading to the racetrack for the day
And who knows, who wins, who shows, who plays
We don't know who will win or compete
I know
I have an idea
You know?
Do you have any idea?
I know
Yes, I have an idea
Well, go
Ok, what is it?
Well, hand me the form, I'm a little bit
Give me the betting form, I need to study it
I got the horse right here
I have selected the horse to bet on
The name is Paul Revere
The horse's name is Paul Revere
And here's the guy that says if the weather's clear
This source tells us if the weather will be clear
Can do, can do
Yes, that’s a possibility
And this guy says the horse can do
Our source confirms that the horse can win
If he says the horse can do
If this source confirms the horse can win
Can do, can do
Yes, that’s a possibility
I'm picking Valentine
I am choosing to bet on Valentine
'Cause on the morning line
Because the horse's odds are favorable on the morning line
The guy has got him figured at five to nine
The source has predicted that Valentine has a 5-9 chance of winning
But look at Epitaph, he wins it by a half
However, Epitaph is predicted to win by half a length
According to this here in the Telegraph
According to this article in the Telegraph
Epitaph, Valentine and Revere
The horses with the best chance of winning are Epitaph, Valentine, and Revere
I got the horse right here, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute
I’ve already picked the winning horse, give me a sec
For Paul Revere I'll bite
I am willing to take a chance on Paul Revere
I hear his foot's alright
I'm confident in the horse because it's in good health
Of course it all depends
However, everything ultimately depends on variables like the weather
If it rained last night
If it rained last night, it could affect the results of the race
I know it's Valentine
I'm sure that Valentine is my best choice
The morning words looks fine
The horse has good odds in the morning
Besides, the jockey's brother's a friend of mind
I have a personal connection to the jockey's family
And just a minute, boys, I got the press-box noise
Hold on, let me check the latest news from the press box
Because my great grandfather was Equipoise
This horse has a special connection to my family
Epitaph, Valentine, Paul Revere
The top horses in the race are Epitaph, Valentine, and Paul Revere
I got the horse right here
I still think my original bet is the best choice
I tell you Paul Revere
I am certain that Paul Revere is the winning horse
Now, this is no bum steer
This is not a bad tip
It's from a handycapper that's real sincere
This tip comes from a genuine source
So make it Epitaph
I'm changing my bet to Epitaph
He wins it by a half
I believe Epitaph will win by half a length
According to this here in my Telegraph
This information comes from an article in the Telegraph
Epitaph, Valentine, Paul Revere
The top horses in the race are Epitaph, Valentine, and Paul Revere
I got the horse right here
I'm still confident in my choice of Epitaph
(And the winner, Twinkletoes)
(And Twinkletoes wins)
Twinkletoes?
I can't believe Twinkletoes won
We had the horse right here
We almost had the winning horse
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Loesser
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@redlinemando
Thank you Caitlyn Meadors for listing each vocal part. Their voices sound so much alike that it's uncanny!!!! You really have to close your eyes & listen closely to identify each girl by their subtle tonal differences. There are still a couple sections that are difficult for me to isolate each voice to it's owner. For me, there's something about Maxene's pronunciation that stands out in my ears, but I love each voice equally. The magic they had together as a trio will never be matched in our current state of auto tuned voices, lude wardrobes & genre confused notations!!!!!!! What year was this recorded?
@caitlynmeadors4170
Paul Revere (Patty)
Valentine (Maxene)
Epitaph (LaVerne)
Patty is a dead giveaway
For Maxene it's easy to tell if you've seen the TV show pilot
So LaVerne is given away by elimination