“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.
Go West Young Man
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm sure that you agree with me that Greeley was no fool
What he is getting at is that Mr Greeley was no fool
Boy The wisdom of the man can be denied by none
For he's the one that said
Before you go to Buffalo to Baltimore or Borneo
To Eastern Pennsylvania or Japan
If you go to that land, sonny
You will have a lot of money
If you bring the money with you when you come
To the lone prairie, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
Yippi-yi-yi-yi!
Yippi-yi, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
Before you read a travel ad
And scamper off to Trinidad
Too often in New York and Yucatan
Go west! Young man
In the East they live on doughnuts
In the West the natives grow up
And I guarantee you go nuts if you come
To the lone prairie, yippi-yay, yippi-yay
Yippi-yay-yay-yay!
Yippi-yi, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
A cowboy's gal is a real true pal
She will stick to him right or wrong
Right or wrong
She don't say nothing
And she don't do nothing
And she don't know nothing
And she don't want nothing but a horse
And a cowboy, for she's just keeps rolling along
Go west! Young man
Go where the airport's tearing the chest, young man
You can ride a bucking bronco or a pony
You can cut a calf in half and make baloney
Go west! Young man
Go right up there and give 'em the very best you can
Don't go east, don't go south, don't go north, have a care
Don't go up, don't go down, don't go here, don't go there
If it's true what they say about Dixie
Go West! Young man
Go out and till the soil there
Dig for gold and you'll find oil there
Where the crow flies, where the snow flies, go, there's no "no"!
If you are fond of hunting there's no place that can compare
You may not bag a lion or a tiger or a bear
But if you want a jack-ass there are plenty of them there
Go West! Young Man
The judges there are very fair, they always are of course!
A cowboy and his Mrs went to court for a divorce
The cowboy got the children and the Mrs got the horse
All Go west! Young man
Yi-hi!
The Andrews Sisters's song Go West Young Man is an ode to the wisdom of Horace Greeley. The first few lines of the song extol the virtues of Greeley and his insightfulness, implying that listeners should heed his advice. The chorus repeatedly implores the young man to go west, where he will find wealth, adventure, and perhaps even love. The song emphasizes the stark differences between the East and the West, with the latter depicted as a land of rugged cowboy types and their trusty horses. The verses contain a mix of commentary on modern travel and relationships, with a few lighthearted jokes thrown in for good measure. The lyrics encourage young men to embrace their adventurous spirit and take a trip to the West, which is portrayed as a land of endless opportunity and excitement.
Line by Line Meaning
Mr Horace Greeley was no fool
It is widely accepted that Mr Greeley was a wise man
I'm sure that you agree with me that Greeley was no fool
I'm confident that you also recognize Greeley's intelligence
What he is getting at is that Mr Greeley was no fool
His point is that Greeley was indeed very wise
Boy The wisdom of the man can be denied by none
Nobody can deny that Greeley was a very wise man
For he's the one that said
In fact, he is the one who said:
Before you go to Buffalo to Baltimore or Borneo
Before you embark on any travels to Buffalo, Baltimore, or Borneo
To Eastern Pennsylvania or Japan
Or even Eastern Pennsylvania or Japan
Go west! Young man
You should go west, young man
If you go to that land, sonny
If you do venture to that area, my dear boy
You will have a lot of money
There is great potential for wealth there
If you bring the money with you when you come
As long as you bring money with you to invest
To the lone prairie, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
To that remote and sprawling grassland, yippi-yi, yippi-yi
Before you read a travel ad
Before you get swayed by a travel advertisement
And scamper off to Trinidad
And impulsively travel to Trinidad
Too often in New York and Yucatan
This is a common occurrence in both New York and Yucatan
Go west! Young man
You should still go west, young man
In the East they live on doughnuts
In the East, people subsist on doughnuts
In the West the natives grow up
Whereas in the West, people are raised learning useful skills
And I guarantee you go nuts if you come
I promise you will go insane if you move
To the lone prairie, yippi-yay, yippi-yay
To that vast, remote plain, yippi-yay, yippi-yay
A cowboy's gal is a real true pal
A cowboy's partner is a loyal friend
She will stick to him right or wrong
She will support him regardless of his actions
Right or wrong
Whether or not he is in the right
She don't say nothing
She doesn't verbally express her opinion
And she don't do nothing
She doesn't take any overt actions
And she don't know nothing
She feigns ignorance of many things
And she don't want nothing but a horse
All she desires is a horse
And a cowboy, for she's just keeps rolling along
And a cowboy, as she continues with her life
Go where the airport's tearing the chest, young man
Find an area with a thriving airport, young man
You can ride a bucking bronco or a pony
You can learn how to ride wild horses
You can cut a calf in half and make baloney
You can acquire butcher skills and make beef products
Go right up there and give 'em the very best you can
Move forward and do your absolute best
Don't go east, don't go south, don't go north, have a care
Don't venture in any other cardinal direction, be cautious
Don't go up, don't go down, don't go here, don't go there
Don't move vertically or meander aimlessly
If it's true what they say about Dixie
If the rumors are accurate regarding Dixie
Go West! Young man
Then you should definitely go west, young man
Go out and till the soil there
Farm the land in that area
Dig for gold and you'll find oil there
Search for gold and you may come across oil
Where the crow flies, where the snow flies, go, there's no "no"!
Travel to wherever your heart desires, don't say no!
If you are fond of hunting there's no place that can compare
If you enjoy hunting, there's no better place than the West
You may not bag a lion or a tiger or a bear
Whilst you may not hunt exotic animals like Lions, bears, or tigers
But if you want a jack-ass there are plenty of them there
You will certainly find plenty of jackasses to hunt
The judges there are very fair, they always are of course!
The judges in the West are always fair
A cowboy and his Mrs went to court for a divorce
In the event of a legal separation between a cowboy and his partner
The cowboy got the children and the Mrs got the horse
The cowboy was awarded custody of the children and the partner received the horse
All Go west! Young man
This further emphasizes the point that you should go west, young man
Yi-hi!
The upbeat song ends with a fun and celebratory Yi-hi!
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BERT KALMAR, HARRY RUBY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jennifer S. Green
The man I love should go West. Midwest.
David Chernofsky
happy new year great post