“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.
How Many Times?
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How many times have you said? "I′ll be true"
How many wonderful sweeties have you told that to?
How many times has a certain feeling?
Troubled you so, that you hit the ceiling?
How many hands have you held all alone?
How many lips have you pressed to your own?
But I'd feel worse if you hadn′t kissed any
Please tell me, how many times?
How many wonderful sweeties have you told that to?
How many times has a certain feeling?
Troubled you so, that you hit the ceiling?
I hate to think that you kissed too many
But I'd feel worse if you hadn't kissed any
Please tell me, how, how many times?
The lyrics to The Andrews Sisters' song "How Many Times?" express an inquiry about the sincerity of a person's romantic declarations. The singer questions how many times their partner has professed love and promised faithfulness. They wonder how many others have heard these sweet words and how often their partner has felt such strong emotions that it may have caused them distress. The lyrics further touch upon the physical aspect of relationships, asking how many hands and lips their partner has been intimate with.
These lyrics convey a mix of insecurity, curiosity, and a desire for reassurance. The singer wants to know if their partner's declarations of love are genuine and if their physical interactions have been meaningful. There is a hint of jealousy, as they admit to hating the thought of their partner kissing too many people, but also admitting that not having kissed anyone would be even worse. Ultimately, it is a plea for honesty and openness in the relationship.
Overall, "How Many Times?" captures the complex emotions and doubts that can arise in a romantic relationship, highlighting the need for communication and vulnerability.
Line by Line Meaning
How many times have you said? "I love you"
How frequently have you expressed your love to someone?
How many times have you said? "I'll be true"
How often have you promised to be faithful?
How many wonderful sweeties have you told that to?
To how many delightful partners have you proclaimed these words?
How many times has a certain feeling?
How frequently has a specific emotion affected you?
Troubled you so, that you hit the ceiling?
Disturbed you to the extent of losing your temper?
How many hands have you held all alone?
How many times have you held someone's hand in solitude?
How many lips have you pressed to your own?
How many times have you kissed someone?
I hate to think that you kissed too many
I would be displeased if you've kissed a large number of people
But I'd feel worse if you hadn't kissed any
However, I would be even more disappointed if you haven't kissed anyone at all
Please tell me, how many times?
Kindly inform me, what is the total count?
Writer(s): Irving Berlin
Contributed by Ian J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@steveweinstein3222
I'm proud of my mother, Florence Weinstein, WWII vet and big Andrews Sisters fan, still going strong at 99 1/2 in 2024 — 100 this year. Go, Mom!
@alfiesgirluk
Brilliant sir....respect 👍
@steveweinstein3222
@@alfiesgirluk Thanks. Mom is 97 in 2021, not 2011!
@JaimeGarcia-sg9xj
Sir, good for you. Go for what you know! You are one of the Greatest Generation. You rock!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
@steveweinstein3222
@@JaimeGarcia-sg9xj Not I, my mother, but I agree.
@beaserker
Thank you.
@avenger2807
My Great Aunt Bessie was one of the first women to enlist in the Women's Army Corp (WACs) in 1943. I wrote a thesis about her when I was in college in 1982. She died in 2010 at age 103. She was my hero!!!!!!
@teller121
as well she ought to be. Mine, too, and I never met her...sadly.
@gerrynightingale9045
Take a closer look...the uniforms Patty/Maxine/Lavern wore were 'military-style' but NOT actually military.None of them were ever actually 'enlisted-in-service' ...despite that, they were just as 'serving' as any other women during WW2 and personally recognized by FDR as 'vital to the morale of the armed-forces and civilians as well" and received commendations from the President himself! (the hours they put in performing on every 'Front' during the war was incredible...Maxine said in the '60's that "We didn't have a day-off for over two years...but we didn't mind so much when we saw what those boys went through and how happy they were to see a live-show from us and everyone else...I never heard of any performer ever complaining of 'working' then...we saw it as a privilege to help them forget the War for awhile". (not well-known was the fact that "Andrews Sisters" were enormously popular in Germany itself...even during the War! Their records were 'officially banned' of course...but they were highly prized, even being traded for 'black-market' items like real cigarettes and liquor)
@basia3173
Wow. God bless her