βPatty 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 1920βs 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 Sistersβ house once stood.)β - 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.
Jing A Ling Jing A Long
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The cutest Gal in town
You heartbreaker, boys follow you around You think that you are having your fling
Making hearts dance just like puppets on a string
You heartbreaker, youβ²ll be the lonely one when all your fun is through
So be careful what you do when you break a heart in two
For that heart may belong to you.
The Andrews Sisters' song "Jing a Ling Jing a Long" is a cautionary tale to the town's heartbreaker, warning her of the potential consequences of her actions. The lyrics suggest that the heartbreaker is enjoying her newfound power over men as they follow her around town, but ultimately warns her that her behavior may lead to her own loneliness once the fun is over. The warning is given in a playful, upbeat manner with a catchy refrain of "jing a ling jing a long" that adds to the song's charm.
The song uses a metaphor of the heart as a puppet on a string to convey the heartbreaker's manipulative behavior towards men. The lyrics suggest that the heartbreaker is not aware of the power she wields and the potentially damaging consequences of her actions. This serves as a warning to the audience to be mindful of their own behavior and the impact it may have on others.
Line by Line Meaning
Heartbreaker,
You have a charm that bewitches people and can break their hearts.
The cutest Gal in town
You are the prettiest girl in the area, and everyone admires your looks.
You heartbreaker, boys follow you around
Because of your charisma, boys can't stop following you around.
You think that you are having your fling
You believe that you can enjoy your time by flirting and enticing others.
Making hearts dance just like puppets on a string
You manipulate people's feelings like a puppeteer does with his puppets.
You heartbreaker, you'll be the lonely one when all your fun is through
When your time of charm is over, and people stop admiring you, you will end up being alone.
So be careful what you do when you break a heart in two
Breaking someone's heart is not something to be taken lightly, be cautious about your actions.
For that heart may belong to you.
The heart that you are breaking might belong to you someday, and it will not feel good.
Contributed by Asher W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@danstromness5165
I heard this song for the FIRST time last year. Instantly vaulted to my TOP-5 favorites.
@upthedownescalator630
Who cares if isn't synchronized right? I love the Buck Privates part when it's almost like they're dancing to it. Great video!
@jodyhakala247
I love this song. I heard this in my car yesterday in a blizzard and itβs my birthday so I have my higher positive energy and planets in Capricorn βοΈ it was helping my attitude of making the best of a what could been a scarier situation.
So thank you for this upbeat montage
@bobbysiemiaszko7970
I've been singing this at the home they put me in for 247 hours straight.
@kaylab1395
We're singing this in my chorus this year. :)
@adamshaw9974
The way it has Synchronized makes the boogie woogie bugle boy clip fit the tune perfectly! :D
Look at them dancing from 1:52 to just about when they start singing again, it fits the song perfectly :D
@tomaserincasablancalarocqu5086
I love it!
@starofdarkness893
I had to sing this for my winter concert just two nights ago
@ladylavender66
WOW.Β Would love to see that.Β I can imagine how much my high school niece would've loved to do this for one of her high school concerts, crazy fun with a group.
@Shabannie
I like the Andrews Sisters too. I had not heard this song in a long time. Your video is very cute, just great! --------Ellen