“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.
Joseph Joseph!
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Will never ask her, will she name the day
He calls on her each night, and when she dims the light
It's ten to one that you would hear her say
Oh Joseph, Joseph, won't you make your mind up
It's time I knew just how I stand with you
My heart's no clock that I can stop and wind up
So listen Joseph, Joseph time is fleeting
And here and there my hair is turning grey
My mother has a fear, wedding bells I'll never hear
Joseph, Joseph, won't you name the day
Oh Joseph, won't you name the day
Oh Joseph, won't you name the day
Oh Joseph, won't you name the day
Name the day, name the day
Oh Joseph, make your mind up
It's time I knew just how I stand with you
My heart's no clock that I can wind up
Oh Joseph, each time we make up after being through
Oh Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, time is fleeting
And here and there my hair is turning grey
My mama has a fear, wedding bells I'll never hear
Oh Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, won't you name the day
The Andrews Sisters' song Joseph! Joseph! is a playful and upbeat tune about a young woman's impatience with her suitor, Joseph. The lyrics express her frustration that Joseph has not yet proposed marriage, despite the fact that he visits her every night. The song follows the woman's line of reasoning as she pleads with Joseph to make up his mind and "name the day," so that they can get married and start their life together.
One key theme of the song is the idea that time is fleeting, and that the woman is growing older without any real commitment from Joseph. Her mother shares this concern, believing that she may never hear the "wedding bells" that she hopes for her daughter. This adds a sense of urgency to the woman's appeals to Joseph, as she fears that she may be running out of time to start a family.
Overall, Joseph! Joseph! is a lighthearted and enjoyable song that captures the excitement and anticipation of young love, while also hinting at the anxieties that can come with the passage of time and the need for commitment.
Line by Line Meaning
A certain maid I know, is so afraid her boy
There is a girl who is very afraid that her boyfriend will not propose to her.
Will never ask her, will she name the day
She is afraid that he will never ask her to marry him.
He calls on her each night, and when she dims the light
The boyfriend visits her every night and when they are alone, with the lights dimmed, she expresses her concerns.
It's ten to one that you would hear her say
It's very likely that you would hear her say the following:
Oh Joseph, Joseph, won't you make your mind up
Oh Joseph, please decide if you want to marry me or not.
It's time I knew just how I stand with you
I need to know where we stand in our relationship.
My heart's no clock that I can stop and wind up
My feelings are not something I can just switch on and off.
Each time we make up after being through
Every time we reconcile after a fight,
So listen Joseph, Joseph time is fleeting
Please listen to me, Joseph. Time is running out.
And here and there my hair is turning grey
I'm getting older and my hair is starting to turn grey.
My mother has a fear, wedding bells I'll never hear
My mother is worried that I will never get married.
Joseph, Joseph, won't you name the day
Please, Joseph, tell me when you're going to propose to me.
Oh Joseph, won't you name the day
Please, Joseph, just tell me when you're going to propose.
Oh Joseph, won't you name the day
Please, Joseph, just tell me when you're going to propose.
Name the day, name the day
Just tell me the day you're going to propose.
Oh Joseph, make your mind up
Please, Joseph, make a decision about our future.
My heart's no clock that I can wind up
My emotions are not something I can control like a clock.
Oh Joseph, each time we make up after being through
Every time we reconcile after a fight, Joseph,
Oh Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, time is fleeting
Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, time is running out.
And here and there my hair is turning grey
I'm getting older and my hair is starting to turn grey.
My mama has a fear, wedding bells I'll never hear
My mother is worried that I will never get married.
Oh Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, won't you name the day
Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, please tell me when you're going to propose.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: NELLIE CASMAN, SAMMY CAHN, SAUL CHAPLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@paiaam
A certain maid I know, is so afraid her boy
Will never ask her, will she name the day
He calls on her each night, and when she dims the light
It's ten to one that you would hear her say
Oh Joseph, Joseph, won't you make your mind up
It's time I knew just how I stand with you
My heart's no clock that I can stop and wind up
Each time we make up after being through
So listen Joseph, Joseph time is fleeting
And here and there my hair is turning grey
My mother has a fear, wedding bells I'll never hear
Joseph, Joseph, won't you name the day
Oh Joseph, won't you name the day
Oh Joseph, won't you name the day
Oh Joseph, won't you name the day
Name the day, name the day
Oh Joseph, make your mind up
It's time I knew just how I stand with you
My heart's no clock that I can wind up
Oh Joseph, each time we make up after being through
Oh Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, time is fleeting
And here and there my hair is turning grey
My mama has a fear, wedding bells I'll never hear
Oh Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, won't you name the day
@usefamin
This is one of my favourite records since I was a child. Thank you <3
@himila
I love this song! One of my favorite!
@paiaam
A certain maid I know, is so afraid her boy
Will never ask her, will she name the day
He calls on her each night, and when she dims the light
It's ten to one that you would hear her say
Oh Joseph, Joseph, won't you make your mind up
It's time I knew just how I stand with you
My heart's no clock that I can stop and wind up
Each time we make up after being through
So listen Joseph, Joseph time is fleeting
And here and there my hair is turning grey
My mother has a fear, wedding bells I'll never hear
Joseph, Joseph, won't you name the day
Oh Joseph, won't you name the day
Oh Joseph, won't you name the day
Oh Joseph, won't you name the day
Name the day, name the day
Oh Joseph, make your mind up
It's time I knew just how I stand with you
My heart's no clock that I can wind up
Oh Joseph, each time we make up after being through
Oh Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, time is fleeting
And here and there my hair is turning grey
My mama has a fear, wedding bells I'll never hear
Oh Joseph, Joseph, Joseph, won't you name the day
@weikko79
The first line probably ends with "her beau" rather than "her boy".
@emmicries6803
So I found this song while going through an old diary of a girl around 16 years old, from 1940. I found a scetch of a girl along with the lyrics, and now I’m here.
@CarlDuke
Great traditional Yiddish song called Yussel, Yussel. This is a slightly jazzed up version. The Sisters also had another hit with a Yiddish song called Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen, By Me You Are Beautiful.
@guytemam1151
A CLASSIC all over the world !!
TIMELESS !!
@scotnick59
One of their finest recordings!
@Muminblues
wauuuuuuuu, Joseph... un lujo ser cantados por el trio sisters... Gracias.
@SandViolet
I adore the Andrews Sisters and this is my favorite of their recordings.