“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.
Life Is So Peculiar
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(you get so wet in the rain),
You know it too? (mm-hm).
You get so warm in the sunshine, (Get my sun tan)
(It doesn't pay to complain)
I never compain.
When I get up each morning, there's nothing to breathe but air, (Yeah)
And when I sit down to breakfast, there's nothing to eat but food,
{Life is so peculiar but you can't stay home and brood}.
Oh, life(Tell 'em about it pops) is so peculiar,
the desert has only got sand, (And that's grand).
The oceans only got water,
(And you can't drink it all up)
you never know where you stand.
(When I get out to dinner, there's nothing to wear but clothes),
(Whenever I get sleepy, there's nothing to do but doze), Yeah
(Whenever I get thirsty, there's nothing to do but drink),
{Life is no peculiar that it makes you stop and think},
Yes, life (boop-a-doo-wa-boo-waa), is so peculiar, (It sure is).
A fork belongs with the knife (It sure does)
(Corn beef is lost without cabbage)
I love cabbage, a husband should have a wife,
(Yes), {life is so peculiar, but as everybody says}.
{That's life}.
(Life), Yes life (it's so peculiar)
a-hugh
(a bird can usually sing).
A bird, I do too.
(A pearl is made by an oyster)
New Orleans? (Rampart Street)
(You can't be sure of a thing)
When I get tired of restin' there's nothing to do but walk
(walk it off pop).
And when I don't care to listen there's nothing to do but talk
(keep you big mouth shut).
When I'm up in the airplane there's nothing to do but fly (mm-hm)
{Life is so peculiar but I often wonder why}
Oh, life, {boop-a-doo-wa-boo-waa}, is so peculiar, (sure is),
A fork belongs with a knife you know, (mm-mm)
(Corn beef is lost without cabbage), leftover cabbage? (Yeah).
A husband should have a wife.
(Yeah), {life is so peculiar,
but what everybody says that's life}.
One more for me Jim {that's life}.
Let me hear it one time â?¦ {that's life}.
All together {That's life}, yeah.
The Andrews Sisters' "Life is So Peculiar" is a humorous yet profound song that reflects on the nature of life. The song begins by pointing out how contradictory life can be in its extremes; it can make you wet and cold in the rain but warm and happy in the sunshine. The singer then goes on to list other absurdities of life, such as the fact that the desert only has sand, the ocean only has water, and when one gets up to dinner, there is nothing to wear but clothes. However, despite all these contradictions and absurdities, life continues to move on, and one cannot help but wonder why.
The song takes an optimistic view of life, accepting its peculiarity as something to be enjoyed and celebrated rather than feared or resisted. The lyrics also suggest that despite the challenges and difficulties that life presents, one can still find joy and fulfillment in the simplest of things, such as a fork belonging with a knife or corn beef being lost without cabbage.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh life (is so peculiar)
Life is strange
(you get so wet in the rain)
Rain makes you wet
You know it too? (mm-hm).
The person addressed agrees
You get so warm in the sunshine, (Get my sun tan)
Sunshine makes you warm and helps get a tan
(It doesn't pay to complain)
Complaining doesn't solve problems
I never complain.
The singer doesn't complain
When I get up each morning, there's nothing to breathe but air, (Yeah)
Mornings are nothing special, just like the air we breathe
(And when I look in the mirror, there's nothing to comb but hair)
The mirror only shows hair to comb
And when I sit down to breakfast, there's nothing to eat but food,
Breakfast is just eating food
{Life is so peculiar but you can't stay home and brood}.
Life is strange but you can't be idle
Oh, life(Tell 'em about it pops) is so peculiar,
Reiteration that life is strange
the desert has only got sand, (And that's grand).
Deserts are made of sand and that is nice
The oceans only got water, (And you can't drink it all up)
Oceans have water but you can't drink it all
you never know where you stand.
Life is unpredictable
(When I get out to dinner, there's nothing to wear but clothes),
To go out to dinner, all you need is to wear clothes
(Whenever I get sleepy, there's nothing to do but doze), Yeah
When tired, only thing left to do is to sleep
(Whenever I get thirsty, there's nothing to do but drink),
When thirsty, only thing left to do is to drink
{Life is so peculiar that it makes you stop and think},
Life is so strange that it makes you ponder
Yes, life (boop-a-doo-wa-boo-waa), is so peculiar, (It sure is).
Again, life is weird indeed
A fork belongs with the knife (It sure does)
Fork is useless without knife
(Corn beef is lost without cabbage)
Corned beef needs cabbage as a side dish
I love cabbage, a husband should have a wife,
The artist likes cabbage and suggests that having a spouse is important too
(Yes), {life is so peculiar, but as everybody says}.
Life is bizarre but a common sentiment
{That's life}.
Resignation to challenges of life
(Life), Yes life (it's so peculiar)
Reaffirmation that life is strange
a-hugh
Vocalization
(a bird can usually sing).
Birds usually chirp
A bird, I do too.
The artist also likes birds and singing
(A pearl is made by an oyster)
Oysters produce pearls
New Orleans? (Rampart Street)
Possibly a reference to a street in New Orleans
(You can't be sure of a thing)
Nothing is certain in life
When I get tired of restin' there's nothing to do but walk (walk it off pop).
When tired, sometimes walking is the best cure
And when I don't care to listen there's nothing to do but talk (keep you big mouth shut).
If you don't feel like listening, you either talk or stay quiet
When I'm up in the airplane there's nothing to do but fly (mm-hm)
When on an airplane, only thing to do is to fly
{Life is so peculiar but I often wonder why}
Life is strange and provokes thought
Oh, life, {boop-a-doo-wa-boo-waa}, is so peculiar, (sure is),
Life is peculiar indeed
A fork belongs with a knife you know, (mm-mm)
Fork needs to be used with knife
(Corn beef is lost without cabbage), leftover cabbage? (Yeah).
Corned beef without cabbage is not the same; there's probably leftover cabbage too
A husband should have a wife.
Marriage is important
(Yeah), {life is so peculiar,
but what everybody says that's life}.
Again, life is strange but that's just how it is
One more for me Jim {that's life}.
Request for one more song that resonates with life
Let me hear it one time â?¦ {that's life}.
Request to hear the refrain one more time
All together {That's life}, yeah.
Everyone joins in to sing that life is just how it goes
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES VAN HEUSEN, JOHNNY BURKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bugleboy 452
This song is one of my favourites by Bing & The Andrews Sisters, their voices really compliment each other. Its a fun light hearted novelty song with some really nice piano work.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
I have a nice version by Louis Armstrong too.
taddyd1
Bing always adds the perfect
touch to any song