“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.
Of Thee I Sing
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From north to south, from east to west
You are the love, I love the best
You`re the dreamboat in the sweetest story ever told
A dream I sought, both night and day
For years through all, the U.S.A.
The star I hitched my wagon to
Of thee I sing, baby
Summer, autumn, winter, spring, baby.
You`re my silver lining,
You`re my sky of blue
There`s a lovelight shining
Just because of you.
Of thee I sing, baby,
You have got that certain thing, baby
Shining star and inspiration
Worthy of a mighty nation,
Of thee I sing.
Of thee I sing, baby,
You have got that certain thing, baby
Shining star and inspiration
Worthy of a mighty nation,
Of thee I sing.
The Andrews Sisters’ “Of Thee I Sing” is a patriotic ode to the United States of America and its people. The lyrics describe the vastness of the country, from the island of Manhattan to the coast of gold and from north to south, east to west. The singer expresses their love for the country and its people, particularly one person who is the “dreamboat in the sweetest story ever told.” The singer has been searching for this person, the star that they have “hitched their wagon to,” for years throughout the U.S.A. The chorus repeats the phrase “Of thee I sing” and emphasizes the singer’s adoration for this person, who they describe as their “silver lining,” “sky of blue,” and “lovelight shining.”
The song is a celebration of America, a romanticized version of the country that portrays it as a shining star, an inspiration, and worthy of a mighty nation. It is a love song not only to a person but also to the American identity and all that it represents. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, evoking a sense of admiration and devotion to the country and its people.
Line by Line Meaning
From the island of Manhattan to the coast of gold
From the bustling city streets of New York to the sunlit beaches of California.
From north to south, from east to west
From every corner of this great land, wherever I may roam.
You are the love, I love the best
Out of all the things and people I've seen and met, you are the one I hold most dear.
You're the dreamboat in the sweetest story ever told
You are the embodiment of my wildest dreams and the lead character in the greatest love story I could imagine.
A dream I sought, both night and day
With steadfast determination, I searched for this dream day and night.
For years through all, the U.S.A.
I searched every city, every state, of this great nation.
The star I hitched my wagon to
You are the guiding light that has led me through life's ups and downs.
Is very obviously you
It's clear to all that you are the one who lights up my life and makes it all worth it.
Of thee I sing, baby
My love and admiration for you will always be on my lips, my dearest one.
Summer, autumn, winter, spring, baby.
My love for you is as constant and unwavering as the passing of the seasons.
You're my silver lining,
Whenever life brings me clouds of sadness or despair, you are the bright light that shows me the way forward.
You're my sky of blue
Just like the endless expanse of blue skies overhead, you are always there to bring me a sense of hope and optimism.
There's a lovelight shining
The warmth and light of your love never ceases to glow in my heart, no matter how dark the night may seem.
Just because of you.
All of the beauty and light in my world is thanks to the love and inspiration you bring to my life.
You have got that certain thing, baby
There's something about you that is so special and unique, it sets you apart from everyone else I've ever known.
Shining star and inspiration
Like a bright and guiding star in the sky, you inspire me to be my very best self and reach for the stars.
Worthy of a mighty nation,
If ever there was someone who deserved to be celebrated and honored by this great country, it is you.
Of thee I sing.
My love and homage to you will always echo and resound throughout the world, forevermore.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
J Parker
on Crazy Arms
And I'll move the mountains
If he wants them out of the way
Crazy, he calls me
Sure I'm crazy
Crazy in love, I'd say
I say I'll go through fire
And I'll go through fire
As he wants it, so it will be
Crazy, he calls me
Sure I'm crazy
Crazy in love, you see
Like the wind that shakes the bough
He moves me with a smile
The difficult I'll do right now
The impossible will take a little while
I say I'll care forever
And I mean forever
If I have to hold up the sky
Crazy, he calls me
Sure I'm crazy
Crazy in love am I
Like the wind that shakes the bough
He moves me with a smile
The difficult I'll do right now
The impossible will take a little while
I say I'll care forever
And I mean forever
If I have to hold up the sky
Crazy, he calls me
Sure I'm crazy
Crazy in love am I
sonichits has completely wrong lyrics for this song. Correct ones are - Now blue ain't the word for the way that I feel
And the storm's brewing in this heart of mine
This is no crazy dream I know that it's real
You're someone else's love now you're not mine
Crazy arms that reach to hold somebody new
But my yearning heart keeps saying you're not mine
My troubled mind knows soon to another you'll be wed
And that's why I'm lonely all the time
Please take the treasured dreams I have for you and me
And take all the love I thought was mine
Someday my crazy arms will hold somebody new
But now I'm so lonely all the time
interlude
Crazy arms that reach to hold someone new
But my yearning heart keeps saying you're not mine
My troubled mind knows soon that you soon will be wed
And that's why I'm lonely all the time
Crazy arms and lonely all the time
Harold Chernofsky
on Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
i love them