“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.
Oh! Ma Ma
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, catcha dat man-a for me!
Oh Ma-Ma!
How happy I will be!
Oh Ma-Ma!
I'll cheery-beery be!
Oh, if I'm gonna marry,
It's-a da butcher boy for me!
Hey, Marie!
I gotta da lamb chop!
Hey, Marie!
I gotta da pork-a chop!
Hey, Marie!
Marie!
'Ya wanna marry me?
Oh Ma-Ma!
Oh, catch-a dat man-a for me!
Oh, Ma-Ma!
How happy I will be!
Oh, Ma-Ma!
I'll cheery-beery be!
Oh, if I'm gonna marry,
It's-a da baker boy for me!
Hey, Marie!
I gotta da fruitcake!
Hey, Marie!
I gotta da cheesecake!
Hey, Marie!
Marie!
'Ya wanna marry me?
Oh Ma-Ma!
Oh, catcha dat man-a for me!
Oh Ma-Ma!
How happy I will be!
Oh Ma-Ma!
I'll cheery-beery be!
Oh, if I'm gonna marry,
It's-a da butcher boy for me!
The Andrews Sisters's song "Oh! Ma-Ma" is an upbeat, playful tune about a woman expressing her desire to get married to a man who works either as a butcher boy or a baker boy. The woman in the song is eager to find a man for herself and is confident and determined to catch him. She repeatedly calls out to her mom to catch that man for her so that she can be happy and "cheery-beery." The woman has specific preferences for her future husband, and she sings about the butcher boy's lamb chops and pork chops and the baker boy's fruitcake and cheesecake.
However, the song also hints at the societal expectations of women in the 1940s, where marriage was seen as necessary for a woman's happiness and sense of fulfillment. The woman in the song is only valued in terms of her ability to marry and find a suitable husband, rather than for her own qualities and aspirations. Nevertheless, the song remains a lively, catchy tune with an amusing twist at the end where the woman admits that she prefers the butcher boy to the baker.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Ma-Ma!
Expressing excitement and anticipation.
Oh, catcha dat man-a for me!
Please help me catch that man so I can get his attention.
Oh Ma-Ma!
Reiterating the singer's excitement and anticipation.
How happy I will be!
Expressing joy and happiness at the prospect of catching the desired man.
Oh Ma-Ma!
Reiterating the artist's excitement once again.
I'll cheery-beery be!
Expressing a lighthearted and carefree attitude.
Oh, if I'm gonna marry,
Hypothetically considering marriage as a possibility.
It's-a da butcher boy for me!
Expressing a preference for a certain type of man, in this case a butcher boy.
Hey, Marie!
Calling out to a friend, possibly for support or advice.
I gotta da lamb chop!
Sharing information about a purchase or possession of a lamb chop.
Hey, Marie!
Reiterating the call to the friend.
I gotta da pork-a chop!
Sharing information about a purchase or possession of a pork chop.
Hey, Marie!
Reiterating the call to the friend once again.
Marie!
Directly addressing the friend once again.
'Ya wanna marry me?
Playfully asking the friend if they want to get married.
Oh Ma-Ma!
Reiterating the excitement and anticipation felt by the artist.
Oh, catch-a dat man-a for me!
Repeating the request for help catching the desired man.
Oh, Ma-Ma!
Reiterating the excitement felt by the singer once again.
How happy I will be!
Repeating the expression of joy and happiness at the prospect of catching the desired man.
Oh, Ma-Ma!
Reiterating the excitement and anticipation felt by the artist.
I'll cheery-beery be!
Repeating the expression of a lighthearted and carefree attitude.
Oh, if I'm gonna marry,
Continuing the hypothetical consideration of marriage as a possibility.
It's-a da baker boy for me!
Expressing a preference for a different type of man, in this case a baker boy.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: PAOLO CITORELLO, RUDY VALLEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@19gregske55
Just listen to the diction of The Andrews Sisters. Every word is distinct, is spite of the fast-paced tempo. The harmony of siblings is also a wonderful thing.
@initiativeplaytherapy88
My wife and I heard this for the first time today. When it got to the last verse, we were in stitches. 😂
@AAA-sy3jw
Excellent!.
👏👏👏
The Andrews Sisters
👑👑👑
@esmeraldai.7641
I love them. Thx!
@ChthonianRealm
in a later version they use the phrase "Butcher Boy".
@gavindajyajya
Git up Ron Wilkinson!! I hope you still have plenty of pictures of nurses! Hope you're well Sir.
@waltershumer4211
Che la Luna!
@Wolfhoundersful
Oh Ma-Ma!
Oh, catcha dat man-a for me!
Oh Ma-Ma!
How happy I will be!
Oh Ma-Ma!
I'll cheery-beery be!
Oh, if I'm gonna marry
It's-a da butcher boy for me!
Hey, Marie!
I gotta da lamb chop!
Hey, Marie!
I gotta da pork-a chop!
Hey, Marie!
Marie!
'Ya wanna marry me?
Oh Ma-Ma!
Oh, catch-a dat man-a for me!
Oh, Ma-Ma!
How happy I will be!
Oh, Ma-Ma!
I'll cheery-beery be!
Oh, if I'm gonna marry
It's-a da baker boy for me!
Hey, Marie!
I gotta da fruitcake!
Hey, Marie!
I gotta da cheesecake!
Hey, Marie!
Marie!
'Ya wanna marry me?
Oh Ma-Ma!
Oh, catcha dat man-a for me!
Oh Ma-Ma!
How happy I will be!
Oh Ma-Ma!
I'll cheery-beery be!
Oh, if I'm gonna marry
It's-a da butcher boy for me!