The Andrews Sisters were a group of singing sisters: LaVerne Andrews (contr… Read Full Bio ↴The Andrews Sisters were a group of singing sisters: LaVerne Andrews (contralto; July 6, 1911-May 8, 1967), Maxene Andrews (high harmony; January 3, 1916-October 21, 1995) and Patty Andrews (lead; February 16, 1918-January 30, 2013). All were born in Minnesota, United States to a Greek immigrant father and a Norwegian American mother.

“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.

Pennsylvania 6-5000
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We don't say "how are you"
And very seldom ask "what's new?"
Instead we start and end each call with
"Baby confidentially I love you"
Maybe it sounds a bit funny
When I'm away from my honey
Here's what I do with my money
Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand

Numbers I've got by the dozen
Everyone's uncle and cousin
But I can't live without buzzin'
Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand
I've got a sweety I know there
Someone who sets me aglow there
Gives me the sweetest "hello there"
Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand
We don't say "how are you"
And very seldom ask "what's new?"
Instead we start and end each call with
"Baby confidentially I love you"
Maybe it sounds a bit funny
When I'm away from my honey

Here's what I do with my money
Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand

Overall Meaning

The Andrews Sisters' song "Pennsylvania 6-5000" tells the story of a man who is in love with a woman who lives in Pennsylvania. He has numerous phone numbers of friends and family, but the one number he really needs is that of the woman he loves. He can't live without "buzzin'" her, meaning he can't live without hearing her voice. He knows her as "the sweety" and someone who makes him feel alive. He cherishes her sweet "hello there" and the loving messages they share over the phone. The lyrics describe how their conversations do not start with the usual pleasantries of "how are you" and "what's new?" Instead, they always begin and end with "Baby confidentially I love you." Being away from his honey can be challenging, but the singer finds solace in spending his money on making phone calls to Pennsylvania 6-5000.

This song reflects the importance of communication in maintaining long-distance relationships. It also captures the nostalgia and romantic notions surrounding the era when landline phones were the primary means of long-distance communication. It is interesting to note that the song's title, "Pennsylvania 6-5000," is the phone number for Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City, where the Andrews Sisters sang regularly. The song was actually written by Jerry Gray and Carl Sigman in 1940 as a tribute to the hotel's phone number.

Line by Line Meaning

Numbers I've got by the dozen
I have plenty of phone numbers

Everyone's uncle and cousin
I know a lot of people and have their numbers too

But I can't live without buzzin'
I need to make phone calls to feel alive

Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand
The phone number I always call is Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand

I've got a sweety I know there
There's someone special who I always call at that number

Someone who sets me aglow there
Talking to them makes me very happy and excited

Gives me the sweetest "hello there"
Their greeting to me is full of warmth and kindness

Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand
The phone number that connects me to my love interest is Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand

We don't say "how are you"
We skip formalities and get right to the point

And very seldom ask "what's new?"
We don't need small talk, our conversations are always meaningful

Instead we start and end each call with "Baby confidentially I love you"
We let each other know how much we care about each other every time we talk on the phone

Maybe it sounds a bit funny
Others might find our phone conversations strange or comical

When I'm away from my honey
When I'm not with my love interest

Here's what I do with my money
I spend my money on long distance phone calls to Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand

Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand
The phone number that brings me closer to my love interest is Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CARL SIGMAN, GLENN MILLER, JERRY GRAY, WILLIAM FINEGAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Steel Samba

4y↑6

Numbers I've got by the dozen
Everyone's uncle and cousin
But I can't live without buzzin'
Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand
I've got a sweety I know there
Someone who sets me aglow there
Gives me the sweetest "hello there"
Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand
We don't say "how are you"
And very seldom ask "what's new?"
Instead we start and end each call with
"Baby confidentially I love you"
Maybe it sounds a bit funny
When I'm away from my honey
Here's what I do with my money
Pennsylvania Six, Five Thousand

All comments from YouTube:

Steel Samba

4y↑6

Jennifer Rademaker

More meanings than a demonic manuscript. I miss music like this too. Wait, no I don't. I see at least a 20 piece orchestra and dance every Thursday until I have drank the chippewa river worth of water or they close.