“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.
Shoo Shoo Baby
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And now he's wearin' the navy blue
She had a tear in the corner of her eye
As he said his last goodbye
Shoo, shoo, shoo baby
Shoo, shoo, shoo baby
Bye, bye, bye baby
Your papa's off to the seven seas
Don't cry baby
Don't sigh baby
Bye, bye, bye baby
Do dah do day
When I come back we'll live a life of ease
Seems kinda tough now
To say goodbye this way
But papa's gotta be rough now
So that he can be sweet to you another day
Bye, bye, bye baby
Don't cry baby
Shoo, shoo, shoo baby
Do dah do day
Your papa's off to the seven seas
(Shhh shoo baby) do dah do day
(Shhh shoo baby) do dah do day
(Shhh shoo baby, shoo, shoo)
Quiet
I want a little bit o' quiet in the house, please
(She wants a little bit of quiet in the house)
So your papa's on his way to cross the seven seas
So don't you cry, oh, don't you sigh goodbye now
Shoo, shoo baby shooo
Shoo, shoo my baby shooo
Goodbye baby, don't you cry no more
Your big tall papa's off to the seven seas
Seems kinda tough now
To say goodbye this way
But papa's gotta be rough now
So that he can be sweet to you another day
Shhhh baby, shhh baby
Shoo, shoo, shoo baby
Goodbye, goodbye
Your papa's off to the seven seas, the seven seas
Your big tall papa's off to the seven seas
The Andrews Sisters' song "Shoo Shoo Baby" is a classic wartime song of farewell to a loved one who is going off to fight in the navy during World War II. The song speaks to the emotions of the women left behind by their men who are off to serve the country. The lyrics describe the sadness of the moment as he says goodbye to his loved one who has a tear in the corner of her eye. The repetition of "shoo shoo baby" is a soothing and comforting phrase meant to reassure the woman that everything will be okay even though her man is leaving. The singer is telling the woman not to cry or sigh because there is hope for their future when he returns from war.
The song ends with a request for quiet in the house, symbolizing the somber and reflective mood that has come over the woman as she thinks about the imminent departure of her loved one. The line "your big tall papa's off to the seven seas" has become legendary and endearing in pop culture, representing a time of strength, courage, and loyalty to country and loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
You've seen him up and down the avenue
You've seen him walking around the city streets
And now he's wearin' the navy blue
And now he's a sailor in the Navy
She had a tear in the corner of her eye
She was crying a little bit
As he said his last goodbye
As he said goodbye for the last time before leaving
Shoo, shoo, shoo baby
Don't cry, my little baby
Bye, bye, bye baby
Goodbye, my little baby
Do dah do day
N/A
Your papa's off to the seven seas
Your father is leaving and going to the Navy
Don't cry baby
Don't be sad, my little baby
Don't sigh baby
Don't sigh, my little baby
When I come back we'll live a life of ease
When I come back, everything will be better
Seems kinda tough now
It seems hard now
To say goodbye this way
To say goodbye like this
But papa's gotta be rough now
But I have to be tough now
So that he can be sweet to you another day
So that I can be kind to you another day
Quiet
Be quiet
I want a little bit o' quiet in the house, please
I need a little bit of peace and quiet at home, please
So your papa's on his way to cross the seven seas
So your father is on his way to sail across the ocean
Shoo, shoo baby shooo
Don't cry, my little baby
Goodbye baby, don't you cry no more
Goodbye, my little baby, don't cry anymore
Seems kinda tough now
It seems hard now
But papa's gotta be rough now
But I have to be tough now
Shhhh baby, shhh baby
Shhhh, my little baby, be quiet
Your big tall papa's off to the seven seas
Your big, tall father is leaving and going to the Navy
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PHIL MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eyes_of_Blue_91
That ending was very sweet! Props to the Andrews Sisters! ❤😊
ew1usnr
The Andrews Sisters sound sooooooooooo good.
Zarastro
Their emulation of a trumpet harmony and trumpet ornamentation is what set them apart from other singing groups of the time, even to this day. This song is a prime example of that.
MrMATRIX-OO7
I love the spirit they had back then !
Jamie Freed
Yeah, like "Bye bye bye baby, your papa's off to the seven seas, don't cry, baby!" even when a lot of the men who said that never came back- and knew they were probably not going to
dan farris
Jamie Anybody I count myself very fortunate as my father ( who got in at 16!!! ) and all of his brothers all came back and then went on to Korea to serve again. Definitely the greatest generation ever. Somehow I can’t see us coming together as a nation like that ever again 😢
Lana Borza
Who on earth put this fabulous fascinating adorable video together? Love it. Great work. Where did this footage come from. Very very impressive.
Luisa Lopes
Adoro ❤
Withcrono
finalmente achei outro brasileiro
Amy Fisher
Patty Andrews’ singing on this is some of the best singing I’ve ever heard in my life.