“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.
The Shrine of St. Cecilia
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The town seems deserted, everyone′s so forlorn
A storm came from up above but somehow it missed
The shrine of saint cecilia
The bells in the chapel never ring anymore
The clock in the steeple can't tell time as before
But up on the hillside, stands a place heaven blest
Each day at eventide
When i seek haven from my daily care
You′ll find me by her side
It seems so peaceful there
I kneel in my solitude and silently pray
That heaven will protect you, dear, and there'll come a day
The storm will be over and that we'll meet again
At the shrine of saint cecilia
Each day at eventide
When i seek haven from my daily care
You′ll find me by her side
It seems so peaceful there
I kneel in my solitude and silently pray
That heaven will protect you, dear, and there′ll come a day
The storm will be over and that we'll meet again
At the shrine of saint cecilia
At the shrine of saint cecilia
The Andrews Sisters's song The Shrine of St. Cecilia tells the story of someone whose life has fallen apart, their home in shambles, and their town deserted. Despite the storm that ravaged through, the shrine of St. Cecilia was untouched. This shrine, located on the hillside, is described as a place of heaven's blessing. The bells in the chapel and the clock no longer function as they did before, but there is somehow still a sense of peace and calm at the shrine. The singer finds solace in St. Cecilia, and seeks refuge there every day. They pray for heaven's protection of their loved ones, and long for a day when they will meet again at this sacred place, after the storm has passed.
The song is a beautiful ode to the power of faith in times of difficulty. The singer's devotion and genuine belief in the shrine of St. Cecilia highlights the importance of having a spiritual outlet in times of trouble. The lyrics perfectly capture the feeling of seeking solace in a sacred place, and the sense of calm that is experienced when there.
Line by Line Meaning
Our home is a shambles, all i treasured has gone
Everything I loved and cherished has been lost, and my home is now in ruin and disarray.
The town seems deserted, everyone′s so forlorn
The town is empty and abandoned, and everyone is deeply sad and unhappy.
A storm came from up above but somehow it missed
Although a storm happened, it miraculously didn't touch the place of Saint Cecilia.
The shrine of saint cecilia
The special place devoted to Saint Cecilia, the patroness of musicians and church music.
The bells in the chapel never ring anymore
The chapel's bells don't sound anymore, and there's no rejoicing in that place.
The clock in the steeple can't tell time as before
The clock in the church's tower cannot measure time like it used to, and everything seems to be at a standstill.
But up on the hillside, stands a place heaven blest
On the hillside stands an extraordinary and heavenly place, blessed by the divine.
Each day at eventide
Every day when the sun sets in the sky.
When i seek haven from my daily care
When I look for an escape from the worries and stresses of my daily life.
You′ll find me by her side
I will be by Saint Cecilia's side, seeking comfort and solace.
It seems so peaceful there
The environment by the Saint Cecilia's shrine is indeed calm and serene.
I kneel in my solitude and silently pray
I go down on my knees and pray in silence, all by myself.
That heaven will protect you, dear, and there'll come a day
I hope that heaven will keep you safe and secure, and we'll see each other again soon.
The storm will be over and that we'll meet again
Once the storm passes, we will see each other again.
At the shrine of saint cecilia
At the beautiful and blessed location, consecrated to Saint Cecilia.
Writer(s): Caroll Loveday Jokern
Contributed by Logan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
gosoggy
This was the favourite song of RAF Bomber Command O for Oboe, always played on their return from WW2 missions. In grateful memory of Len, our wonderful Dad and all the crew:. Bless you all.
Joseph Fernandez
Man this is my favorite songs from the one and only Andrews Sisters.