“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 Three Caballeros
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Three gay caballeros
They say we are birds of a feather
We're happy amigos
No matter where he goes
The one, two, and three goes
We're always together
With snappy serapes
You'll find us beneath our sombreros
We're brave and we'll stay so
We're bright as a peso
Who says so? We say so!
The three caballeros
Ahhhh!
We have the stars to guide us
Guitars here beside us
To play as we go
We sing and we samba
We shout 'aye caramba!
What means aya caramba?
Oh yes, I don't know
Through fair and stormy weather
We stand close together
Like books on a shelf
As pals though we may be
When some latin baby
Says yes, no, or maybe
Each man is for himself!
Ahhhh!
We have the stars to guide us
Guitars here beside us
To play as we go
We sing and we samba
We shout 'aye caramba!
What means aya caramba?
Oh yes it means, I don't know
The Andrews Sisters's song The Three Caballeros is a peppy and cheerful tune that celebrates the joys of friendship and unity. The song is sung from the perspective of three friends or "caballeros" who are always together no matter what. They are carefree, happy-go-lucky guys who love to sing, dance, and have a good time. The caballeros are proud of their Mexican heritage, as evidenced by their sombreros and serapes, and they sing about the joys of the Latino culture.
The first verse establishes the caballeros as a close-knit group of friends who are always together. They refer to themselves as "birds of a feather" which emphasizes their unity and shared identity. The second verse highlights their bravery and confidence, as they assert that they are "bright as a peso" and "brave and we'll stay so".
The chorus is a catchy and upbeat celebration of their camaraderie. They have the stars to guide them, and guitars to play as they go. They shout "aye caramba!" which is a Mexican expression of excitement, and they admit that they don't know what the phrase actually means. The final verse introduces the idea that even though the caballeros are great friends, they can still compete when it comes to romance. When a "latin baby" comes along, each man is for himself.
Line by Line Meaning
We're three caballeros
We are three gentlemen
Three gay caballeros
Three happy gentlemen
They say we are birds of a feather
People say that we are very similar
We're happy amigos
We are joyful friends
No matter where he goes
Regardless of where anyone travels
The one, two, and three goes
We all go together
We're always together
We are always united
We're three happy chappies
We are three happy fellows
With snappy serapes
Wearing fashionable Mexican shawls
You'll find us beneath our sombreros
We wear traditional Mexican hats
We're brave and we'll stay so
We are courageous and will remain that way
We're bright as a peso
We are smart as Mexican currency
Who says so? We say so!
We declare this to be true about ourselves
The three caballeros
The three gentlemen
Ahhhh!
Expressing excitement
We have the stars to guide us
We use celestial navigation
Guitars here beside us
We have guitars to play
To play as we go
To play music while traveling
We sing and we samba
We sing and dance a Samba rhythm
We shout 'aye caramba!
We express our surprise or shock
What means aya caramba?
We ask for the explanation of the expression
Oh yes, I don't know
We are uncertain
Through fair and stormy weather
In good and bad times
We stand close together
We remain united
Like books on a shelf
Like books lined up together
As pals though we may be
We may be friends
When some latin baby
When some Latin American girl
Says yes, no, or maybe
Agrees, disagrees or hesitates
Each man is for himself!
We compete for her attention
Contributed by Leah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@roberttorres1382
I heard this song played at The Planes of Fame Air Museum. They play 1940's songs, and while photographing one of their warbirds, I heard the familiar riff of Three Caballeros. It was nice treat.
@clarkz_creations
Just got the record with "Don't Fence Me In" on the other side for 50¢!
@laszlohorvath7618
Bing & Andrews Sisters dead but they song is still good.
@monkeybiscuits78
Man, everyone immediately tried to jump on bandwagons and get a piece of the popularity pie by covering anything good. This has to be the worst thing I've heard Bing Crosby sing. Lol! Thank you for posting!
@bruceglover7971
I think it was more of novelty song for Bingo, he didn't need the dinero . He and the Sisters did others , but not for the money IMO
@marcosmith2501
Gay caballeros?
@LuisRodriguez-ux7yx
Back then it meant happy