“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.
When a Prince of a Fella Meets a Cinderella
The Andrews Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a night as bright as this
Does he slip her a slipper, no sir,
Not if he can slip her a kiss
When the moonlight is yeller
Does the Cinderella
Tell the fella to be gone
Does she leave him at midnight, no sir,
Arm in arm, they dream while they're dancing
To the sound of a trumpet wail
Though it's not the place for romancing
It's a modern fairytale
When a prince of a fella meets a Cinderella
And he whispers "Wouldst thou woo, woo, woo"
Does she cuddle up closer, yes sir,
Baby hows about it with you.
Here's a modern fairytale
It never will fail, da-da-da-da,
When boy meets girl
And their hearts beat as one
When all's said and done
Well, can't you see
That love was meant to be
Follow the boy and the girl
When a prince of a fella meets a Cinderella
On a night as bright as this
That's if the moon is bright
And it will light the way to love
Oh, arm in arm they always dream
While dancing under the stars
They're romancing
Oh love is grand
While hand in hand
A modern fairytale
Love, love, and it is grand
The Andrews Sisters's song "When a Prince of a Fella Meets a Cinderella" is a modern-day fairy tale that tells the story of how love can be found in unexpected places. The song speaks of a romantic encounter between a prince-like man and a girl named Cinderella. They meet on a bright night, and instead of giving her a slipper, he would rather give her a kiss. Even though Cinderella is supposed to leave at midnight, she chooses to stay until dawn. They dance arm in arm while dreaming of a love that is meant to be.
The song highlights the idea of love being found unexpectedly; it doesn't matter where you meet someone or who they are. The moon is often associated with love and romance, and the song uses the moon as a symbol of how love can light the way to unexpected encounters. The lyrics also mention the trumpet wail, which adds to the romantic aura of the song.
Overall, the song's theme is love and how it can be found in the most unexpected places. It portrays love as grand and beautiful, making it a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
When a prince of a fella meets a Cinderella
When a charming man meets a beautiful woman
On a night as bright as this
On a night lit by the moon
Does he slip her a slipper, no sir,
Does he give her a glass slipper? No, he does not
Not if he can slip her a kiss
Instead, he tries to kiss her
When the moonlight is yeller
When the moonlight has a yellowish tint
Does the Cinderella
Does the woman
Tell the fella to be gone
Tell the man to leave
Does she leave him at midnight, no sir,
Does she leave at midnight? No, she does not
Not if she can linger till dawn
She would rather stay until dawn
Arm in arm, they dream while they're dancing
Holding each other, they dream while dancing
To the sound of a trumpet wail
Listening to the melancholic sound of a trumpet
Though it's not the place for romancing
Even though it's not the ideal place for love
It's a modern fairytale
It's a contemporary love story
And he whispers "Wouldst thou woo, woo, woo"
And he whispers romantic words
Does she cuddle up closer, yes sir,
Does the woman get closer to him? Yes, she does
Baby hows about it with you.
How about we give it a chance?
Here's a modern fairytale
This is a story about modern love
It never will fail, da-da-da-da,
It will always succeed, da-da-da-da
When boy meets girl
When a man meets a woman
And their hearts beat as one
When they both feel an indescribable connection
When all's said and done
After everything is said and done
Well, can't you see
Don't you see?
That love was meant to be
That they were meant to be in love
Follow the boy and the girl
Follow their love story
That's if the moon is bright
Assuming the moon is shining bright
And it will light the way to love
The moon will guide them to love
Oh, arm in arm they always dream
They always dream while holding each other
While dancing under the stars
While dancing beneath the stars
They're romancing
They're falling in love
Oh love is grand
Love is wonderful
While hand in hand
While holding hands
A modern fairytale
A love story for this era
Love, love, and it is grand
Love, oh love, it's wonderful
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES VAN HEUSEN, JIMMY VAN HEUSEN, MANNY KURTZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Adriana Arias
When a prince of a fella meets a Cinderella
On a night as bright as this
Does he slip her a slipper, no sir,
Not if he can slip her a kiss
When the moonlight is yeller
Does the Cinderella
Tell the fella to be gone
Does she leave him at midnight, no sir,
Not if she can linger till dawn
Arm in arm, they dream while they're dancing
To the sound of a trumpet wail
Though it's not the place for romancing
It's a modern fairytale
When a prince of a fella meets a Cinderella
And he whispers "Wouldst thou woo, woo, woo"
Does she cuddle up closer, yes sir,
Baby hows about it with you.
Here's a modern fairytale
It never will fail, da-da-da-da,
When boy meets girl
And their hearts beat as one
When all's said and done
Well, can't you see
That love was meant to be
Follow the boy and the girl
When a prince of a fella meets a Cinderella
On a night as bright as this
That's if the moon is bright
And it will light the way to love
Oh, arm in arm they always dream
While dancing under the stars
They're romancing
Oh love is grand
While hand in hand
A modern fairytale
Love, love, and it is grand
Jazz Ramblings
Takes me back. Thanks for posting.
Isacc Garcia
Nice song