They left for San Francisco in 1959, where they met Mort Lewis, Dave Brubeck's manager. Lewis became their manager and later that year secured them a contract with Columbia Records. Their second single, "Greenfields," released in January 1960, hit #2 on the pop charts, and their first album, Brothers Four, released toward the end of the year, made the top 20. Other highlights of their early career included singing their fourth single, "The Green Leaves of Summer," from the John Wayne movie The Alamo, at the 1961 Academy Awards, and having their second album, BMOC/Best Music On/Off Campus, go top 10. They also recorded the theme song for the ABC television series Hootenanny, "Hootenanny Saturday Night," in 1963.
The British Invasion and the ascendance of such folk musicians as Bob Dylan put an end to the Brothers Four's early period of success, but they kept performing and making records, doing particularly well in Japan and on the American hotel circuit.
The band attempted a comeback by recording a highly commercial version of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man." But the band was unable to release it because of licensing issues, and The Byrds eventually stole their thunder by releasing their heralded version.
Mike Kirkland left the group in 1969, and was replaced by Mark Pearson, another University of Washington alumnus. In 1971, Pearson left and was replaced by Bob Haworth, who stayed until 1989 and was replaced by a returning Pearson. Dick Foley left the group in 1990 and was replaced by Terry Lauber. Despite all the changes and having spent 47 years in the business, the group is still active today (2004).
Marianne
The Brothers Four Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We can have a bamboo hut and brandy in the tea
Leave your fat old mamma home, she never will say yes
If mama don't know now, she can guess
My, my, yes
All day, all night, Marianne
Down by the sea side siftin' sand
Down by the seaside siftin' sand
When she walks along the shore, people pause to greet
White birds fly around her; little fish come to her feet
In her heart is love but I'm the only mortal man
Who's allowed to kiss my Marianne
Don't rush me
All day, all night, Marianne
Down by the sea side siftin' sand
Even little children love Marianne
Down by the seaside siftin' sand
When we marry we will have a time you never saw
I will be so happy I will kiss my mother inlaw
Children by the dozen in and out the bamboo hut
One for every palm tree and coconut
Hurry up now
All day, all night, Marianne
Down by the sea side siftin' sand
Even little children love Marianne
Down by the seaside siftin' sand
The lyrics of The Brothers Four's song "Marianne" speaks of a man deeply in love with a woman named Marianne, and he wishes to marry her. He talks about building a bamboo hut and drinking brandy while enjoying life by the seaside. The man also has a playful attitude towards Marianne's mother, whom he believes will never approve of their marriage. He believes that even if she doesn't know yet, she will eventually figure it out. He then goes on to describe the beauty of Marianne, how she attracts people and nature towards her. The man seems to be confident that Marianne loves him and that he is the only one who can kiss her. He encourages her to take her time, but he is eager to marry her and start a family with her.
The song paints a picture of a man deeply in love who is not afraid to express his affection for Marianne. He is willing to build a beautiful life with her and face any obstacle as long as they are together. The song also highlights the beauty and allure of Marianne, who seems to have a magnetic effect on people and nature. The playful jab at Marianne's mother adds a humorous note to the song, but the man's love for Marianne shines through in every line.
Line by Line Meaning
Marianne, oh, Marianne, oh, won't you marry me?
I want to marry you, Marianne.
We can have a bamboo hut and brandy in the tea
We can have a simple life in a bamboo hut, and enjoy brandy in our tea.
Leave your fat old mamma home, she never will say yes
Your mother won't approve, so it's best that she stay home.
If mama don't know now, she can guess
Even if your mother doesn't know about this proposal, she can probably guess that we're in love.
My, my, yes
I am excited and hopeful about our future together.
All day, all night, Marianne
Marianne is on my mind all the time.
Down by the sea side siftin' sand
We spend a lot of time together on the beach, sifting sand.
Even little children love Marianne
Children are drawn to Marianne's warmth and kindness.
When she walks along the shore, people pause to greet
People admire Marianne and often stop to say hello when they see her walking on the beach.
White birds fly around her; little fish come to her feet
The natural world is drawn to Marianne's beauty and grace.
In her heart is love but I'm the only mortal man
Marianne has a lot of love in her heart, but she only wants to be with me.
Who's allowed to kiss my Marianne
I'm the only person who gets to kiss Marianne.
Don't rush me
I'm not in a hurry to get married, but I am excited about the idea.
When we marry we will have a time you never saw
We will have a wonderful time together once we get married.
I will be so happy I will kiss my mother inlaw
I will be overjoyed and express my happiness freely, even to my mother-in-law.
Children by the dozen in and out the bamboo hut
We will have a large family with many children living in our simple bamboo hut.
One for every palm tree and coconut
We will have so many children that we will need one for every palm tree and coconut in our vicinity.
Hurry up now
Let's not waste any time, and start planning our future together.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Spirit Music Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: WILLIAM H. EATON JR.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MaryAnn
I love this song ❤️
Vikki Smith
Back to memory lane with this Amazing song!
afro 1
Love this version !!! I'm sure The Roaring Lion would have loved it also 👏👏👏👏
Marianne Mclaughlin
This is cute - People sang this to me when I was a kid. Fun stuff*
Marianne Bruce
My boyfriend just played this song for me. Came out when I was two years old!
Phil Wyss
this is a song my parents in their younger days used to sing to each other, that was 60 years ago!
Jose Donoso
Me gusta esta versión. La canción original es citada en un libro de Echenique.
Dianna M
Fun version of a song I learned as a child.
Jean Ebeling
Wonderful old song.
Guy Sharwood
Loved the Brothers Four.