They were first organized in Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 1946. The original members of the group were Janet Ertel (1913-November 4, 1988), Carol Bushman (her sister-in-law), Dorothy Schwartz, and Jinny Osborn (or Lockard) (April 25, 1927-May 19, 2003). In 1952, Lynn Evans replaced Schwartz, and in 1953, Margie Needham replaced Osborn (who was having a baby), though Osborn later returned to the group. Nancy Overton also was a member of the group at a later time. Originally they sang folk music in the style of The Weavers, but eventually changed to a harmonizing style of the type known as barbershop harmony. Part of this change seems to be influenced by Osborn's father.
Jinny Osborn was born in Seattle, Washington. She was born Virginia Cole, the daughter of O. H. "King" Cole, who was president of the Barbershop Harmony Society (then known as SPEBSQSA), and Katherine Flack.
After performing locally in Sheboygan, they went on Arthur Godfrey's radio program, Talent Scouts in 1949.They went on to feature status on Godfrey's daily program, and then went on to make a number of recordings for Columbia Records.
In 1953, Godfrey's music director and orchestra leader, Archie Bleyer, founded Cadence Records. He signed a number of Godfrey regulars and former regulars, including the Chordettes, who had a number of hit records for Cadence.
Their biggest hit was Mr. Sandman in 1954. Archie Bleyer himself is on that record along with the group, Bleyer stripping the sound down the better not to clutter the girls' voices. They also hit the top twenty with 1958's "Lollipop," and also charted with a vocal version of the themes from television's Zorro (1959) and the film Never on Sunday (1961). Other hits for the girls included "Eddie My Love," "Born to Be With You," and "Lay Down Your Arms" in 1956 and "Just Between You and Me" in 1957.
Janet Ertel married Bleyer in 1954. Her daughter Jackie married another Cadence recording star, Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers. She died of cancer in 1988.
The Chordettes appeared on American Bandstand August 5, 1957, kicking off the first episode of the show over the ABC Television Network.
In 1961, Jinny Osborn left the group, and they were unable to find a replacement with whom they were happy, leading to a breakup.
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001.
Jinny Osborn (by that time Jinny Janis) died in 2003
They Say It's Wonderful
The Chordettes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's wonderful, so they say
And with the moon up above, it's wonderful
It's wonderful, so they tell me
I can't recall who said it
I know I've never read it
I only know they tell me that love is grand, and
Is wonderful, wonderful
In every way, so they say
To leave your house some morning
And without any warning, you're stopping people,
Shouting that love is grand, and
To hold a man in your arms is wonderful, wonderful
In every way, so they say
The lyrics to The Chordettes' song They Say It's Wonderful are largely about the idealistic notion of love and how it is often portrayed as wonderful by others. The first few lines introduce the idea that falling in love is supposedly a wonderful experience, and this is reinforced with the repetition of the phrase "it's wonderful, so they say" and "it's wonderful, so they tell me". It becomes clear that the singer is somewhat skeptical of these claims, as they can't remember who said it or where they read it - suggesting that perhaps these ideas are not entirely grounded in reality.
The second verse of the song speaks to the grand, romantic ideals that are often associated with love. The singer talks about shouting to strangers in the street about how wonderful love is, and how holding a man in your arms is "wonderful, wonderful in every way". This sense of grandeur is reflected in the use of superlatives, such as "grand" and "wonderful", which reveal a sense of exaggeration and hyperbole.
Overall, the lyrics to They Say It's Wonderful seem to be exploring the gap between the romanticized idea of love and the reality of what it is actually like. There is a sense of longing and yearning in the lyrics, as the singer seems to be grasping for something that may not actually exist in entirety.
Line by Line Meaning
They say that falling love is wonderful
According to popular beliefs, falling in love is a wonderful experience
It's wonderful, so they say
People claim it to be wonderful
And with the moon up above, it's wonderful
The presence of the moon enhances the greatness of it, as they say
It's wonderful, so they tell me
People have told the artist countless times that it is a wonderful thing
I can't recall who said it
The artist cannot remember the exact person who stated it
I know I've never read it
The singer has never read it from anywhere
I only know they tell me that love is grand, and
The singer only knows that people tell him/her that love is magnificent
The thing that's known as romance
The act of falling in love, also called romance
Is wonderful, wonderful
Is considered extremely great, as they claim
In every way, so they say
According to what people say, it is wonderful in every aspect
To leave your house some morning
To step out of your house one morning
And without any warning, you're stopping people,
And without any earlier notice, you confront people, stopping them in their tracks
Shouting that love is grand, and
Yelling loudly that love is an immensely great thing
To hold a man in your arms is wonderful, wonderful
Being close to a man is considered extremely great, as per what people indicate
In every way, so they say
According to popular belief, it is wonderful and magnificent
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Irving Berlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ladyunicorndust7600
They say that falling is love is wonderful
It's wonderful, so they say
And with the moon up above, it's wonderful
It's wonderful, so they tell me
I can't recall who said it
I know, I never read it
I only know they tell me that love is grand, and
The thing that's known as romance is wonderful, wonderful
In every way, so they say
To leave your house some morning
And without any warning
You're stopping people shouting that love is grand, and
To hold the girl in your arms is wonderful, wonderful
In every way, so they say
@Emily-pc1vm
Their voices are so angelic.
@anairhead8288
Am I the only one that loves vintage and old timey songs?
@franskel9647
No
@sinkhole40
No! We're out here, and sometimes feeling the same way you do.
@aaniyahshakira7050
LilMisKitxo Livi no your not
@korenaviv
Its amazing music. I wish I'd know more
@tj8771
Floral._. LPS NO WAY, BABY there are a few of us out here still. And I am middle aged. The country isn't done for yet.
@valentinazoraplasaj238
I’m so madly in love with the classy, dream-like era that forever will be timeless and breathtakingly beautiful.
@dancingthroughlife574
There voices are so angelic and harmonic they lull me to sleep
@raineece
I'm actually surprised this is on YouTube.