The group was founded in the early 1960s in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA by Michael Arnone, Joe Santollo, John Salvato, Tom Bialoglow, and lead singer Joey Canzano (later known as Joey Vann). George Paxton, a former big band leader was impressed by the group's style and signed them to his Coed Records label. Their first single "You Belong to Me" had previously been a hit for Jo Stafford in 1952. The Duprees' version was given a big band backing by Paxton and reached the US top ten in 1962.
The band had more top 40 hits in the next few years. "My Own True Love" was a vocal adaptation of "Tara's Theme" from the soundtrack of Gone with the Wind and became the group's second hit. "Have You Heard" and "Why Don't You Believe Me" also reached the Top 40 charts and, like "You Belong to Me," were originally early '50s female vocal hits (Joni James, in this case). The band became known for mixing doo-wop vocals with big band arrangements. Tom Bialoglow left in 1963. Mike Kelly, who had recorded on the group's original demos for George Paxton, replaced Joey Vann as lead vocalist in 1964.
Despite becoming unfashionable after the Beatles spearheaded the British Invasion in 1964, the Duprees continued to record, turning in a more "pop" direction, and reaching the Top 100 as late as 1975. The group still performs today on the oldies circuit, but with no original members. Joe Santollo died in 1981, Joey Vann died in 1984 and Mike Arnone died in 2005.
Richie Rosato, who sang lead for the Duprees throughout much of the '80s and '90s, left the group in 2002. Michael Kelly sang with The Chaperones for a brief stint in 2006. Tommy Bialoglow has his own group called Twilight Time. John Salvato is a booking agent and no longer performs. The group currently consists of Tommy Petillo (with the group since 2002), Jimmy Spinelli, Phil Granito, and Tony Testa.
These Foolish Things
The Duprees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh! Will you never set me free?
The ties that bound us
Are still around us
There's no escape that I can see
And still those little things remain
That bring me happiness or pain
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
A fair ground's painted swings
These foolish things remind me of you
You came you saw you conquer'd me
When you did that to me
I knew somehow this had to be
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
First daffodils and long excited cables
And candle lights on little corner tables
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The beauty that is Spring's
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The song that Crosby sings
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you
The lyrics to The Duprees song These Foolish Things speaks to the feelings of a person who has been unable to move on from a past love. The opening lines "Oh! Will you never let me be? Oh! Will you never set me free?" expresses the desperation of the singer to be free from the memories and feelings that keep them bound to the person they love. Despite their efforts, they cannot escape the ties that still bind them to their past love.
The lyrics go on to describe various things that remind the singer of their past love, like a cigarette bearing a lipstick's traces or a telephone that rings but no one answers. These things bring both happiness and pain to the singer, as they are reminded of the love they once shared but also the fact that it is now gone.
Throughout the song, the singer seems to be caught between wanting to forget their past love and wanting to hold onto the memories that remind them of that love. The final lines "These foolish things remind me of you" sum up this conflict, as the singer acknowledges that the memories may be foolish, but they are still connected to their past love.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! Will you never let me be?
Are you never going to give me space?
Oh! Will you never set me free?
Are you never going to let me go?
The ties that bound us
The things that connected us
Are still around us
Still present and affecting us
There's no escape that I can see
I cannot find a way out
And still those little things remain
The small things still exist
That bring me happiness or pain
That either make me happy or sad
A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
A cigarette with your lipstick on it
An airline ticket to romantic places
A ticket to a romantic destination
And still my heart has wings
I still feel light and free inside
These foolish things remind me of you
These small things make me think of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
The sound of a piano in the next apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
The awkward words that expressed my true feelings
A fair ground's painted swings
The painted swings at the fairground
You came you saw you conquer'd me
You came, saw, and won my heart
When you did that to me
When you captured my heart
I knew somehow this had to be
I knew this was meant to happen
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
The March wind that makes me feel alive
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
A ringing phone with no one to pick up
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The park in the evening after the bell has rung
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The Ile de France ship with seagulls flying around it
The beauty that is Spring's
The beauty of Spring
How strange how sweet to find you still
It's surprising and lovely to still have you in my thoughts
These things are dear to me
These things are precious to me
They seem to bring you near to me
They make me feel closer to you
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
The sound of midnight trains passing through empty stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Silk stockings left behind after invitations to dance
Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
The scent of gardenia perfume left on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
Wild strawberries that cost only seven francs per kilogram
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
Greta Garbo's smile and the scent of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The waiters whistling as the bar closes
The song that Crosby sings
The song that Bing Crosby sings
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
The smell of burning leaves and the sound of steamers' whistles
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Two lovers walking down the street like they're in a dream
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Harry Link, Holt Marvell, Jack Strachey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@deanslist101
A great version of this old classic. What a fantastic voice Joey Vann had and such great backing from the others in the group. They just don't make 'em like that anymore. Nearly everything these guys did was first rate.
@charlesvonwyck5876
The BEST EVER. There will never be another group as good as the original, one and only, DUPREES from Jersey City.
@mkelisd
Absolutely best harmonizing group of all time.
@platoon108
moira dwyer--I am in agreement with you. I can't hear enough of these guys.
@peterjordan2738
I listen to the boys every day...Your legacy continues even in your passing at too young of an age
@platoon108
There are no proper adjectives to qualify this group. Goddamn they are so good. Their beautiful sound pours out my early life goodness...and badness...
@harptone55
THE ONE AND ONLY DUPREES!!!!!!!!!
@user-yg4wi6zr8x
Wow !!!
Original Duprees !!!
Joey crushin it !!!!
@mitzvy
Really like it, what happened to good songs like this? Thanks for the post.
@frankp3
A telephone that rings but WHO'S TO ANSWER.....beautiful song