The Four Freshmen began as a American vocal group popular from the 1950s th… Read Full Bio ↴The Four Freshmen began as a American vocal group popular from the 1950s through to the early 1960s. Founded by brothers Ross and Don Barbour in 1948 as freshmen at Butler University, the other two original members included their cousin Bob Flanigan and Hal Kratzsch. Well-known for their multi-part harmonies, they are notable as early purveyors of vocalese and as the forerunners of vocal-harmony based rock music, particularly that of The Beach Boys. In their current configuration, The Four Freshmen continue to perform.

The group took off after being signed to Capitol Records in 1952 at the insistence of high profile fan, Stan Kenton. They remained popular throughout the 50s and early 60s, releasing a wide array of successful albums, movie and television appearances and performing countless sold-out concerts. The band eventually lost mainstream attention with the emergence of the British pop bands of the 1960s, even though they managed to stay together even after the retirement of final original member Bob Flanigan in 1992.

As of 2001, the Freshmen have been composed of Bob Ferreira, Brian Eichenberger, Curtis Calderon, and Vince Johnson. Although the new lineup of the Four Freshmen have continued the legendary vocal tradition of the original band and perform many of the same standards, the current sound has more of a lounge sound rather than focusing primarily upon harmonies. This modernized sound has proven quite successful, as the group won Down Beat magazine's reader's poll award for Vocal Group of the Year in 2000, proving the quartet's prominence in the jazz world today.

Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring
The Four Freshmen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There's a story told of a very gentle boy
And the girl who wore his ring
Through the wintry snow
The world they knew was warm
For their hearts were full of spring

As the days grew old
And the nights passed into time

And the weeks and years took wing
Gentle boy, tender girl
Their love remained still young
For their hearts were full of spring

Then one day they died
And their graves were side by side
On a hill where robins sing
And they say violets

Grow there the whole year round
For their hearts were full of spring

Overall Meaning

The Four Freshmen's song Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring tells the story of a “very gentle boy” and the girl who had his heart. As they journey through life and face the challenges of time, their love remains young and passionate as they discover the warmth of spring in their hearts. The lyrics suggest that the couple never lost their childlike love and were filled with the joy and happiness of the season no matter what time of year it may be. As the song closes we learn that the pair eventually passed away and were buried side by side beneath the shade of violet flowers, which continued to bloom around them, a testament to the enduring nature of their love.

The song was written in 1949 by Bobby Troup and Bob Russell, and has since become a classic hit, being recorded and performed by a number of different artists including Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and Willie Nelson. The Four Freshmen's rendition of the song remains arguably the most definitive version of all time.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a story told of a very gentle boy
A tale is narrated about a mild-mannered boy

And the girl who wore his ring
And the girl who was engaged to him

Through the wintry snow
Despite the snow and chill

The world they knew was warm
They felt warmth within their world

For their hearts were full of spring
As they were in love, their souls were blossoming

As the days grew old
As time passed on

And the nights passed into time
As the nights slowly drifted by

And the weeks and years took wing
As the weeks and years flew away

Gentle boy, tender girl
This boy and girl were kind and soft-hearted

Their love remained still young
Nonetheless, their love remained youthful

For their hearts were full of spring
As they were in love, their souls were blossoming