The Four Preps was a popular … Read Full Bio ↴From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
The Four Preps was a popular music quartet most popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The group originally consisted of Bruce Belland (born 22 October 1936, Chicago, Illinois), Ed Cobb, Marv Ingram, (originally named "Marvin Inabnett") and Glen Larson (born 1937), who later become one of the most prolific creators and producers in the history of American television.
They had a minor chart hit that year with "Dreamy Eyes" and between 1956 and 1964 reached the top 100 charts with 13 different songs. The following year they appeared with Lindsay Crosby on the top-rated television special, The Edsel Show.
Their biggest hit was "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)," which was written by Belland and Larson and reached #2.
For a short period, Don Clarke replaced Marv Ingram while Marv finished college at UCLA, but he rejoined the group in 1960.
In 1960 they also recorded a parody single, "More Money for You and Me," which included single parody verses of several popular songs by The Fleetwoods, The Hollywood Argyles, The Platters, The Four Freshmen, The Kingston Trio and Dion and the Belmonts. The title parody, sung to the tune of "Tom Dooley," went like this:
Hang down the Kingston Trio,
Hang 'em from a tall oak tree;
Eliminate the Kingston Trio;
More money for you and me.
In 1966, David Somerville, formerly of The Diamonds, joined the group replacing Cobb. Belland and Somerville continued occasionally to perform as a duo after the breakup.
Belland continued writing songs for other singers, as well as writing television show scripts, eventually becoming a network executive. Cobb became a record producer and sound engineer. Larson became one of the most influential television producers in history, creating Battlestar Galactica and Knight Rider.
In the 1980s, Belland, Cobb, Somerville, and Jim Pike (formerly of The Lettermen) eventually formed a new "Four Preps" group, and went on to perform. J
Yester, Belland, and Somerville continued performing as a trio, using their last names, doing songs that were associated with The Four Preps, The Diamonds, and The Association.
Belland's daughters, Tracey Bryn Belland and Melissa Brooke Belland, followed in their father's footsteps as singers, forming a group named Voice of the Beehive
More Money For You And Me
The Four Preps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's send them to Alaska to entertain our troops
When they start in a-singin' and puttin' on their show
The temperature around them will be forty-five below
Wo-wo-wo, I'm Mister Blue, when I say I'm freezin'
Just turn around, head for the warmth of town
I'm freezin' through and through
Next the Hollywood Argyles, a mighty nice group of kids
We'd like to send them roving on a downhill pair of skids
There's a group that we heard of that's-a awful hip
Alley Oop-oop, oop, oop-oop
We'd kinda like to send them on a little trip
Alley Oop-oop, oop, oop-oop
Where they oughta go we cannot tell
Alley Oop-oop, oop, oop-oop
But it's awful hot, and it rhymes with swell
California?
And while they're down there working, they won't be all alone
They'll run into another group that's even hot back home
They asked me how I knew
Our career was through
Oh, woah, I of course reply
Something here inside
Cannot be denied
Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-wah
Smoke gets in your... eyes...
Next we have the Freshmen
A group that rates a cheer
Of course, they've been Four Freshmen
For almost twenty years
It isn't that they're stupid
Well, a little may be so
They can't afford to graduate
They're making too much dough
In this whole wide world
Is there nowhere to send them?
Is there no one place
We can tell them to go?
Sailing, sailing, over the water blue
Hail to the Kingston Trio, Cuba's calling you-ou-ou-ou...
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
I'm-a worried now, but I won't be worried long
We got the Kingston Trio some work on Cuba's shores
They hung around Havana to do a few encores
Castro said 'I like 'em. Let's hang 'em up some more.'
Now he has all three hangin' permanently
Hang down the Kingston Trio
Hang 'em from a tall oak tree
Eliminate the Kingston Trio
More money for you and me
Dion and the Belmonts are driving us to tears
Let's send them up the river for about a thousand years
While the kids are watching Dion singing about the stars
The Belmonts are out in the parking lot stealing hubcaps off of cars
Each time I steal a hubcap it almost breaks my heart
Why do I steal hubcaps, why did I have to start?
Each night I ask the stars without fail
Why must I be a teenager in jail?
Where these groups all come from, we really do not know
But if they ever ask us we will tell them where to go!
The Four Preps's song "More Money for You and Me" is a humorous take on the music industry and its commercialization. The lyrics center around various popular music groups of the time and their fictional misadventures. The song starts off with the Fleetwoods, a successful group, being sent to entertain the troops in Alaska where they will freeze in the forty-five-degree below zero temperatures. The Hollywood Argyles are imagined as a group of kids sent on a dangerous trip down a hill on skis, while the group Alley Oop is sent to California, a place that's both hot and rhymes with "swell."
The song is also a commentary on the music industry's need for fresh talent and the struggles that come with outstaying one's welcome. The Four Freshmen are portrayed as stuck in their careers for almost twenty years and unable to graduate due to their financial success. The Kingston Trio is sent to Cuba and then hanged by Castro, and Dion and the Belmonts are sent to jail for stealing hubcaps. The closing lines of the song suggest that the groups are from unknown places, and if they ever ask where to go, they will be told.
Overall, "More Money for You and Me" is a witty, tongue-in-cheek song that pokes fun at the commercialization of the music industry and the disposable nature of pop music.
Line by Line Meaning
First we have the Fleetwoods, a very successful group
The Fleetwoods are famous in the music industry, so let's utilize their fame to entertain our troops in Alaska.
When they start in a-singin' and puttin' on their show
The temperature around them will be forty-five below
Once the Fleetwoods arrive in Alaska to entertain the troops, it will be very cold, around 45 degrees below zero.
Next the Hollywood Argyles, a mighty nice group of kids
We'd like to send them roving on a downhill pair of skids
Next, let's send the Hollywood Argyles, who we think are cool kids, on a skiing trip down a slope.
There's a group that we heard of that's-a awful hip
Alley Oop-oop, oop, oop-oop
We'd kinda like to send them on a little trip
Alley Oop-oop, oop, oop-oop
Where they oughta go we cannot tell
Alley Oop-oop, oop, oop-oop
But it's awful hot, and it rhymes with swell
California?
There is a very popular and stylish group we heard of called The Alley Oop's. We think they would go splendidly on a trip somewhere that we can't name, but it should be hot and rhymes with swell, maybe California?
And while they're down there working, they won't be all alone
They'll run into another group that's even hot back home
While in California, The Alley Oop's will meet another famous group from their home state who are just as popular as they are.
They asked me how I knew
Our career was through
Oh, woah, I of course reply
Something here inside
Cannot be denied
Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-wah
Smoke gets in your... eyes...
Our music career is over, but we really don't know why. We're saddened by it, but it's just a fact that we have to accept. It's like smoke getting in your eyes, you can't escape it.
Next we have the Freshmen
A group that rates a cheer
Of course, they've been Four Freshmen
For almost twenty years
Now, let's move on to the group, The Freshmen, who have been famous for almost 20 years.
It isn't that they're stupid
Well, a little may be so
They can't afford to graduate
They're making too much dough
It's not that The Freshmen are unintelligent, it's just that they're too successful and making too much money that they cannot afford to finish their education.
In this whole wide world
Is there nowhere to send them?
Is there no one place
We can tell them to go?
We're out of ideas of where to send The Freshmen, is there no one or no place that could benefit from them?
Sailing, sailing, over the water blue
Hail to the Kingston Trio, Cuba's calling you-ou-ou-ou...
Let's send the Kingston Trio, who we admire, to Cuba to perform for the locals.
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song
I'm-a worried now, but I won't be worried long
This verse repeats the phrase ‘It takes a worried man to sing a worried song’, emphasizing that sometimes you have to experience stress or worry to create something meaningful. Although they may be anxious, they will eventually overcome it.
We got the Kingston Trio some work on Cuba's shores
They hung around Havana to do a few encores
Castro said 'I like 'em. Let's hang 'em up some more.'
Now he has all three hangin' permanently
The Kingston Trio performed many successful encores while in Havana, but Fidel Castro liked them so much that he had them imprisoned and later executed by hanging.
Dion and the Belmonts are driving us to tears
Let's send them up the river for about a thousand years
The music from Dion and the Belmonts is making us miserable, so let's send them to prison for a very long time.
While the kids are watching Dion singing about the stars
The Belmonts are out in the parking lot stealing hubcaps off of cars
While Dion is on stage entertaining the audience about the stars, the rest of the group is stealing hubcaps in the parking lot.
Each time I steal a hubcap it almost breaks my heart
Why do I steal hubcaps, why did I have to start?
Each night I ask the stars without fail
Why must I be a teenager in jail?
The Belmonts, who have been stealing hubcaps, are heartbroken by their actions and wish they weren't stuck in prison. They keep asking themselves why they ever started stealing hubcaps.
Where these groups all come from, we really do not know
But if they ever ask us we will tell them where to go!
It's unclear where all these groups are from, but we don't really care. However, if they ever ask us where they should go, we'll have plenty of ideas for them.
Writer(s): the four preps
Contributed by Jordan B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@washingtondcidiots3917
I'm 61 and my father is long gone but I can still remember listening to this with him as a very young man.
@megat787
I watched them live at Georgia Tech in 1062 awesome show
@rolo1955
This must of been daring back in 1961!
@byronsmith5314
Listening in July 2020. So glad to be able to find old songs that I remember from my youth. Thanks!!
@johnthring3437
❤I'm 75 on 23rd December it was the first 45 record i ever bought
@dodgelandesman9473
This song was ahead of its time. The Four Preps are artistic pioneers. One of the early mashup songs
@musicmandon1
This is totally freaking brilliant. They sounded just like the groups they were making sport of, and that takes amazing talent. I hope the groups involved saw the humor there, particularly the Kingston Trio who I think quite highly of. Somehow I wonder if Dion and his bunch of tough Jersey boys wanted to kick a little Prep booty.
@cmf1965
DION & THE BELMONTS WERE FROM THE BRONX, NEW YORK... In March 1959, Dion and the Belmonts' single, "A Teenager in Love", broke the Top Ten, reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 28 on the UK Singles Chart.Written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, it's considered one of the greatest songs in rock and roll history. Dion Francis DiMucci is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame...sadly, The Belmonts are not... :(
@Adam-lj7et
Way back when the Earth was cooling, as a student at UCLA I saw this concert. It was great.
@scottuehlinger7887
Altho I am a big fan of this period of music..I NEVER have heard of this song before today.....heard it on Sirius XM and LOVED it. Happy to find it here!