The group consisted of:
Gene Puerling, bass-baritone, arranger and leader
Bob Strasen, baritone
Bob Morse, baritone and occasional soloist
Clark Burroughs, tenor
The Hi-Lo's tower among the most innovative and influential close harmony quartets of the postwar era, expanding the parameters of traditional pop via sophisticated, jazz-inspired arrangements that profoundly shaped the rock & roll generation who followed in the group's wake. So named for their expansive vocal range, the Hi-Lo's formed in Hollywood in early 1953 -- bass baritone Gene Puerling and baritone Bob Strasen first teamed in the Milwaukee-based Four Shades, while baritone Bob Morse and tenor Clark Burroughs previously collaborated as members of the Encores, a short-lived ensemble led by session vocal legend Randy Van Horne. After bandleader (and future film composing icon) Jerry Fielding recommended the Hi-Lo's to the fledgling L.A. label Trend, the group cut its debut EP in April 1953, scoring a minor local hit with "Georgia." "Love Me or Leave Me," recorded in support of singer Herb Jeffries, soon followed on Olympic.
While Burroughs' astounding lead vocals enabled Puerling the flexibility to create daring, stunningly complex arrangements some distance removed from the current chart fare, Trend resisted the Hi-Lo's more radical impulses, and in mid-1954 the quartet exited the label in frustration. They soon signed with Starlite, teaming with orchestral arranger and conductor Frank Comstock at the now-legendary Gold Star Studios, a facility famed for its singularly rich acoustics -- their debut album Listen! followed by year's end, trailed in 1955 by The Hi-Lo's, I Presume.
Although commercial success continued to elude the Hi-Lo's, the quartet emerged as a critical favorite, and successive LPs including Under Glass and On Hand further expanded their palette, with Puerling's increasingly challenging and beautiful arrangements over time incorporating elements of contemporary pop, barbershop, calypso and musical theater. In late 1956, the Hi-Lo's signed to Columbia, where their label debut Suddenly It's the Hi-Lo's sold in excess of 100,000 copies thanks to promotion via television's Nat King Cole Show; -- Rosemary Clooney then invited the group to join the cast of her syndicated variety show, and together they cut an album, Ring Around Rosie. A third Columbia date, Now Hear This, followed in 1957, the same year the Hi-Lo's made their feature film debut in Calypso Heat Wave.
Despite their growing media profile, the quartet's albums remained cult favorites at best, however, and Columbia A&R chief Mitch Miller consistently pressured Puerling to simplify his approach in favor of a more radio-friendly formula. The Hi-Lo's resisted, and while 1958's Marty Paich-produced And All That Jazz was their most consistent and rewarding release to date, sales were disappointing, and a year later Bob Strasen announced his resignation.
With the addition of tenor Don Shelton, the Hi-Lo's cut Broadway Playbill in 1960. It too failed to chart, and when the same fate met its follow-up This Time It's Love, Columbia cut its losses and let the group go. Avowed fan Frank Sinatra telegrammed the Hi-Lo's in 1962, inviting them to join his fledgling Reprise label; their two Reprise albums, The Hi-Lo's Happen to Folk Songs and The Hi-Lo's Happen to Bossa Nova, both aimed squarely at commercial trends and fell wide of the mark, and their tenure with the company proved brief. Don Shelton left the lineup in 1964 to join the Chicago vocal group the J's with Jamie, and the Hi-Lo's soldiered on, briefly adding singers Frank Howren and Milt Chapman before the commercial onslaught of rock & roll's British Invasion finally spelled their demise in 1965. While Bob Morse opened an antiques store, Clark Burroughs teamed with wife Marilyn in a folk-rock duo, and Gene Puerling assembled a new group, Singers Unlimited, recruiting Shelton as well as newcomers Len Dresslar and Bonnie Herman.
As the Hi-Lo's were celebrated as a seminal influence on West Coast harmony pop acts including the Beach Boys and the Mamas & the Papas, Singers Unlimited went on to cut a series of LPs for the German label MPS, which in 1977 suggested Puerling organize a Hi-Lo's reunion: Back Again hit retail a year later, its release announced with an appearance at the 1978 Monterey Jazz Festival. Now followed in 1980, and the group continued touring throughout the decade to come, finally calling it quits in 1994. Bob Morse died in 2001.
~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Afterward, Puerling, Shelton and Burroughs still appeared very occasionally as the Hi-Lo's in and around Southern California. An accomplished reed player, Shelton has been a member of Clare Fischer's bands. Clark Burroughs is semi-retired and can sometimes be heard on film soundtracks.
On March 25, 2008, Gene Puerling died just shy of his 79th birthday.
Carnaval
The Hi-Lo's Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
El carnaval carnaval pacorano
Anuncia que ya empezó
El carnaval carnaval pacorano
Anuncia que ya empezó
En comparsa están bailando
Diablico y diablo mayor
En comparsa están bailando
Esta fiesta fiesta pacorana
En el norte es la mejor
Esta fiesta fiesta pacorana
En el norte es la mejor
Unos son del bando verde
Otros rojo Sí Señor
Unos son del bando verde
Otros rojo Sí Señor
Ay diii
Pruebe la causa paisita
Tortilla e' raya y espesao
Mire la comparsa china
Su dragón y coma Ming Pao
Cebiche y chicha de jora
Cucú... Paloma
Paloma te voy agarrar
San Pedro y San Pablo
Se vienen a celebrar
Ay cucú... Paloma
Paloma te voy agarrar
Pacora a ti te llama
Y aquí te vas a quedar
Pruebe la causa paisita
Tortilla e' raya y espesao
Mire la comparsa china
Su dragón y coma Ming Pao
Cebiche y chicha de jora
Cucú... Paloma
Paloma te voy agarrar
San Pedro y San Pablo
Se vienen a celebrar
Ay cucú... Paloma
Paloma te voy agarrar
Pacora a ti te llama
Y aquí te vas a quedar
Pacora a ti te llama
Y aquí te vas a quedar
Pacora a ti te llama
Y aquí te vas a quedar
Celebro mi carnaval
Bailando esta marinera
Que el Sican cante
A mi Pacora jaranera
Y vamos con la segunda Don Alejo
Con ese yonque bien añejo
¡Agua!
El carnaval carnaval pacorano
Anuncia que ya empezó
El carnaval carnaval pacorano
Anuncia que ya empezó
En comparsa están bailando
Diablico y diablo mayor
En comparsa están bailando
Diablico y diablo mayor
Esta fiesta fiesta pacorana
En el norte es la mejor
Esta fiesta fiesta pacorana
En el norte es la mejor
Unos son del bando verde
Otros rojo Sí Señor
Unos son del bando verde
Otros rojo Sí Señor
Ay diii
Pruebe la causa paisita
Tortilla e' raya y espesao
Mire la comparsa china
Su dragón y coma Ming Pao
Cebiche y chicha de jora
Cucú... Paloma
Paloma te voy agarrar
San Pedro y San Pablo
Se vienen a celebrar
Ay cucú... Paloma
Paloma te voy agarrar
Pacora a ti te llama
Y aquí te vas a quedar
Pruebe la causa paisita
Tortilla e' raya y espesao
Mire la comparsa china
Su dragón y coma Ming Pao
Cebiche y chicha de jora
Cucú... Paloma
Paloma te voy agarrar
San Pedro y San Pablo
Se vienen a celebrar
Ay cucú... Paloma
Paloma te voy agarrar
Pacora a ti te llama
Y aquí te vas a quedar
Pacora a ti te llama
Y aquí te vas a quedar
Pacora a ti te llama
Y aquí te vas a quedar
The Hi-lo's song "Carnaval" is a song about the celebration of life and how we should embrace the joy of living. The song invokes a sense of liberation and carefree living. The song begins by describing the character Zé, who every day wakes up already lying down and sleeps standing up, a way of expressing the cyclical nature of life. The lyrics suggest that every day, Zé is awake but not really living. The verse "Every trail is walked with the faith of those who believe in the saying that the day insists on being born, but the day insists on being born to see the new lying down" highlights that despite the difficulty of life, every day can offer a new beginning.
The chorus of the song is a call to let all worries disappear and to enjoy life as it is. It suggests that we should not take life so seriously and that we should enjoy the moments of happiness that come our way. The emphasis is on having the freedom to be happy, care-free, and to indulge in play, as if to say, ‘let me have some fun and revel in the freedom of being alive’. The reference to painting one’s nose is an ode to the Brazilian tradition of painting one's face during the festive season of Carnival.
The song brings in various elements that celebrate life, from the band playing music to the people dancing and participating in festivals. It also emphasizes the important role of choice in life and how our choices shape us. The song highlights the importance of treating life as a celebration and enjoying every moment that we are blessed with.
Line by Line Meaning
Todo dia um ninguém José acorda já deitado
Every day, an average Joe wakes up feeling defeated
Todo dia ainda de pé o Zé dorme acordado
Every day, Joe tries to keep going, but feels dead inside
Todo dia o dia não quer raiar o sol do dia
Every day, the day seems to resist starting anew
Toda trilha é andada com a fé de quem crê no ditado
Every path is traveled with the hope of a better outcome
De que o dia insiste em nascer
That the day insists on starting, despite how hard it seems
Mas o dia insiste em nascer
But the day will always come, whether we are ready or not
Pra ver deitar o novo
To witness the end of one thing and the beginning of another
Toda rosa é rosa porque assim ela é chamada
Every rose is a rose, simply because it's named so
Toda Bossa é nova e você não liga se é usada
Every Bossa Nova tune is unique, no matter how many times it's been played
Todo o carnaval tem seu fim
All festivities must come to an end
E é o fim, e é o fim
And that's it, the end of it
Deixa eu brincar de ser feliz
Let me play pretend and be happy
Deixa eu pintar o meu nariz
Let me have fun and be silly, even if it means painting my nose
Toda banda tem um tarol, quem sabe eu não toco
Every band has a drum, maybe one day I'll play it
Todo samba tem um refrão pra levantar o bloco
Every samba has a catchy chorus to energize the crowd
Toda escolha é feita por quem acorda já deitado
Every decision is made by someone who feels powerless
Toda folha elege um alguém que mora logo ao lado
Every leaf has its own story, including the person who lives close by
E pinta o estandarte de azul
And paints the banner with the color blue
E põe suas estrelas no azul
Adding their own sparkle to the blue banner
Pra que mudar?
Why change something that works?
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Alejandro Pinedo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind