Born and raised in Pleasant Grove, Utah, about 35 miles south of Salt Lake City, the King Sisters originally were part of the "Driggs Family of Entertainers". Their first professional job was with a Salt Lake City radio station, from which they graduated to a station in Oakland, California. In the early 1930s sisters Luise, Maxine and Alyce formed a vocal trio along the lines of their idols, the Boswell Sisters, and traveled to San Francisco to audition for radio station KGO (to replace the Boswell Sisters themselves, who were leaving the station)." After this, Maxine retired to home life in Oakland and sisters Donna and Yvonne were added to the roster.
In 1935, the King Sisters accepted a job with bandleader Horace Heidt. Gradually, relations between the King Sisters and Heidt deteriorated to the point where they left the band. In the following years, they separately and together sang with the bands of Artie Shaw's Old Gold program and Charlie Barnet and Al Pearce series. They turned down a request to be the vocal group for the Glenn Miller Orchestra. They recorded for Bluebird Records, a sub-label of RCA Victor Records and the same label as Miller, and also had their first hit with a vocal version of Miller's hit, "In The Mood".
In 1937, Luise married guitarist Alvino Rey. At the peak of the sisters' success, they appeared in a number of 1940's Hollywood films. During World War II, they appeared regularly on Kay Kyser's radio series. In 1965, they began hosting their own ABC television-network series, The King Family Show, which featured family members including Alyce's husband, actor Robert Clarke, and her sons, Ric and Lex de Azevedo, and Cam Clarke, as well as other talent. The show ran from 1965-1966, with a 1969 revival.
A second generation of the King Family, The Four King Cousins, continues to carry on the musical tradition.
Sweet Leilani
The King Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heavenly flower
Nature fashioned roses kissed with dew
And then she placed them in a bower
It was the start of you
Sweet Leilani
Heavenly flower
You are my paradise completed
You are my dream come true
Sweet Leilani
Heavenly flower
My lovely, lovely
My lovely, lovely
Sweet Leilani
Heavenly flower
I dreamed of paradise for two
You are my paradise completed
You are my dream come true
The lyrics to the 1934 hit song "Sweet Leilani" by Bing Crosby are a tribute to a beautiful woman named Leilani, comparing her to a heavenly flower. The lyrics describe how nature created other beautiful flowers, but Leilani is special and unique. The singer dreamed of finding paradise for two, and with Leilani, he feels as though his dreams have come true. The repetition of "My lovely, lovely" emphasizes just how much the singer admires and cherishes Leilani. Overall, the lyrics are a romantic and poetic tribute to a beloved woman.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet Leilani
The person being addressed in the song, who is compared to the sweetest and most beautiful flower
Heavenly flower
A flower that is so exquisite and divine, it must have been created by the heavens themselves
Nature fashioned roses kissed with dew
The natural world created roses that were forever preserved in pristine condition by the morning dew
And then she placed them in a bower
Those perfect roses were then arranged and displayed in a tranquil garden, adding to their beauty
It was the start of you
The person being addressed in the song is seen as a creation of nature, just like the perfect roses in their garden
I dreamed of paradise for two
The singer imagined a perfect world where they could be with the person they are addressing, living in harmony and happiness
You are my paradise completed
The person being addressed is seen as the missing piece to the singer's imagined paradise, and they are now complete together
You are my dream come true
The person being addressed is the fulfillment of all the singer's hopes and desires, and they are grateful to have them in their life
My lovely, lovely
Another expression of the singer's adoration for the person being addressed, highlighting their unmatched loveliness and beauty
My lovely, lovely
Reiterating the idea that the person being addressed is truly lovely and precious to the singer
Writer(s): Harry Owens
Contributed by Landon K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.