The McGuire Sisters were a singing trio in American popular music. The grou… Read Full Bio ↴The McGuire Sisters were a singing trio in American popular music. The group was composed of three sisters:
Ruby Christine McGuire (July 30, 1926 – December 28, 2018), Dorothy "Dottie" McGuire (February 13, 1928 – September 7, 2012) and Phyllis McGuire (born February 14, 1931). Among their most popular songs are "Sincerely" and "Sugartime", both number-one hits.
The McGuire sisters were born in Middletown, Ohio, and grew up in Miamisburg near Dayton . Their mother, Lillie, was a minister of the Miamisburg First Church of God, where as children they sang in church at weddings, funerals, and revivals. When they started singing in 1935, the youngest sister, Phyllis, was four years old. Eventually, they sang at occasions outside church, and by 1949 were singing at military bases and veterans' hospitals, performing a more diverse repertoire than they had in church.
The McGuire Sisters signed with Coral Records in 1952. In the same year, they appeared on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, and Godfrey hired them for his other shows, where they remained for seven years. The November 1953 issue of Cosmopolitan called them "Godfrey's Merry McGuires". The sisters often were compared to the Andrews Sisters. Maxene Andrews said in an interview with Joe Franklin on WOR (AM) radio in 1979, "The McGuire Sisters were fine once they stopped imitating the Andrews Sisters." While working on the Godfrey show, the McGuires befriended the singer Lu Ann Simms and attended her wedding to the music publisher Loring Buzzell in July 1956. Buzzell's publishing firm, Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music (co-owned by Harold Hecht and Burt Lancaster) provided two songs for the McGuire Sisters, "May You Always" and "Theme from The Unforgiven (The Need for Love)".
The McGuire Sisters and the Andrews Sisters met several times during their careers. Phyllis credited Patty, Maxene, and LaVerne Andrews during a television interview with Maxene in the 1990s, hosted by Sally Jessy Raphael, saying that her sisters and she met the Andrews Sisters in New York in the early 1950s and received important advice. The McGuires moved when they sang, often executing dance routines in lavish production numbers on countless television specials. The Andrews Sisters performed similarly in films in the 1940s, and were the first female vocal group to move when they sang, rather than just standing at a microphone. The sisters had mimicked that style, as well as those of the Mills Brothers and the Dinning Sisters ever since they were young, when they would perform short shows for family and friends in their parents' living room. Phyllis McGuire recounted that she and her sisters did not know any popular songs when they became famous (only the hymns taught to them by their mother), the trio imitated other singing groups long before their success.
They performed for five Presidents of the United States (Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush), and for Queen Elizabeth II. In 1958, their mother appeared as a guest challenger on the television game show To Tell the Truth. The sisters maintained a busy television schedule, making frequent appearances on popular variety programs hosted by Ed Sullivan, Dean Martin, Danny Kaye, Milton Berle, Andy Williams, Perry Como, and Red Skelton. The trio was dressed and coiffed identically and performed synchronized body movements and hand gestures with military precision. Their recordings of "Sincerely", "Picnic", and "Sugartime" all sold more than one million copies.
They retired from public appearances in 1968, giving their last performance that year on The Ed Sullivan Show. Phyllis McGuire continued to perform solo for a time. The demise of the group is often attributed to Phyllis' long-standing personal relationship with mobster Sam Giancana (although for years she claimed that their friendship was strictly platonic), which reportedly blacklisted the group.
During one of his 1960s court appearances for which Phyllis was subpoenaed, Giancana told reporters outside the courthouse, "Phyllis knows everything" about the rumored unethical behaviors of John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert. Phyllis has resided in a famously showcased mansion in Las Vegas for decades, boasting its own beauty parlor, a swan moat, and a replica of the Eiffel Tower which actually rose through the home's roof.
When asked by Barbara Walters during a 1980s ABC-TV 20/20 interview from within the mansion if any of the money to build the lavish home came from Giancana, Phyllis denied the innuendo, claiming that she invested heavily in oil when the sisters were at the height of their popularity. In the same interview, she acknowledged that her relationship with Giancana was in fact a love affair, saying, "When I met him, I did not know who he was, and he was not married, and I was an unmarried woman. And according to the way I was brought up, there was nothing wrong with that. And I didn't find out until sometime later really who he was, and I was already in love."[7]
The sisters reunited in 1986, performing at Toronto's Royal York Hotel for the first time since their retirement.[8] Numerous nightclub engagements followed in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and New York City's Rainbow & Stars, showcasing the group and Phyllis' impersonations of Peggy Lee, Judy Garland, Pearl Bailey, Ethel Merman, and even Louis Armstrong.
Singing their greatest hits as part of their act, they were also featured performing specialty numbers such as the frantic "I Love a Violin", the a cappella "Danny Boy", and a segment during which Phyllis retired backstage as Christine and Dorothy shared the spotlight playing a concert arrangement of "The Way We Were" on twin pianos. Other highlights in the act were a comical Trinidad-flavored tune, a soft rendering of "Memory" from Broadway's Cats, and a "Money Medley", which they also performed live on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in 1994. Since then, the sisters had made occasional public appearances together, including in 2004, when they reunited to perform in a PBS special Magic Moments: Best of '50s Pop. The sisters' command of their vocal cords and harmonious blend had not significantly diminished.
After their careers wound down, they opened a restaurant in Bradenton, Florida, calling it McGuire's Pub.
They were inducted into the National Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 1994, and in 2001, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. They also have been inducted into the Coca-Cola Hall of Fame and the Headliners' Hall of Fame. They were inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2009.
Christine has two children, Herold and Asa; Dorothy had two, Rex and David. Phyllis has no children.
On September 7, 2012, Dorothy McGuire died at her son's home in Paradise Valley, Arizona, after suffering from Parkinson's disease and age-related dementia; she was 84. Dorothy's husband of 54 years, Lowell Williamson, died 6 months later on February 25, 2013, after sustaining a fractured back from a fall; he was 89.
Christine McGuire died in Las Vegas, Nevada in December 2018 at the age of 92.
The McGuire Sisters, and most especially Phyllis McGuire, who lives in Las Vegas, were the subjects of the 1995 HBO movie Sugartime, which depicted a romantic relationship between Phyllis and mobster Sam Giancana. Giancana was played by actor John Turturro, and Phyllis was played by actress Mary-Louise Parker.
The 1982 Robert Altman film Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean prominently features the music of The McGuire Sisters. Their #1 single "Sincerely" is lip-synced by the film's stars Cher, Karen Black and Sandy Dennis as "The Disciples of James Dean."
They performed for five US Presidents - Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush), and for Queen Elizabeth II
In 1968, they retired from public performance apart from Phyllis who continued as a solo act but they reunited seventeen years later for a number of shows.
In 1994, they were inducted into the National Broadcasting Hall of Fame and In 2001, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
Discography
Year Single (A-side, B-side)
Both sides from same album except where indicated Chart positions Album
US CB US
AC UK[15]
1953 "Picking Sweethearts"
b/w "One, Two, Three, Four" — — — — Non-album tracks
"Toodle-Ooh Siana"
b/w "Miss You" — — — —
"Where Good Times Are"
b/w "Hey, Mister Cotton Picker" — — — —
"Are You Looking for a Sweetheart"
b/w "You'll Never Know Till Monday" — — — —
1954 "Uno, Due, Tre (The Italian Square Dance)"
b/w "Lonesome Polecat" (from Musical Magic) — — — —
"Pine Tree, Pine over Me" / 26 27 — —
"Cling to Me" — 49 — —
"Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight"
b/w "Heavenly Feeling" (Non-album track) 7 8 — — By Request
"Muskrat Ramble" (see below)
b/w "Not As a Stranger" (Non-album track) — — — —
"Muskrat Ramble" / 10 9 — —
"Lonesome Polecat" 28 33 — — Musical Magic
"Christmas Alphabet"
b/w "Give Me Your Heart for Christmas" 25 34 — — Greetings from the McGuire Sisters
1955 "Sincerely" / 1 2 — 14 By Request
"No More" 17 — — 20
"Open Up Your Heart (and Let the Sun Shine In)"
b/w "Melody of Love" — — — —
"The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane"
b/w "Hearts of Stone" (non-album track) — — — —
"It May Sound Silly" / 11 14 — — Chris, Phyllis, Dottie
"Doesn't Anybody Love Me?" flip — — — Musical Magic
"Something's Gotta Give" / 5 4 — — Chris, Phyllis, Dottie
"Rhythm 'n Blues" flip 32 — — Teenage Party
"Kiss Me and Kill Me with Love"
b/w "If It's a Dream" — — — — Non-album tracks
"He"
b/w "If You Believe" 10 4 — — Greetings from the McGuire Sisters
"Give Me Love" / 95 30 — — Non-album track
"Sweet Song of India" — 34 — — Chris, Phyllis, Dottie
"Be Good To Me" / — 46 — — Teenage Party
"My Baby's Got Such Lovin' Ways" — 40 — —
"I'd Like to Trim a Tree with You"
b/w "The Littlest Angel" — — — — Greetings from the McGuire Sisters
1956 "Missing"
b/w "Tell Me Now" (non-album track) 44 36 — — Musical Magic
"Picnic" / 13 20 — — Chris, Phyllis, Dottie
"Delilah Jones" 37 36 — 24
"Weary Blues" / 32 42 — — Sugartime
"In the Alps" 63 — — —
"Ev'ry Day of My Life" / 37 33 — — Chris, Phyllis, Dottie
"Endless" 52 36 — —
"Goodnight, My Love, Pleasant Dreams"
b/w "Mommy" (from Children's Holiday) 32 23 — — Musical Magic
1957 "Kid Stuff"
b/w "Without Him" — 36 — — Musical Magic
"Blue Skies"
b/w "He's Got Time" (from Greetings from the McGuire Sisters) — — — — Do You Remember When
"Please, Don't Do That to Me"
b/w"Drownin' in Memories" — — — — Teenage Party
"Beginning to Miss You"
b/w "Rock Bottom" — — — —
"Around the World In 80 Days"
b/w "Interlude" 73 — — — Sugartime
"Kiss Them for Me"
b/w "Forgive Me" — — — —
"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"
b/w "Honorable Congratulations" — — — — Greetings from the McGuire Sisters
"Sugartime"
b/w "Banana Split" 1 7 — 14 Sugartime
1958 "Ding Dong"
b/w "Since You Went Away to School" 25 43 — —
"Volare"
b/w "Do You Love Me Like You Kiss Me" 80 — — — May You Always
"Sweetie Pie"
b/w "I'll Think of You" — — — —
1959 "May You Always"
b/w "Achoo-Cha-Cha" 11 21 — 15
"Summer Dreams" / 55 64 — — Sugartime
"Peace" 85 97 — — May You Always
"Red River Valley"
b/w "Compromise" (Non-album track) — — — — Showcase
"Some of These Days"
b/w "Have a Nice Weekend" (Non-album track) — — — —
1960 "Livin' Dangerously"
b/w "Lovers Lullaby" 97 — — — Non-album tracks
"Theme from The Unforgiven (The Need for Love)"
b/w "I Give Thanks" (Non-album track) — — — — Showcase
"The Last Dance"
b/w "Nine o'Clock" (Non-album track) 99 — — —
"To Be Loved"
b/w "I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)" — — — —
1961 "Just for Old Time's Sake"
b/w "Really Neat" (Non-album track) 20 17 — — Just for Old Time's Sake
"Tears on My Pillow"
b/w "Will There Be Space in a Space Ship" (Non-album track) 59 55 12 — Showcase
"Just Because" / 99 96 — —
"I Do, I Do, I Do" — tag — —
"I'm Just Taking My Time"
b/w "I Can Dream, Can't I" (Non-album track) — — — — Subways Are for Sleeping
1962 "Sugartime Twist"
b/w "More Hearts Are Broken That Way" 107 130 — — Showcase
"Mama's Gone, Goodbye"
b/w "I Really Don't Want to Know" — — — — Songs Everybody Knows
1963 "Summertime (Is the Time for Love)"
b/w "Cordially Invited" — — — — Non-album tracks
1964 "Now and Forever"
b/w "Never" — — — —
"Candy Heart"
b/w "Dear Heart" — — — —
"Ticket to Anywhere"
b/w "I'll Walk Alone" — — — —
1966 "Truer Than You Were"
b/w "Grazia" — — 30 — Right Now!
Phyllis McGuire solo singles
Year Single (A-side, B-side) Chart positions Album
US CB US
AC
1964 "I Don't Want to Walk Without You"
b/w "That's Life" 79 85 13 Non-album tracks
"Just a Little Lovin'"
b/w "You Don't Have the Heart to Tell Me" — — —
1965 "Run to My Arms"
b/w "Someone Else Is Taking My Place" — — —
1966 "My Happiness"
b/w "Vaya Con Dios" — — — Phyllis McGuire Sings
Ruby Christine McGuire (July 30, 1926 – December 28, 2018), Dorothy "Dottie" McGuire (February 13, 1928 – September 7, 2012) and Phyllis McGuire (born February 14, 1931). Among their most popular songs are "Sincerely" and "Sugartime", both number-one hits.
The McGuire sisters were born in Middletown, Ohio, and grew up in Miamisburg near Dayton . Their mother, Lillie, was a minister of the Miamisburg First Church of God, where as children they sang in church at weddings, funerals, and revivals. When they started singing in 1935, the youngest sister, Phyllis, was four years old. Eventually, they sang at occasions outside church, and by 1949 were singing at military bases and veterans' hospitals, performing a more diverse repertoire than they had in church.
The McGuire Sisters signed with Coral Records in 1952. In the same year, they appeared on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, and Godfrey hired them for his other shows, where they remained for seven years. The November 1953 issue of Cosmopolitan called them "Godfrey's Merry McGuires". The sisters often were compared to the Andrews Sisters. Maxene Andrews said in an interview with Joe Franklin on WOR (AM) radio in 1979, "The McGuire Sisters were fine once they stopped imitating the Andrews Sisters." While working on the Godfrey show, the McGuires befriended the singer Lu Ann Simms and attended her wedding to the music publisher Loring Buzzell in July 1956. Buzzell's publishing firm, Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music (co-owned by Harold Hecht and Burt Lancaster) provided two songs for the McGuire Sisters, "May You Always" and "Theme from The Unforgiven (The Need for Love)".
The McGuire Sisters and the Andrews Sisters met several times during their careers. Phyllis credited Patty, Maxene, and LaVerne Andrews during a television interview with Maxene in the 1990s, hosted by Sally Jessy Raphael, saying that her sisters and she met the Andrews Sisters in New York in the early 1950s and received important advice. The McGuires moved when they sang, often executing dance routines in lavish production numbers on countless television specials. The Andrews Sisters performed similarly in films in the 1940s, and were the first female vocal group to move when they sang, rather than just standing at a microphone. The sisters had mimicked that style, as well as those of the Mills Brothers and the Dinning Sisters ever since they were young, when they would perform short shows for family and friends in their parents' living room. Phyllis McGuire recounted that she and her sisters did not know any popular songs when they became famous (only the hymns taught to them by their mother), the trio imitated other singing groups long before their success.
They performed for five Presidents of the United States (Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush), and for Queen Elizabeth II. In 1958, their mother appeared as a guest challenger on the television game show To Tell the Truth. The sisters maintained a busy television schedule, making frequent appearances on popular variety programs hosted by Ed Sullivan, Dean Martin, Danny Kaye, Milton Berle, Andy Williams, Perry Como, and Red Skelton. The trio was dressed and coiffed identically and performed synchronized body movements and hand gestures with military precision. Their recordings of "Sincerely", "Picnic", and "Sugartime" all sold more than one million copies.
They retired from public appearances in 1968, giving their last performance that year on The Ed Sullivan Show. Phyllis McGuire continued to perform solo for a time. The demise of the group is often attributed to Phyllis' long-standing personal relationship with mobster Sam Giancana (although for years she claimed that their friendship was strictly platonic), which reportedly blacklisted the group.
During one of his 1960s court appearances for which Phyllis was subpoenaed, Giancana told reporters outside the courthouse, "Phyllis knows everything" about the rumored unethical behaviors of John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert. Phyllis has resided in a famously showcased mansion in Las Vegas for decades, boasting its own beauty parlor, a swan moat, and a replica of the Eiffel Tower which actually rose through the home's roof.
When asked by Barbara Walters during a 1980s ABC-TV 20/20 interview from within the mansion if any of the money to build the lavish home came from Giancana, Phyllis denied the innuendo, claiming that she invested heavily in oil when the sisters were at the height of their popularity. In the same interview, she acknowledged that her relationship with Giancana was in fact a love affair, saying, "When I met him, I did not know who he was, and he was not married, and I was an unmarried woman. And according to the way I was brought up, there was nothing wrong with that. And I didn't find out until sometime later really who he was, and I was already in love."[7]
The sisters reunited in 1986, performing at Toronto's Royal York Hotel for the first time since their retirement.[8] Numerous nightclub engagements followed in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and New York City's Rainbow & Stars, showcasing the group and Phyllis' impersonations of Peggy Lee, Judy Garland, Pearl Bailey, Ethel Merman, and even Louis Armstrong.
Singing their greatest hits as part of their act, they were also featured performing specialty numbers such as the frantic "I Love a Violin", the a cappella "Danny Boy", and a segment during which Phyllis retired backstage as Christine and Dorothy shared the spotlight playing a concert arrangement of "The Way We Were" on twin pianos. Other highlights in the act were a comical Trinidad-flavored tune, a soft rendering of "Memory" from Broadway's Cats, and a "Money Medley", which they also performed live on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in 1994. Since then, the sisters had made occasional public appearances together, including in 2004, when they reunited to perform in a PBS special Magic Moments: Best of '50s Pop. The sisters' command of their vocal cords and harmonious blend had not significantly diminished.
After their careers wound down, they opened a restaurant in Bradenton, Florida, calling it McGuire's Pub.
They were inducted into the National Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 1994, and in 2001, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. They also have been inducted into the Coca-Cola Hall of Fame and the Headliners' Hall of Fame. They were inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2009.
Christine has two children, Herold and Asa; Dorothy had two, Rex and David. Phyllis has no children.
On September 7, 2012, Dorothy McGuire died at her son's home in Paradise Valley, Arizona, after suffering from Parkinson's disease and age-related dementia; she was 84. Dorothy's husband of 54 years, Lowell Williamson, died 6 months later on February 25, 2013, after sustaining a fractured back from a fall; he was 89.
Christine McGuire died in Las Vegas, Nevada in December 2018 at the age of 92.
The McGuire Sisters, and most especially Phyllis McGuire, who lives in Las Vegas, were the subjects of the 1995 HBO movie Sugartime, which depicted a romantic relationship between Phyllis and mobster Sam Giancana. Giancana was played by actor John Turturro, and Phyllis was played by actress Mary-Louise Parker.
The 1982 Robert Altman film Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean prominently features the music of The McGuire Sisters. Their #1 single "Sincerely" is lip-synced by the film's stars Cher, Karen Black and Sandy Dennis as "The Disciples of James Dean."
They performed for five US Presidents - Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush), and for Queen Elizabeth II
In 1968, they retired from public performance apart from Phyllis who continued as a solo act but they reunited seventeen years later for a number of shows.
In 1994, they were inducted into the National Broadcasting Hall of Fame and In 2001, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
Discography
Year Single (A-side, B-side)
Both sides from same album except where indicated Chart positions Album
US CB US
AC UK[15]
1953 "Picking Sweethearts"
b/w "One, Two, Three, Four" — — — — Non-album tracks
"Toodle-Ooh Siana"
b/w "Miss You" — — — —
"Where Good Times Are"
b/w "Hey, Mister Cotton Picker" — — — —
"Are You Looking for a Sweetheart"
b/w "You'll Never Know Till Monday" — — — —
1954 "Uno, Due, Tre (The Italian Square Dance)"
b/w "Lonesome Polecat" (from Musical Magic) — — — —
"Pine Tree, Pine over Me" / 26 27 — —
"Cling to Me" — 49 — —
"Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight"
b/w "Heavenly Feeling" (Non-album track) 7 8 — — By Request
"Muskrat Ramble" (see below)
b/w "Not As a Stranger" (Non-album track) — — — —
"Muskrat Ramble" / 10 9 — —
"Lonesome Polecat" 28 33 — — Musical Magic
"Christmas Alphabet"
b/w "Give Me Your Heart for Christmas" 25 34 — — Greetings from the McGuire Sisters
1955 "Sincerely" / 1 2 — 14 By Request
"No More" 17 — — 20
"Open Up Your Heart (and Let the Sun Shine In)"
b/w "Melody of Love" — — — —
"The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane"
b/w "Hearts of Stone" (non-album track) — — — —
"It May Sound Silly" / 11 14 — — Chris, Phyllis, Dottie
"Doesn't Anybody Love Me?" flip — — — Musical Magic
"Something's Gotta Give" / 5 4 — — Chris, Phyllis, Dottie
"Rhythm 'n Blues" flip 32 — — Teenage Party
"Kiss Me and Kill Me with Love"
b/w "If It's a Dream" — — — — Non-album tracks
"He"
b/w "If You Believe" 10 4 — — Greetings from the McGuire Sisters
"Give Me Love" / 95 30 — — Non-album track
"Sweet Song of India" — 34 — — Chris, Phyllis, Dottie
"Be Good To Me" / — 46 — — Teenage Party
"My Baby's Got Such Lovin' Ways" — 40 — —
"I'd Like to Trim a Tree with You"
b/w "The Littlest Angel" — — — — Greetings from the McGuire Sisters
1956 "Missing"
b/w "Tell Me Now" (non-album track) 44 36 — — Musical Magic
"Picnic" / 13 20 — — Chris, Phyllis, Dottie
"Delilah Jones" 37 36 — 24
"Weary Blues" / 32 42 — — Sugartime
"In the Alps" 63 — — —
"Ev'ry Day of My Life" / 37 33 — — Chris, Phyllis, Dottie
"Endless" 52 36 — —
"Goodnight, My Love, Pleasant Dreams"
b/w "Mommy" (from Children's Holiday) 32 23 — — Musical Magic
1957 "Kid Stuff"
b/w "Without Him" — 36 — — Musical Magic
"Blue Skies"
b/w "He's Got Time" (from Greetings from the McGuire Sisters) — — — — Do You Remember When
"Please, Don't Do That to Me"
b/w"Drownin' in Memories" — — — — Teenage Party
"Beginning to Miss You"
b/w "Rock Bottom" — — — —
"Around the World In 80 Days"
b/w "Interlude" 73 — — — Sugartime
"Kiss Them for Me"
b/w "Forgive Me" — — — —
"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"
b/w "Honorable Congratulations" — — — — Greetings from the McGuire Sisters
"Sugartime"
b/w "Banana Split" 1 7 — 14 Sugartime
1958 "Ding Dong"
b/w "Since You Went Away to School" 25 43 — —
"Volare"
b/w "Do You Love Me Like You Kiss Me" 80 — — — May You Always
"Sweetie Pie"
b/w "I'll Think of You" — — — —
1959 "May You Always"
b/w "Achoo-Cha-Cha" 11 21 — 15
"Summer Dreams" / 55 64 — — Sugartime
"Peace" 85 97 — — May You Always
"Red River Valley"
b/w "Compromise" (Non-album track) — — — — Showcase
"Some of These Days"
b/w "Have a Nice Weekend" (Non-album track) — — — —
1960 "Livin' Dangerously"
b/w "Lovers Lullaby" 97 — — — Non-album tracks
"Theme from The Unforgiven (The Need for Love)"
b/w "I Give Thanks" (Non-album track) — — — — Showcase
"The Last Dance"
b/w "Nine o'Clock" (Non-album track) 99 — — —
"To Be Loved"
b/w "I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)" — — — —
1961 "Just for Old Time's Sake"
b/w "Really Neat" (Non-album track) 20 17 — — Just for Old Time's Sake
"Tears on My Pillow"
b/w "Will There Be Space in a Space Ship" (Non-album track) 59 55 12 — Showcase
"Just Because" / 99 96 — —
"I Do, I Do, I Do" — tag — —
"I'm Just Taking My Time"
b/w "I Can Dream, Can't I" (Non-album track) — — — — Subways Are for Sleeping
1962 "Sugartime Twist"
b/w "More Hearts Are Broken That Way" 107 130 — — Showcase
"Mama's Gone, Goodbye"
b/w "I Really Don't Want to Know" — — — — Songs Everybody Knows
1963 "Summertime (Is the Time for Love)"
b/w "Cordially Invited" — — — — Non-album tracks
1964 "Now and Forever"
b/w "Never" — — — —
"Candy Heart"
b/w "Dear Heart" — — — —
"Ticket to Anywhere"
b/w "I'll Walk Alone" — — — —
1966 "Truer Than You Were"
b/w "Grazia" — — 30 — Right Now!
Phyllis McGuire solo singles
Year Single (A-side, B-side) Chart positions Album
US CB US
AC
1964 "I Don't Want to Walk Without You"
b/w "That's Life" 79 85 13 Non-album tracks
"Just a Little Lovin'"
b/w "You Don't Have the Heart to Tell Me" — — —
1965 "Run to My Arms"
b/w "Someone Else Is Taking My Place" — — —
1966 "My Happiness"
b/w "Vaya Con Dios" — — — Phyllis McGuire Sings
Heart
The McGuire Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mommy told me something
A little kid should know
It's all about the devil
And I've learned to hate him so
She said he causes trouble
When you let him in the room
He will never ever leave you
If your heart is filled with gloom
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Smilers never lose
And frowners never win
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Open up your heart and let the sun shine in
When you are unhappy
The devil wears a grin
But oh, he starts to runnin'
When the light comes pouring in
I know he'll be unhappy
'Cause I'll never wear a frown
Maybe if we keep on smiling
He'll get tired of hanging 'round
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Smilers never lose
And frowners never win
So le the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Open up your heart and let the sun shine in
If I forget to say my prayers
The devil devil jumps with glee
But he feels so awful, awful
When he sees me on my knees
So if you're full of trouble
And you never seem to win
Just open up your heart and let the sun shine in
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Smilers never lose
And frowners never win
So le the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Open up your heart and let the sun shine in
A little kid should know
It's all about the devil
And I've learned to hate him so
She said he causes trouble
When you let him in the room
He will never ever leave you
If your heart is filled with gloom
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Smilers never lose
And frowners never win
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Open up your heart and let the sun shine in
When you are unhappy
The devil wears a grin
But oh, he starts to runnin'
When the light comes pouring in
I know he'll be unhappy
'Cause I'll never wear a frown
Maybe if we keep on smiling
He'll get tired of hanging 'round
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Smilers never lose
And frowners never win
So le the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Open up your heart and let the sun shine in
If I forget to say my prayers
The devil devil jumps with glee
But he feels so awful, awful
When he sees me on my knees
So if you're full of trouble
And you never seem to win
Just open up your heart and let the sun shine in
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Smilers never lose
And frowners never win
So le the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Open up your heart and let the sun shine in
The McGuire Sister's song "Open Up Your Heart" is an uplifting and positive tune that encourages listeners to focus on the good and positive things in life rather than dwelling on negativity. The lyrics tell a story of a child who has been taught to hate the devil because he causes trouble and sadness. However, through the power of optimism and positivity, the child learns to combat the devil's negativity by letting in the light and the sun, and by wearing a smile on their face.
The song suggests that happiness and positivity can chase away negative feelings and can even make the devil run away. The repetition of the phrase "let the sun shine in" encourages listeners to open up their hearts and minds to positivity and to focus on the good things in life. The song also highlights the importance of staying true and faithful to one's values and beliefs, such as saying one's prayers and keeping a positive attitude.
Overall, "Open Up Your Heart" is a fun and uplifting song that reminds listeners that happiness is a choice and that it is always possible to find joy and positivity even in difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
Mommy told me something
The singer was taught something by their mother
A little kid should know
The message was important for young children to learn
It's all about the devil
The subject of the lesson was the devil
And I've learned to hate him so
The artist has been influenced to hate the devil
She said he causes trouble
The devil is known to cause problems
When you let him in the room
The devil can enter and cause trouble if allowed
He will never ever leave you
The devil will stay if you hold onto negative feelings
If your heart is filled with gloom
Negativity in one's heart can attract and keep the devil around
So let the sun shine in
A way to defeat the devil is to bring light into your life
Face it with a grin
Confront challenges with a positive attitude
Smilers never lose
Optimistic people often find success
And frowners never win
People who are negative face greater obstacles to success
When you are unhappy
Negative emotions can attract the devil
The devil wears a grin
The devil is pleased when people feel unhappy
But oh, he starts to runnin'
The devil is afraid of positivity and light
When the light comes pouring in
Being positive and hopeful can fend off the devil
I know he'll be unhappy
The devil does not like it when people are happy
'Cause I'll never wear a frown
The singer will keep a positive attitude to keep the devil away
Maybe if we keep on smiling
Optimism can be contagious and help others feel better too
He'll get tired of hangin' 'round
The devil will lose interest if people don't give into negativity
If I forget to say my prayers
Neglecting spiritual practices can give the devil an opportunity to cause trouble
The devil devil jumps with glee
The devil is happy when spiritual duties are ignored
But he feels so awful, awful
The devil is uncomfortable when people turn to positive spirituality
When he sees me on my knees
Kneeling to pray is a positive spiritual practice
If you're full of trouble
When you're facing difficulties
And you never seem to win
And success eludes you
Just open up your heart and let the sun shine in
Stay positive and hopeful to overcome problems and keep the devil away
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: STUART HAMBLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found