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
Nevertheless
The McGuire Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I knew the time had to come
When I'd be held under your thumb
I'm like a pawn in your hand
Moved and compelled, at your command
Whether it's for bad or for good
I would never change it if I could
Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong
Maybe I'm weak, maybe I'm strong
But nevertheless I'm in love with you
Maybe I'll win, maybe I'll lose
And maybe I'm in for crying the blues
But nevertheless I'm in love with you
Somehow, I know at a glance, the terrible chances I'm taking
Fine at the start, then left with a heart that is breaking
Maybe I'll live a life of regret,
And maybe I'll give much more than I get
But nevertheless, I'm in love with you
In spite of all I could do
I went ahead falling for you
So if I laugh or I cry
I made my bed, that's where I'll lie
For what happens there's no excuse
I put my own head in the noose
When I'd be held under your thumb
I'm like a pawn in your hand
Moved and compelled, at your command
Whether it's for bad or for good
I would never change it if I could
Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong
But nevertheless I'm in love with you
Maybe I'll win, maybe I'll lose
And maybe I'm in for crying the blues
But nevertheless I'm in love with you
Somehow, I know at a glance, the terrible chances I'm taking
Fine at the start, then left with a heart that is breaking
Maybe I'll live a life of regret,
And maybe I'll give much more than I get
But nevertheless, I'm in love with you
In spite of all I could do
I went ahead falling for you
So if I laugh or I cry
I made my bed, that's where I'll lie
For what happens there's no excuse
I put my own head in the noose
The song, Nevertheless by The McGuire Sisters, is about being in love with someone who holds power over the singer. The opening lines convey a sense of inevitability, as the singer knows that they will eventually be subjected to the will of the person they love. The metaphor of a pawn in someone's hand adds to this feeling, emphasizing the lack of control the singer has in this situation. Despite this, the singer declares that they would never change it if they could, showing the powerful hold that love can have over a person.
The second verse explores the singer's feelings about themselves in this situation. They wonder if they're right to continue loving this person who has power over them, or if they're making a mistake. They acknowledge their weakness and the possibility of losing, but still declare their love. The lines "somehow, I know at a glance, the terrible chances I'm taking" suggest that the singer is aware of the risk they're taking by loving this person, but cannot resist.
The final verse acknowledges that the singer's actions are their own responsibility, even if they lead to regret. The line "I put my own head in the noose" is a powerful metaphor for the singer's acceptance of the consequences of their love. Overall, the song conveys a sense of powerlessness in the face of love, and the willingness to accept whatever comes as a result.
Line by Line Meaning
I knew the time had to come
I was aware that eventually, I would be under your control
When I'd be held under your thumb
I would be made to do as you say
I'm like a pawn in your hand
You move me around as you please like a chess piece
Moved and compelled, at your command
You have complete power over me and I must obey you
Whether it's for bad or for good
Regardless if your actions are harmful or helpful
I would never change it if I could
I cannot control my love for you
Maybe I'm right, maybe I'm wrong
I am uncertain if my love for you is justified
Maybe I'm weak, maybe I'm strong
I am uncertain if my love for you makes me vulnerable or resilient
But nevertheless I'm in love with you
Despite my doubts, I cannot help but love you
Maybe I'll win, maybe I'll lose
There is no guarantee that loving you will result in a positive outcome
And maybe I'm in for crying the blues
It is possible that my love for you will cause me sadness and regret
But nevertheless I'm in love with you
Regardless of the possible negative consequences, I still love you
Somehow, I know at a glance, the terrible chances I'm taking
I am aware of the great risks I am taking by loving you
Fine at the start, then left with a heart that is breaking
Even if our relationship began well, it could end in heartbreak
Maybe I'll live a life of regret
It is possible that I will regret loving you for the rest of my life
And maybe I'll give much more than I get
It is possible that I will give more love than I will receive in return
But nevertheless, I'm in love with you
Despite these possible negative outcomes, I cannot help but love you
In spite of all I could do
Regardless of any attempts I make to resist my love for you
I went ahead falling for you
I allowed myself to fall in love with you
So if I laugh or I cry
Whether our relationship makes me happy or sad
I made my bed, that's where I'll lie
I made the decision to love you and must live with the consequences
For what happens there's no excuse
I cannot blame anyone else for the consequences of my love for you
I put my own head in the noose
I am responsible for putting myself in a dangerous situation by loving you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bert Kalmar, Herman Ruby
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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