They had their first hit in 1944, with "Twilight Time," and their cover of "Peg O' My Heart," released just after the Harmonicats' version came out, contended with it for the #1 spot.
The Three Suns were a concept as much as a group, since Al Nevins dropped and added players to suit the material. In the late 1940s, the group was a quintet, with a rhythm guitar and bass added. Their first big hit, "Twilight Time," written by Morty Nevins, went on to have over 3 million air plays, according to BMI. In 1951, they recorded as a quintet with Marty Gold on organ and Larry Green on piano. They also recorded as a quartet with Ray Bohr on pipe organ (and later, on "Swinging on a Star," with R&B sax legend King Curtis!), as a sextet, a septet (with Billy Mure on second guitar), a combo of 13 (on "Perdido," 1954), and with orchestral accompaniment. Nevins himself stopped performing live in 1954 and concentrated on producing and publishing. Johnny Buck and later Joe Negri replaced him on guitar. Artie Dunn then reformed the group for live performances in 1957 with Tony Lovello on accordion and Johnny Romano on guitar. Morty Nevins went into studio work as an arranger and composer, and Al Nevins formed a music publishing house, Aldon Music, with Don Kirshner.
Aldon Music, located at 1650 Broadway, was just across the street from the legendary Brill Building. Nevins and Kirschner signed many of New York's best young songwriters and Aldon Music placed over 200 songs on the Top 40 charts, including "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and "Up On The Roof" by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, and "Uptown" by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Aldon Music was bought by Columbia Pictures-Screen Gems in 1964. Kirschner took over as head of the music company, and Al Nevins retired.
The Three Suns became considerably more experimental after Nevins formed Aldon Music. Al suffered a series of major heart attacks in the early 1960s that forced him out of performing, and he began to shift the producing work to others. Many of the later albums are credited to "Nevins, Kirschner Associate" and list no players. Al Nevins was willing to experiment with the best of them, and hired such bold arrangers as Sid Ramin, Marty Gold, and Roy Glover. He liked to toss in unusual instruments and sounds, such as the celestine, a theater pipe organ, castanets, vibes, a six-guitar combo, and what I think is a musical saw (on "One Enchanted Evening"). The best of the later albums were arranged by Charles Albertine. Nevins also recorded three albums of soft orchestral music for RCA under his own name. In the late 1960s, Morty Nevins revived the Three Suns, this time featuring Vinnie Bell on miscellaneous guitar paraphenalia and Fred Mendelsohn on organ, for Musicor Records.
Among cognoscenti, "Fever and Smoke," "Movin' and Groovin'," "On a Magic Carpet," "Twilight Memories," and "A Swingin' Thing" are considered the albums to seek out. "Danny's Inferno," from "Movin' and Groovin'," is included on more recent exotica compilations than perhaps any other cut and is one of the leading examples of a classical kitsch number.
For more information on the Three Suns in their various instantiations, check out Michael Toth's excellent website, the Three Suns Universe.
Josephine
The Three Suns Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's a flirt, she's a scamp, she's the vampiest vamp I've ever seen
It seems to me she's always flirting with the fellows passing by
But when I say she winks, then she tells me she thinks
There's a cinder in her eye
I believe it would be better if I'd leave her and forget
Everybody says it would be wise
But each time that I go out to dance with somebody else
For there's nobody quite so nice who can be quite so mean
As my gal, what a gal, Josephine
There never was a gal I could love, like I love my Josephine
She's a flirt, she's a scamp, she's the vampiest vamp I've ever seen
It seems to me she's always flirting with the fellows passing by
But when I say she winks, then she tells me she thinks
There's a cinder in her eye
I believe it would be better if I'd leave her and forget
Everybody says it would be wise
But each time that I go out to dance with somebody else
I find myself dancing with tears in my eyes
For there's nobody quite so nice who can be quite so mean
As my gal, what a gal, Josephine
The Three Suns's song "Josephine" is a story of unrequited love. The singer is expressing his deep love for a woman named Josephine who is a flirt and a scamp. He acknowledges that she is the vampiest vamp he's ever seen and is always flirting with other men, but he still loves her anyway. Despite hearing advice from others to forget her and move on, the singer can't help but feel heartbroken every time he sees her with someone else. The singer expresses his confusion and frustration at Josephine's mixed signals, as when he accuses her of flirting, she explains it away as simply having a cinder in her eye.
The lyrics of "Josephine" speak to the complexity of relationships and the heart's unwillingness to let go of someone it loves, even when logic tells us otherwise. It's a universal feeling that many people can relate to, and the song captures the pain of unrequited love in a poignant and relatable way. The melody is upbeat and catchy, but the lyrics carry a hint of sadness and melancholy - a perfect combination for a song about love and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
There never was a gal I could love, like I love my Josephine
Josephine is the true love of the singer, he loves her like no one else
She's a flirt, she's a scamp, she's the vampiest vamp I've ever seen
Josephine is a playful and seductive woman, who enjoys attention from men
It seems to me she's always flirting with the fellows passing by
The singer observes Josephine constantly interacting with other men
But when I say she winks, then she tells me she thinks There's a cinder in her eye
Whenever the singer calls out Josephine for her behavior, she innocently denies any wrongdoing
I believe it would be better if I'd leave her and forget, Everybody says it would be wise
Despite advice from others to move on, the singer can't bring himself to let go of Josephine
But each time that I go out to dance with somebody else, I find myself dancing with tears in my eyes
When the singer tries to move on, he feels heartbroken and can't enjoy himself with other women
For there's nobody quite so nice who can be quite so mean, As my gal, what a gal, Josephine
The singer recognizes Josephine's good qualities, but also acknowledges that she can be cruel and hurtful
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PINA KOLLARS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind