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.
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
The Three Suns Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
It doesn't show signs of stopping
And I've bought some corn for popping
The lights are turned way down low
When we finally kiss goodnight
How I'll hate going out in the storm!
But if you'll really hold me tight
All the way home I'll be warm
The fire is slowly dying
And, my dear, we're still goodbying
But as long as you love me so
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
The song "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" has become a holiday classic since it was first recorded in 1944 by the American trio, The Three Suns. The song features a sentimental melody with lyrics that evoke the cozy feeling of being inside on a cold winter night. The lyrics describe a couple snuggled up by the fire, watching the snowfall outside. They have no reason to leave their cozy abode, so they "let it snow!" The singer expresses a desire to stay inside and cuddle up with his sweetheart until the snow stops falling.
The lyrics use a metaphor for love and warmth, comparing the snow outside to the coldness of the world, and the warmth of the fire to the love of the couple. The songwriter adeptly uses the imagery of the snowstorm to depict the vulnerability and closeness of the couple, as they struggle through the storm together. The lyrics in the final verse are a bit bittersweet, as it's clear that the couple must eventually separate, but the song ends on a warm note, with the couple having each other to hold onto.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the weather outside is frightful
The weather outside is very cold and miserable.
But the fire is so delightful
The fire is very warm and pleasant.
And since we've no place to go
We have nowhere else to be.
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
We should embrace the snow even though it may be inconvenient.
It doesn't show signs of stopping
The snow is still falling and doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
And I've bought some corn for popping
I have prepared some popcorn for us to enjoy indoors.
The lights are turned way down low
The lights have been dimmed to create a cozy atmosphere.
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
We should continue to enjoy the snow and our indoor activities.
When we finally kiss goodnight
As we end our evening together with a kiss goodbye.
How I'll hate going out in the storm!
I am dreading the thought of facing the snowy weather outside.
But if you'll really hold me tight
If you hold me close and warm me up, I won't mind going out in the snow.
All the way home I'll be warm
Your embrace will keep me warm and comfortable all the way home.
The fire is slowly dying
The fire is starting to burn out and lose its warmth.
And, my dear, we're still goodbying
We are still saying our goodbyes and ending our time together.
But as long as you love me so
As long as we have our love for each other, we will be okay.
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
Let's not worry about the cold weather and focus on our love and enjoyment of the moment.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jan Geden
Thanks for posting this - one of my favorite albums growing up.
Michael Friedman
Lovely musical performance!
LAMBKILLER
@jangeden1 My family had this when I was growing up, too. It brings back great memories. I only wish I had thought to look this up at X-mas time.