songs like this are what made 70s radio so wonderfully eclectic. After this played it wouldn't be uncommon to go to Alice Cooper or Aerosmith, then to Diana Ross, then to Bowie or the Stones etc. Top 40 was so much fun.
i remember watching this on TV when it was new. I was favorably impressed that video technology had progressed to where there could be three Bette Midlers like this, so sharp and with no distortion. I was also happy that she'd recorded a new version of this song, which had been one of my favorites for years from listening to my parents old records from the 1930s and '40s starting from when I'd been only about 5 years old.
YES! This is what I listened to on the radio as a young kid in the 70s! This is the version that I learned to love and appreciate... Of course The Andrews Sisters originated the tune, but I've always thought the brass arrangement on this version was more flavorful than the original...
Me too! This is the arrangement I remember. I had this on 45 rpm single and practically wore it out playing it on repeat, driving my family crazy in the process. I’m sure this is what inspired me to take up jazz myself (saxophone, not brass).
I think we can credit some piano player by the name of Barry Manilow for the arrangement. 98% sure that is correct. He played for Bette for years until his career took off.
....this is FAAAAAABULOUS, I've never seen this! ...Love the Album cover as the backdrop, & Bette's giving us an acting Tour De Force here, also...playing THREE different Sisters, and staying in the character(s), throughout the choreography!! ...VERY hard to do, in this time period (1973)! ...She was here to STAY, after this!
Way, way back many centuries ago, this came out in my later years of college. As a fan of the Andrews Sisters as well as Bette, I immediately fell in love. In our senior year, Theatre majors were expected to pass a 4 year comprehensive test of everything we'd learned - pass/fail. My study partner (a very dear friend to this day) and I worked up a dance routine to this song, in order to have something to celebrate with (we were confident we would pass!) I give all the credit to Val, as I have two left feet, she choreographed and put up with my klutziness! After results were announced, the theatre dept. students gathered at the local Ramada Inn (hey, there was much else to go to in that town!) to celebrate. Upon our arrival, I loaded the jukebox with quarters and punched in this song several times, knowing that eventually the live band would take a break and the jukebox would take over. Sure enough, the band took a break, the dance floor cleared, and our song came on! We raced to the floor, and proceeded with our routine, something similar to the opening of "Swing Kids", though not nearly that complex! We were great!!! Got great cheers and applause (what else would a theatre major want?) and didn't pay for our drinks for the rest of the night! Putting all that towards one's side, we all 4 passed, and I got a one and only HIGH PASS, for missing only one point on the entire test (answered Othello instead of Otello!) One of the high points of my life, another being getting Best Actor In Musical Award for Charlie in "Tintypes", much to the chagrin of staff member who wanted the part, and I was called down to Akron from Cleveland for the part!
Lol! We were in college around the same time, you in theater, me in music. My friend Joel Bloom and I would listen to the entire album while doing homework. Peace brother! Great story!
Shirley D Only the Divine One can get away with this!! 😉😀This is one of her THREE signature songs (the others being "Friends" & "Wind Beneath My Wings"). 🎶🎵🎤
she was never a true "beauty,",, but she sure is so beautiful today,,, gets better with age,, love her always,,, u are the best Miss Bette,,,,,the song, the Wind beneath my wings, was sung at my grandpa's funeral,, and i cry like a big ole baby every time i hear it,, or ur voice for that matter
I remember hearing this on the radio back in 1973; a remake of the 1940's and liked it as a teenage 16 y/o boy then in high school in Lodi California when living there in that city was awesome!!!
i had this on a 45 when i was 13 (1973). so nice to see this. i like Bette's rendition of this song even more than the original. also love her doing, "Do You Wanna Dance." she's marvelous.
beauty for ashes I was 14 & a high school freshman when it came out in 1973, & I also bought the 45. You know it's a hit when somebody like me - who liked The Beatles, Deep Purple, & other rock bands, & generally HATED the music my parents loved & played - rushed out & bought this 45. Back then, songs that didn't fit with the times were called novelty songs.
Yeah! This was Bette's first big hit. I was 20 in 1973 in Nursing School and I listened to it on the radio so many times. I like her more upbeat version better than the Andrew Sisters too. It's a great old song.
The first time I heard Bette singing this, I was thirteen, and I asked my friend if she was a fan of WWII music. I was so surprised that it was a moder day singer. Love Bette's delivery. Love those 40's style trousers. I really thought she was the Andrews sisters.
Oh wow! I remember hearing this version when I was kid but until just now I didn’t realize it was Midler’s version I had listened to. Which explains why the original by the Andrew sisters didn’t sound like the one I remembered. I like Midler’s version more than the original.
What i love is how bette midler made it so easy for us as the audience to figure out each "sisters" personality and back story. We have the red outfit one, who is the eldest sister, she's reserved and does everything perfect and correctly. Her hair isn't down because that isn't a propper lady. Her performing is when she really lets loose but thats it. The regular bette in yellow is the middle sister who is the star if the group, she has the most talent and is just waiting to be discovered and have her big break. She is the most natural at performing and really goes for it each time cause she loves everything about the stage. She also has the biggest opportunity ti make it out of the group and go solo, which is okay cause fame is her end goal tot take care of the family and do what she loves! The youngest sister in purple is the silly vamp of the group. She is the most sexually appealing and does this as a way to show off her sexuality and sensuality. She loves letting her hair down and going to the bars and performing to the many suitors she wants to drive crazy with her charm and good looks.
Alex Swish. Swish. Fish. What makes you think that?. Look for the original version by the Andrew sisters and you’ll see where she got the idea.Edit: Oh I see ! 3 of her. Yeah you’re right 😂
Just wish Christina Aguilera didn’t porn it up, it would have been a great remake with her fabulous voice and my grandchildren could have enjoyed it with me. Too bad!
Never saw the original special so I never saw this. Before VHS / DVD / DVR / WWW if you missed it you could only read about it and imagine. But now you can download the clip to your smartphone and enjoy it anytime you like. Everything Bette does has the energy that makes it look like it was done last week. She's timeless!
Yes! This is the arrangement of the song that I once had on a 45 record and played incessantly on repeat trying to parse out the lyrics ( much to the annoyance of my family!). To me this was the arrangement that defined the song, to the extent that hearing the Andrews Sisters original seemed “off”. I had forgotten that this was recorded by the great Bette Midler. Classic!
Bette's version of this song helped me to discover The Andrew Sisters. Interestingly, Christina Aguilera used the same technique (though more sophisticated than 1973) in her video "Candyman."
Thank you for posting this! I read where Bette said in an interview that after her mom saw this, which was taped in London and ended up being the version that became the hit single, asked Bette: "Where did they get those two girls who looked so much like you?" You gotta love it!
I remember when I first saw her on.....could have been Mike Douglas....when she did this number with two other girls dressed in uniform. One of her first television appearances. Her act was so different and unique that I knew then that she'd become a big star. I honestly did. Plus, she had a unique...sort of old-fashioned... look about herself which I found very appealing.
These days, anybody can clone and sing harmony with themselves in a video by just using their smartphones, but back in 1973, without personal computers or digital cameras, this was cutting edge technology. I remember in 1972, seeing Julie Andrews talk and sing with herself as Eliza Doolittle and Mary Poppins and was completely amazed by it, but when I saw Bette flesh out all three Andrews Sisters in what is, arguably, their most dynamic number, I was completely blown away! With no personal video recorders in those days, this clip was just a happy memory that I would bring back by listening to the 45 record I bought immediately after seeing this show. This memory was SO BIG, that when I just watched this, a little squeezed out and rolled down my cheek. Thanks for posting this!
Someone less talented would’ve played all three parts the same way - she gave each of them separate personalities and saved the star turns for “the girl in the middle.”
I saw this special when it first aired. This was my favorite part. If memory serves I saw this one other time on you tube and then it got taken down. So this is only the second time I have been able to enjoy it since it originally aired. She is so young and full of energy here, and of course she sings the song brilliantly...all 3 of her. I have see her live twice and she is truly an amazing performer. Don, thank you so much for this post!!!
Oh. The divine miss m. Those were the days. Barry manilow and Bill Hennessy created the best drag act ever from a mediocre talent ( look at the David frost videos). The excitement at her performances was unbelievable. I had never seen anything like her. Greatest entertainer around until she abandoned the character around 1978. I wish Barry and she had recorded the American songbook before they parted ways. Watch miss m at the continental baths on RU-vid to see what created the legend.
@@ziegeeldenso8281 bill hennessy used to go in and tell her to “remember the joy”. Vilanch started writing for her in the early 70’s. Funny, but she had to abandon miss m to deliver his lines. Plus Barry’s arrangements and direction were perfect for her. Wish they stayed together. I think they were both better together than separately. Schlock soon followed for both. But lots of money and fame.
