Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive

My word! Who would have thought that any of the Andrews Sisters was still alive?

But yesterday Patty Andrews, youngest member of that fabulous vocal group, celebrated her 88th birthday. Inspiration for hundreds of impersonators, drag queens and fancy dress parties, the girls were wildly successful in the dark days of WW2 and brightened everyone's mood with their brand of swing harmony.

Their influence carries on and on - in the music of Bette Midler, the Puppini Sisters, and lately Christina Aguilera, and we owe them a huge debt for their camp contribution to female vocal styling... Happy birthday, Patty!!

Bing Crosby with The Andrews Sisters - Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive

You got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive
E-lim-i-nate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister in-between!

You got to spread joy up to the maximum
Bring gloom down to the minimum
And have faith, or pandemonium
Liable to walk upon the scene

To illustrate my last remark
Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark,
What did they do, just when everything looked so dark?
Man, they said, we better

Ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive
E-lim-i-nate the negative
And latch on to the affirmative
Don't mess with Mister in-between!

Andrews Sisters official website