He first performed in a children's choir at his local Presbyterian church. Williams and his three older brothers Bob, Dick, and Don, formed a quartet, the Williams Brothers, in the late 1930s. The brothers performed on radio in the Midwest, first at WHO in Des Moines, Iowa, and later at WLS in Chicago and WLW in Cincinnati. Williams graduated from Western Hills High School in Cincinnati. They appeared with Bing Crosby on the hit record "Swinging on a Star" (1944). This led to a nightclub act with entertainer Kay Thompson from 1947 to 1951.
Williams's solo career began in 1952 after his brothers left the act. He recorded six sides for RCA's label "X," but none of them were popular hits. After landing a spot as a regular on Steve Allen's Tonight Show in 1955, he was signed to a recording contract with Cadence Records, a small label in New York run by conductor Archie Bleyer. His third single, "Canadian Sunset" (1956) hit the Top Ten, and was soon followed his only Billboard #1 hit, "Butterfly" (a cover of a Charlie Gracie record on which Williams imitated Elvis Presley). More hits followed, including "The Hawaiian Wedding Song," "Are You Sincere," "The Village of St. Bernadette," and "Lonely Street," before Williams moved to Columbia Records in 1961, having moved from New York to Los Angeles. In terms of chart popularity, the Cadence era was Williams's peak although songs he introduced on Columbia became much bigger standards. Two top ten hits from the Cadence era, "Butterfly" and "I Like Your Kind of Love" were apparently believed to not suit Williams's later style; they were not included on a Columbia reissue of his Cadence greatest hits in the 1960s.
During the 1960s, Williams became one of the most popular vocalists in the country and signed what was to that time the biggest recording contract in history. He was primarily an album artist, and at one time he had earned more gold albums than any solo performer except Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. By 1973 he had earned as many as 17 gold album awards. Among his hit albums from this period were Moon River, Days of Wine and Roses (number one for 16 weeks in mid-1963), The Andy Williams Christmas Album, Dear Heart, The Shadow of Your Smile, Love, Andy, Get Together with Andy Williams, and Love Story. In these recordings Williams displays an incredible vocal technique along with an uncanny ability to make each song his very own, often rivaling or surpassing the version by the original artist. These attributes, along with his natural affinity for the music of the 1960s and early 1970s, combined to make him one of the premier easy listening singers of that era.
Williams forged an indirect collaborative relationship with Henry Mancini, although they never recorded together. Williams was asked to sing Mancini and Johnny Mercer's song "Moon River" at the 1962 Oscar Awards (where it won), and it quickly became Williams's theme song. This was repeated the next year with the pair's "Days of Wine and Roses" (which also won), Mancini's "Dear Heart" at the 1965 awards and "The Sweetheart Tree" (also written with Mercer) at the 1966 awards.
Williams also competed in the teenage-oriented singles market as well and had several charting hits including "Can't Get Used to Losing You," "Happy Heart," and "Where Do I Begin", the theme song from the 1970 blockbuster film, Love Story. Building on his experience with Allen and some short-term variety shows in the 1950s, he became the star of his own weekly television variety show in 1962. This series, The Andy Williams Show, won three Emmy Awards for outstanding variety program. Among his series regulars were the Osmond Brothers. He gave up the variety show in 1971 while it was still popular and retrenched to three specials per year. His Christmas specials, which appeared regularly until 1974 and intermittently from 1982 into the 1990s, were among the most popular of the genre. Williams has recorded eight Christmas albums over the years. He hosted the Grammy Awards for three consecutive years in the 1970s. He returned to television to do a syndicated half-hour series in 1976-77.
In the early 1990s, Williams gave up most of his touring schedule in order to open his own theatre in Branson, Missouri, the Andy Williams Moon River Theater. He continues to do 8 to 12 shows a week from September to December and occasionally makes tours of Europe earlier in the year.
His 1967 recording of "Music to Watch Girls By" was a surprise UK hit in 1999, when it reached number 9 after featuring in an advert (beating the original peak of number 33 in 1967). In 2002 he took part in a new duet of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" with British actress and singer Denise van Outen. Nearly everything Williams ever recorded has now been made available on CD through a series of compilations from 1997 to 2004.
Williams met Claudine Longet when he pulled over to aid her on a Las Vegas road. She was a dancer at the time at the Folies Bergere. They married on Christmas Day, 1961, and had three children, Noelle, Christian, and Robert. They separated in 1969 and finally divorced 6 years later. In 1976 Longet was charged with fatally shooting her boyfriend, skier Vladimir "Spider" Sabich and Williams supported her. He married a second time in May 1991 to the former Debbie Haas. They make their homes at Branson, Missouri and La Quinta, California. Williams' homes have been featured in Architectural Digest, and he is a noted collector of modern art. Williams is an avid golfer. He hosted a major golf tournament in San Diego for many years, which was known as the Andy Williams San Diego Open during that time.
Williams' birthplace is a tourist attraction open most of the year.
Be Mine Tonight
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tonight there will be no morning star
Tonight, tonight, I'll see my love tonight.
And for us, stars will stop where they are.
Today the minutes seem like hours,
The hours go so slowly,
And still the sky is light
Oh moon, grow bright,
And make this endless day endless night!
Tonight
Today, the world was just an address
A place for me to live in
No better than alright
But here you are,
and what was just a world is a star
Tonight
The song "Tonight," made popular by Andy Williams, is a beautiful love song that speaks of the intensity and excitement of seeing a loved one after a long time. The lyrics speak of the significance of the night that they will be reunited, where the stars will stop and the world will be transformed. The opening lines, "Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night, tonight there will be no morning star" suggests that this is a special night, unlike any other night. There will be no morning star, which is typically visible before dawn. This highlights the significance of the night, indicating that it is a night filled with passion and romance.
As the verse progresses, the lyrics speak of the time that the lovers have been apart. The minutes seem like hours, and the hours seem to pass slowly. The anticipation of the reunion is almost unbearable, with the sky still lit, the moon becomes the only hope, an emotional plea for it to grow bright and create an endless day.
In the second verse, the lyrics explain how the world was just a place for the singer to live in. But with their lover's arrival, the world is transformed into a star, metaphorically suggesting that their lover's presence brings light to their life. The chorus follows suit, offering the hope of the night, which marks the culmination of their separation, and the beginning of their togetherness.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night,
This night would not be like any other night so far
Tonight there will be no morning star
There won't be any morning star tonight
Tonight, tonight, I'll see my love tonight.
Tonight, I will meet my love whom I have been waiting for
And for us, stars will stop where they are.
The stars will come to a halt for us tonight
Today the minutes seem like hours,
Time is moving very slow for me today
The hours go so slowly,
The hours are slow and seem like an eternity
And still the sky is light
It's still day time and the sky is bright
Oh moon, grow bright,
I wish for the moon to shine brightly
And make this endless day endless night!
I long for the day to end and for the night to never end
Today, the world was just an address
The world was just a place with no real meaning
A place for me to live in
It was just a place where I existed
No better than alright
It was just okay, nothing special
But here you are,
Now that I have found you
and what was just a world is a star
The world has become a star because of your presence
Tonight
The night that I have been dreaming of and waiting for
Contributed by Ava L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
AnYohMud
There's the setting sun, the evening's just begun
And love is in the air
Be mine, be mine tonight
At a time like this, would you refuse the kiss
I'm begging you to share?
Be mine, be mine tonight
Promise this, my own, before the night has flown
You'll tell me that you care
And hold me tight
Whisper love words, oh so tender
Give your kissing sweet surrender
Let your heart be mine tonight
Promise this, my own, before the night has flown
You'll tell me that you care
And hold me tight
Whisper love words, sweet and tender
Then I'll kiss you, I'll surrender
Let your heart be mine tonight
Celluloidwatcher
Love this tune with its Latin uptempo sound. Must have been on the flip side of Are You Sincere? From '58. Thanks for posting.
The45Prof
You're most welcome...glad that you like it. Yes, it was the flip (see the video's written description).