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.
Call Me
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a service I can render
Tell the one who loves you only
I can be so warm and tender
Call me
Don't be afraid, you can call me
Maybe it's late, but just call me
When it seems your friends desert you,
There's somebody thinking of you
I'm the one who'll never hurt you
Maybe that's because I love you
Call me
Don't be afraid, you can call me
Maybe it's late, but just call me
Tell me, and I'll be around
Now, don't forget me
'Cause if you let me,
I will always stay by you
You gotta trust me
That's how it must be
There's so much that I can do
If you call, I'll be right with you
You and I should be together
Take this love I long to give you
I'll be at your side forever
Call me
Don't be afraid, you can call me
Maybe it's late, but just call me
Tell me, and I'll be around
Call me
Don't be afraid, you can call me
Maybe it's late, but just call me
Tell me, and I'll be around
Now, don't forget me
'Cause if you let me,
I will always stay by you
You gotta trust me
That's how it must be
There's so much that I can do
If you call, I'll be right with you
You and I should be together
Take this love I long to give you
I'll be at your side forever
Call me
Don't be afraid, you can call me
Maybe it's late, but just call me
Tell me, and I'll be around
You gotta call me
Call me now
The song “Call Me” by Andy Williams is a romantic ballad that speaks about comfort, support, and being there for a loved one, no matter what. The lyrics convey a message of hope and encouragement, letting the listener know that they are not alone and that the singer is always there for them. The opening lines of the song suggest that if someone is feeling sad and lonely, the singer can offer comfort and warmth. With the invitation to 'call me', the song highlights the importance of reaching out when in need and the value of having someone to turn to for support.
The second verse of the song talks about the fear of abandonment, with the idea that even when friends seem to desert the listener, the singer will always be there for them. The chorus repeats the message of unconditional love and support, emphasising that the singer will be there no matter what, and encourages the listener to call the singer.
The third verse of the song suggests that the singer is not just offering emotional support, but is also offering a promise of lifelong commitment. The song ends with the singer urging the listener to not forget them and to call them whenever they need them.
Overall, the song “Call Me” is a touching ballad about unconditional love and support, and the importance of being there for the people we care about.
Line by Line Meaning
If you're feeling sad and lonely,
If you're feeling down and alone,
There's a service I can render
I can offer you my help
Tell the one who loves you only
Inform the person who loves you most
I can be so warm and tender
I can be loving and gentle
Call me
Get in touch with me
Don't be afraid, you can call me
Don't hesitate to reach out to me
Maybe it's late, but just call me
Even if it's late, just give me a call
Tell me, and I'll be around
Speak your mind, and I'll be there for you
When it seems your friends desert you,
When it feels like your friends have abandoned you,
There's somebody thinking of you
Remember that someone cares about you
I'm the one who'll never hurt you
I am the person who won't cause you pain
Maybe that's because I love you
Maybe it's because I love you
Now, don't forget me
But don't let me slip your mind
'Cause if you let me,
Because if you allow me to,
I will always stay by you
I will always be there for you
You gotta trust me
Trust me
That's how it must be
That's just how it is
There's so much that I can do
I have so much to offer you
You and I should be together
We should be together
Take this love I long to give you
Accept the love I want to give you
I'll be at your side forever
I'll always be by your side
You gotta call me
You have to contact me
Call me now
Call me immediately
Contributed by Sophie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ben2715
Great, high energy rendition with Andy's usual, compelling performance. Too bad the video/audio momentarily skips in some of the best parts of this jazzy arrangement.