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.
Can't Get Used To Losing You
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Guess I'll get dressed and do the town
I'll find some crowded avenue
Though, it will be empty without you
Can't get used to losin' you, no matter what I try to do
Gonna live my whole life through, loving you
After I heard her say, "Hello"
Couldn't think of anything to say
Since you're gone it happens every day
Can't get used to losin' you, no matter what I try to do
Gonna live my whole life through, loving you
I'll find somebody, wait and see
Who am I kiddin'? Only me
'Cause no one else could take your place
Guess that I am just a hopeless case
Can't get used to losin' you, no matter what I try to do
Gonna live my whole life through, loving you
I can't get used to losin' you, no matter what I try to do
Gonna live my whole life through, loving you
The lyrics to Andy Williams's song "Can't Get Used To Losing You" are about heartbreak and the struggle to move on from a failed relationship. The singer is trying his best to go on with his life without the person he loves, but he finds it difficult to adjust to life without them. The song conveys the sadness and desperation of someone who is unable to let go and move on.
The first verse describes the singer's attempt to go out and have a good time, but he cannot shake the feeling that something is missing. Despite being surrounded by people, the singer feels empty without the person he loves. The second verse shows how the singer is unable to connect with anyone else, not even an old acquaintance. He cannot bring himself to move on from the relationship and is stuck in the past.
In the final verse, the singer admits that he is not going to find anyone else to replace his lost love. He realizes that he is trapped in his own feelings and cannot seem to break free. The song suggests that some people are never able to move on from a failed relationship, and that it can be a lifelong struggle to let go of someone we once loved.
Line by Line Meaning
Guess there's no use in hangin' 'round
I realize there's no point in sticking around now that you're gone.
Guess I'll get dressed and do the town
I'll get ready and go out to keep myself busy and try to forget about you.
I'll find some crowded avenue
I'll go somewhere busy where there are lots of people around.
Though, it will be empty without you
Even though I'll be surrounded by people, it will feel empty without you here.
Can't get used to losin' you, no matter what I try to do
I can't accept the fact that I've lost you, no matter what I do to try to move on.
Gonna live my whole life through, loving you
I'll love you my whole life, even though you're no longer here with me.
Called up some girl I used to know
I reached out to an old acquaintance on the phone.
After I heard her say, "Hello"
Once she answered and said hello, I couldn't think of anything to say next.
Couldn't think of anything to say
I was so preoccupied with thoughts of you that I couldn't carry on a conversation.
Since you're gone it happens every day
Since you left me, I find myself struggling to communicate with others every day.
I'll find somebody, wait and see
I'll try to find someone else to love eventually.
Who am I kiddin'? Only me
But deep down, I know that I'm only fooling myself.
Cause no one else could take your place
The truth is, I don't think anyone else can fill the void you've left in my heart.
Guess that I am just a hopeless case
I've come to realize that I'm hopeless and I can't move on from you.
I can't get used to losin' you, no matter what I try to do
No matter how hard I try, I just can't accept the fact that you're not with me anymore.
Gonna live my whole life through, loving you
I've accepted that I'm going to love you forever, even if we can't be together.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerome Pomus, Mortimer Shuman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind