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.
Domino
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That heaven has sent me
Domino, Domino, you're a devil
Designed to torment me
When your heart must know
That I love you so
Tell me why, tell me why
Domino, Domino, won't you tell me
You'll never desert me?
Domino, Domino, if you stay
I don't care how you hurt me
Fate has made you so
You can't change, I know
You can't change, though you try
But then neither can I, Domino
Just one look in your eyes
And I melt with desire
Just a touch of your hands
And I burst into fire
And my whole world fills with music
When I'm lost in your embrace
But I know that you're fickle
And I'm not misled
Each attractive new face
That you see turns your head
And it scares me that tomorrow
Someone else may take my place
Domino, Domino, you're an angel
That heaven has sent me
Domino, Domino, you're a devil
Designed to torment me
When your heart must know
That I love you so
Tell me why, tell me why
Why do you make me cry, Domino?
Domino, Domino, I'll forgive
Anything that you do
Domino, Domino, nothing matters
If I have you
In "Domino," Andy Williams sings about a love interest who is both an angel and a devil in his life. The song begins with Williams describing this person as an angel that was sent from heaven to be with him, but is also a devil who is designed to torment him. As the song continues, Williams expresses his love for Domino, telling her that he doesn't care if she hurts him as long as she doesn't desert him. He also acknowledges that fate has made her the way she is and that she cannot change, just as he cannot change.
Williams then describes the intense desire he has for Domino, saying that her touch ignites a fire within him that fills his world with music. However, he also recognizes that she is fickle and is easily attracted to other people, and he fears that someone else may take his place. Despite her flaws, Williams is still willing to forgive Domino for anything she does because he believes that nothing else matters as long as he has her.
Line by Line Meaning
Domino, Domino, you're an angel
The person addressed as Domino is an angelic figure in the singer's mind
That heaven has sent me
This person has been sent from above and is special to the singer
Domino, Domino, you're a devil
On the other hand, Domino is also causing pain like a devil
Designed to torment me
They are designed to inflict emotional pain on the artist
When your heart must know
The artist believes that deep down, Domino knows how they feel
That I love you so
The singer is in love with Domino
Tell me why, tell me why
The singer is seeking answers to their pain
Why do you make me cry, Domino?
The artist is asking why Domino is causing them to cry
Domino, Domino, won't you tell me
The artist wants clarity from Domino
You'll never desert me?
The artist wants reassurance that their love for them is reciprocated
Domino, Domino, if you stay
If the person addressed as Domino stays with the singer,
I don't care how you hurt me
The artist is willing to take on any pain inflicted by Domino
Fate has made you so
The way that Domino is, is predetermined by fate
You can't change, I know
The singer knows that Domino cannot change their nature
You can't change, though you try
Domino may try to change but they will ultimately fail
But then neither can I, Domino
The artist is acknowledging that change is not easy for anyone
Just one look in your eyes
The artist is highly attracted to Domino
And I melt with desire
Their attraction to Domino is intense
Just a touch of your hands
Physical touch from Domino is highly desired by the singer
And I burst into fire
The physical touch ignites a strong feeling in the artist
And my whole world fills with music
Being around Domino makes everything seem better and the artist happy
When I'm lost in your embrace
The artist is seeking intimacy and comfort in Domino's embrace
But I know that you're fickle
The singer knows that Domino can be capricious and unreliable
And I'm not misled
The artist is not confused about Domino's true nature
Each attractive new face
Domino is easily wooed by other attractive individuals
That you see turns your head
Domino can easily be swayed by external factors
And it scares me that tomorrow
The singer is afraid of losing Domino
Someone else may take my place
The artist worries that someone else might replace their position in Domino's life
Domino, Domino, I'll forgive
The artist is willing to forgive Domino for their flaws and faults
Anything that you do
They are accepting of any action or behavior from Domino
Domino, Domino, nothing matters
The singer believes that nothing else matters except being with Domino
If I have you
The only thing that makes a difference is having Domino by their side
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAVID CERATI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@coniesshioguimasue9373
amazing voice
@guidofarage7457
Glorious music
@chrisfrazerskinner9801
yes i have got thia album its great.
@mercedesarb6488
yo y encantada de descubrirlo
@ecardon1
one of the songs from Andy's Under Paris Skies album recorded in Paris. Great album if you can find it.
@art2liv4
Great arrangement (maybe a bit busy) of a favorite song.
@michellauzon4640
a bit busy!! They ruined the song.
@marcelamachado7258
Quien llegó hasta aquí gracias a Shakira y william mebarak 😜
@michellauzon4640
What is this American sickness to change slow foreign songs in swing?