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.
Don't You Believe It
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That someone new
Has eased the pain
Of losing you
Don't you believe it
Not for a moment
Don't you believe it
Those angry words
That made us part
Put out the flame
That's in my heart
Don't you believe it
Not for a moment
Don't you believe it
Because it isn't true
I haven't changed
I still love you
And it will always be
I only hope and
I pray each night
You'll feel the
Same about me
So if you hear
Some false alarms
Like you're not welcome
In my arms
Don't you believe it
Not for a moment
Don't you believe it
Because it isn't true
Oh, how I still love you
The lyrics of Andy Williams's song Don't You Believe It are a message to an ex-lover who has moved on with someone new. The singer wants to make it clear that the rumors of his heartache being healed by the new relationship are false. When the singer claims that the pain has been eased, he wants his ex to know that it isn't true because he still hasn't moved on from the heartbreak caused by their separation. The lyrics convey a message of hurt, longing, and hope in the face of heartbreak.
The first verse sets the tone for the entire song. The singer warns his ex-lover not to be fooled by rumors that someone new has made him forget about her. He tells her not to believe it for a moment because it isn't true. The second verse refers to the reason for their separation, the angry words that made them part. The singer implies that he said things he didn't mean in the heat of the moment. The chorus repeats the warning not to believe anything but his words of love.
The bridge of the song is a declaration of love. The singer hasn't changed and he still loves his ex more than anything in the world. He hopes that she feels the same. The final verse is a plea for understanding. If the ex hears anything that indicates he doesn't want her back, it is untrue. He still loves her and hopes for a reunion.
Line by Line Meaning
If you should hear
If you happen to hear
That someone new
That I have found someone new to replace you
Has eased the pain
Has made me forget the pain of losing you
Of losing you
Of losing you from my life
Don't you believe it
You shouldn't trust it completely
Not for a moment
Not even for a short period
Because it isn't true
Because it is just a rumor
Those angry words
The harsh words we exchanged
That made us part
That led to our separation
Put out the flame
Extinguished the love
That's in my heart
That I have for you deep inside my heart
I haven't changed
I remain the same
I still love you
I love you as much as I did before
And it will always be
My love for you is eternal
I only hope and
I just hope and pray that
I pray each night
I pray every night
You'll feel the
You will realize the depth of
Same about me
Your love for me
So if you hear
If you hear a rumor
Some false alarms
Some fake news
Like you're not welcome
Like I don't want you anymore
In my arms
In my life and in my heart
Oh, how I still love you
I want you to know that I still love you very much
Contributed by Lily O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.