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.
I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He sounds too blue to fly
The midnight train is whining low
I'm so lonesome I could cry
I've never seen a night so long
When time goes crawling by
The moon just went behind a cloud
To hide its face and cry
Did you ever see a robin weep
When leaves began to die?
That means he's lost the will to live
I'm so lonesome I could cry
The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky
And as I wonder where you are
I'm so lonesome I could cry
In "I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry," Andy Williams sings about a deep sadness and loneliness. He compares himself to a whippoorwill, a nighttime bird known for its mournful call. Williams notes that the whippoorwill sounds "too blue to fly," suggesting that his own sadness is so heavy that he feels grounded. He describes the sound of a midnight train as "whining low," likening it to his own sense of pain. Williams is so lonely that he feels as if nights are never-ending and time is dragging on. He even notes that the moon has gone behind a cloud to cry, indicating that even nature is mourning with him.
In the second verse, Williams talks about a robin weeping when leaves begin to die. He suggests that this means the bird has "lost the will to live." Williams then repeats the chorus, emphasizing that he is so lonely that he could cry. He concludes the song by describing the silence of a falling star. He notes that it can light up a purple sky, but even this natural wonder cannot alleviate his loneliness. He wonders where his loved one is, and this uncertainty only adds to his sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
Did you hear that lonesome whippoorwill
Have you ever heard the cry of a whippoorwill? Its sound is so sad and lonely, it seems like it cannot even fly.
He sounds too blue to fly
The whippoorwill's cry is filled with so much sadness that it seems like it cannot even fly.
The midnight train is whining low
The sound of a distant train in the middle of the night is a reminder of how lonely and isolated the singer feels.
I'm so lonesome I could cry
The singer feels extremely lonely and sad, to the point where crying seems like the only way to express it.
I've never seen a night so long
The night seems endless and never-ending, as time passes by so slowly and painfully.
When time goes crawling by
Time seems to move very slowly and painfully, exacerbating the singer's feelings of loneliness.
The moon just went behind a cloud
Just when it seemed like the moon's light might offer some comfort, it disappears behind a cloud, making everything seem even darker and more hopeless.
To hide its face and cry
The singer imagines that the moon is crying too, hiding its face behind a cloud in sorrow and loneliness.
Did you ever see a robin weep
Have you ever seen a robin cry? If a robin is crying, it must mean that it has lost all hope and will to live.
When leaves began to die?
The onset of autumn, when leaves start to wither and die, is a reminder of how fleeting and temporary life can be.
That means he's lost the will to live
If a robin is crying, it suggests that it has lost all motivation and desire to live.
The silence of a falling star
The moment when a shooting star falls quietly from the sky is a reminder of how tiny and insignificant we are in the grand scheme of things.
Lights up a purple sky
The star's fall illuminates the night sky with a temporary burst of purple light, before fading away into darkness again.
And as I wonder where you are
The singer is consumed with thoughts of someone they miss and long for, whose absence only makes their loneliness more acute.
I'm so lonesome I could cry
Once again, the singer expresses the depth of their loneliness and despair, which feels like it could overwhelm them at any moment.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Hank Williams, Sr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
LoveTheOConnor
Love it, Jim!! The feeling Andy always put in his singing just gives me chills. Such a beautiful version of this. Love your gorgeous backgrounds, and I was tickled to see lovely Ms. Sheridan included! Thanks so much for sharing, my friend, hope your week is off to a great start :)
Jymster46
So glad you liked it Heather! He was a very special singer, for sure. Thank you so much for watching it and for your great comments! It was about time to include the lovely Ms. Sheridan in a video again...so glad you noticed. Jim
Jymster46
Hi Regina! I am so happy that you had such a wonderful time! Something that you will never forget, I'm sure. Thank you so much for listening to this tune from Mr. Williams and thank you too for the hug. I am sending one right back to You! Take care my friend. Jim
regina garrido
Hi Jim!!!!How are you doing? Thanks for this melody with Andy. Jim although I feel like the lyrics I'm listening to I'm really happy after having been 8hrs x 2 with André Rieu.I was even interviewed by TV13, I really can't believe it was another dream come true, I attended the sound test, had dinner with all the members of the orch., then the concert,and a cocktail where we could chat and have pics. with them. (2 means twice) Have a nice time my friend Jim. A hug Regina..