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 Like Your Kind of Love
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hmm, honey babe, I like your kind of love
That's good, baby, that's good
Honey babe, I like the way that you walk by
I like the way you swing your eye
I like your kind of love
That's good, baby, that's good
Every night I like the way you beg for more
And linger there outside the door
I like your kind of love
That's good, baby, that's good
Well, well, well, ain't it swell (ooh ha)
Can't reveal how I feel
And no one else could ever thrill me like you do
You make my every dream come true
I like your kind of love
That's good, baby, that's good
Oh honey babe (ooh ha), ooh honey babe (ooh ha)
Hmm, honey babe
I like your kind of love
That's good, baby, that's good
Honey baby I like the way you wear your clothes
My love for you just grows and grows
I like your kind of love
Honey you know I do
When you're near you don't know what you do to me
And that's the way it oughta be
I like your kind of love
Honey you know I do
Don't you know that I love you so (ooh ha)
Can't you see that you're for me (ooh ha)
Honey babe I like the way you hold my hand
To make me know you understand
I like your kind of love
Honey you know I do
Oh honey babe (ooh ha), oo honey babe (ooh ha)
Hmm, honey babe
I like your kind of love
That's good, baby, that's good
Ooh, honey babe I like your kind of love
That's good, baby, that's good
The lyrics to "I Like Your Kind of Love" by Andy Williams express a deep admiration and love for a significant other's unique qualities. The singer starts with a repetition of "Honey babe" and "ooh ha" to show affection and sets the tone for his declaration of love. He then goes on to describe the way the person walks and moves, emphasizing how much he enjoys watching them. The line "Every night I like the way you beg for more / And linger there outside the door" suggests a physical relationship or one where the person is always seeking more from the singer.
The chorus repeats the title of the song, with the singer reaffirming that he likes this person's type of love, and it's good. The second verse focuses more on the person's clothing and how the singer's love for them keeps growing. The next line, "When you're near you don't know what you do to me / And that's the way it oughta be," reveals how much they mean to the singer, and that their presence alone creates a strong emotional response in him. The song ends with the singer confessing his love and expressing how much he appreciates the person's understanding of him.
Overall, the song expresses a deep fondness for the person and acknowledges their unique characteristics and the things they do that bring the singer happiness. It's a simple yet powerful declaration of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Honey babe (ooh ha), oh honey babe (ooh ha)
Addressing the person he loves affectionately.
Hmm, honey babe, I like your kind of love
I really enjoy the love you give me.
That's good, baby, that's good
It makes me happy and satisfied.
Honey babe, I like the way that you walk by
I appreciate your style as you walk by.
I like the way you swing your eye
I like the way you use your eyes to express yourself.
Every night I like the way you beg for more
I enjoy how you always ask for more love every night.
And linger there outside the door
You always leave softly and slowly.
Well, well, well, ain't it swell (ooh ha)
This is amazing!
Can't reveal how I feel
I can't express my love in words.
And no one else could ever thrill me like you do
No one else can excite me like you do.
You make my every dream come true
You fulfill all my dreams.
I like your kind of love
I really enjoy the way you express love.
Oh honey babe (ooh ha), ooh honey babe (ooh ha)
Addressing the person he loves affectionately.
Hmmm, honey babe
Addressing the person he loves affectionately.
I like the way you wear your clothes
I appreciate the way you dress.
My love for you just grows and grows
My love for you keeps growing.
Honey you know I do
I really do like your kind of love.
When you're near you don't know what you do to me
You have such a strong effect on me when you're close.
And that's the way it oughta be
This is how love is supposed to be.
Honey you know I do
I really enjoy your kind of love.
Don't you know that I love you so (ooh ha)
Expressing his love explicitly.
Can't you see that you're for me (ooh ha)
Hoping that the person realizes they belong together.
Honey babe I like the way you hold my hand
He loves the way she holds his hand.
To make me know you understand
It's a sign of empathy and understanding.
Ooh, honey babe I like your kind of love
Reinforcing his love for the person's way of showing love.
That's good, baby, that's good
It makes me happy and satisfied.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Melvin Endsley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John James
Great tune. Very different from the other ‘57 hits. Clever use of harmonies. Peggy adds a great dimension. Romantic in a fun way.
steve driver
i heard the bob lumen version 2 days ago,, great stuff.. its older than me but remember this song in the 60,s. Andy Williams was a real legend.
Jerry Sims
This song defined a great year 1957. What energy! Peggy Powers rocks.!
MrsRionero
I heard this song a few days ago... love this song
A cat named Scamper
Awesome awesome song.
Андрей Ленченков
Слушаешь этого певца и никак не наслушаешься Хорошую память оставил🌹🌹🌹🌹
Dejael Long
Great Pop Tune from Andy and Peggy!
William J. Kelleher, Ph.D.
I realy dig Peggy Powers -- I mean, like, I flip!
Sarah Pane
that’s my grandma she’s good at tennis
MHS
@sstavsky I thought so too - pushing the envelope.