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 Wish You Love
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never lovers ever friends.
Goodbye, let our hearts call it a day, but before you walk away,
I sincerely want to say.
I wish you bluebirds in the spring, to give your heart a song to sing,
And then a kiss, but more than this, I wish you love.
And if you like lemonade to cool you in some lazy glade,
My breaking heart and I agree that you and I could never be,
So with my best, my very best, I set you free.
I wish you shelter from the storm, a cozy fire to keep you warm,
Most of all, when snowflakes fall, I wish you love.
I wish you shelter from the storm, a cozy fire to keep you warm,
Most of all, when snowflakes fall, hot time, I wish you love.
All kinds of love, a whole gang of love.
The song "I Wish You Love" by Andy Williams is a beautiful and emotional ballad about the end of a romantic relationship. The song touches on themes of regret, wishing the best for someone you once loved, and ultimately letting go of the relationship. The opening lines of the song make it clear that the relationship has come to a close: "Goodbye, no use leading with our chins, this is where our story ends, never lovers ever friends." This sets the tone for the song as a bittersweet goodbye. The singer acknowledges that they can never be together, and wishes their former partner well.
The rest of the song is a string of wishes for the person they are saying goodbye to. The first wish is for "bluebirds in the spring" and a "song to sing," followed by a kiss and more than that, the wish for love. The singer goes on to wish for health and love, knowing that those things are more important than material wealth. As the song continues, the singer acknowledges that they and their former partner could never be together romantically, but they still wish them well. Finally, the closing lines of the song wish for "all kinds of love, a whole gang of love," which shows that while the romantic relationship has ended, there is still love and care between the two people.
Overall, "I Wish You Love" is a beautiful and emotional song that speaks to the pain of ending a relationship while still wishing someone the best. The song's wishes for love and happiness are universal, and the emotions it evokes are relatable to anyone who has gone through a breakup.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodbye, no use leading with our chins, this is where our story ends,
We should not prolong our agony with long goodbyes because our chapter has already ended.
Never lovers ever friends.
We can't be lovers or friends anymore as our relationship has already ended.
Goodbye, let our hearts call it a day, but before you walk away,
Let's end it here in our hearts, but I still have something to say before you go.
I sincerely want to say.
I genuinely want to convey my feelings to you.
I wish you bluebirds in the spring, to give your heart a song to sing,
I want you to experience joy, happiness, and contentment.
And then a kiss, but more than this, I wish you love.
I wish you not only romantic love but also love in all its forms.
And if you like lemonade to cool you in some lazy glade,
If you like to relax and unwind in nature, I hope you can do it comfortably.
I wish you health, and more than wealth, I wish you love.
I wish you good health and enough wealth, but more importantly, an abundance of love.
My breaking heart and I agree that you and I could never be,
My heart and I accept that we are not meant to be together.
So with my best, my very best, I set you free.
With all my sincerity and effort, I am letting you go.
I wish you shelter from the storm, a cozy fire to keep you warm,
May you find comfort and security in times of distress, and may you have warmth in cold moments.
Most of all, when snowflakes fall, I wish you love.
In every circumstance, I wish you a lot of love.
I wish you shelter from the storm, a cozy fire to keep you warm,
May you find comfort and security in times of distress, and may you have warmth in cold moments.
Most of all, when snowflakes fall, hot time, I wish you love.
In every circumstance, I wish you a lot of love.
All kinds of love, a whole gang of love.
May you experience love in all its shapes and forms, abundantly and always.
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Drew Barfield, Paul Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind