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.
Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jingle all the way
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, hey
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh
(Come Dasher, come Dancer, come Prancer, come Vixen)
(On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner, on Blitzen)
(Put on your bells, your Christmas bells)
Come on, we're going for a sleigh ride
Christmas time is here again
Come on, we're going for a sleigh ride
To spread the cheer again
From the top of the chimney to the top of the wall
Dash away, dash away, dash away all
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, hey
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh
Old Saint Nicholas, he took a flight
The moon was shining bright
Bring out the bells
Ol' Saint Nick was riding through the sky
You should have seen those reindeer fly
(Bring out the bells)
Bring out the bells, it's a holiday season
(Bring out the bells)
Bring out the bells, it's a happy time
(Bring out the bells)
Bring out the bells, we've got a good reason
To ring the bells and hear the pretty bells chime
(Ring the bells and hear the pretty bells chime)
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, hey
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
What fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh
(Christmas jingle bells)
(Jingle bells)
(Christmas jingle bells)
(Jingle bells)
(Christmas jingle bells)
The lyrics of "Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells" by Andy Williams are a tribute to the classic Christmas carol, "Jingle Bells". The song begins with the familiar chorus of "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way" which celebrates the joy of riding in a one-horse open sleigh during the winter season. The song continues with an invitation to join the sleigh ride with friends and family to spread the holiday cheer all around. The reindeers Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen are mentioned as they lead Santa Claus on his journey to deliver presents to children. The song ends with a reminder to ring the bells and enjoy the festive season.
The lyrics of "Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells" are a tribute to Kay Thompson, a renowned vocal arranger, composer, and singer who was instrumental in the development of MGM musicals during the 1940s and 1950s. She was a mentor to many famous celebrities, including Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland, and was known for her distinctive style and flamboyant personality.
Line by Line Meaning
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Let's hear the sound of the bells as they jingle
Jingle all the way
Let's make sure the bells are heard completely
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, hey
It brings excitement & joy to ride in a carriage pulled by one horse
Come on, we're going for a sleigh ride
Join me and let's take a ride in the carriage
Christmas time is here again
The wonderful holiday season is here once again
To spread the cheer again
Let's share joy and happiness with everyone
From the top of the chimney to the top of the wall
As we leave from the house, we'll travel high up above
Dash away, dash away, dash away all
Let's go forward quickly & smoothly together through the snow
Old Saint Nicholas, he took a flight
Santa has started his journey across the world by air
The moon was shining bright
The night sky has become bright and twinkling
Bring out the bells
Let's get the jingle bells out and ready to create a festive atmosphere
Ol' Saint Nick was riding through the sky
Santa Claus is moving fast on his mission to bring presents to the good boys and girls around the world
You should have seen those reindeer fly
It was a sight to behold when Santa's reindeer took off with the sleigh
Bring out the bells, it's a holiday season
Let's ring the bells as it's the season of celebration for everyone
Bring out the bells, it's a happy time
Let's make the festive mood more jolly by ringing the bells
Bring out the bells, we've got a good reason
We have a reason to celebrate, so let's hear the bells ringing
To ring the bells and hear the pretty bells chime
Let's ring the bells joyfully and hear the pleasant sound they create
What fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh
It's so much fun to ride in a sled pulled by one horse during the holiday season
(Christmas jingle bells)
The excitement and celebration of Christmas is embodied in the jingle bells sound
(Jingle bells)
The bells are ringing and everyone is celebrating
(Christmas jingle bells)
This is the sound of Christmas we all love and enjoy
(Jingle bells)
Let's keep the bells ringing and enjoy the holiday season
(Christmas jingle bells)
The bells ringing signifies the festive spirit of Christmas
Lyrics © DEMI MUSIC CORP. D/B/A LICHELLE MUSIC COMPANY, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Kay Thompson, James Pierpont, John Mandel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind