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.
Let It Be Me
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want to stay around you
And so I beg you
Let it be me
Don't take this Heaven from one
Well if you must cling to someone
Now and forever
Each time we meet love
I find complete love
Without your sweet love
Tell me, what would life be?
So never leave me lonely
Just tell me you love me only
And that you'll always
Let it be me
Each time we meet love
I find complete love
Oh without your sweet love
Tell me, what would life be?
So never leave me lonely
And just tell me you love me only
And that you'll always
Let it be me
And that you'll always
Let it be me
So never leave me lonely
Tell me you love me only
And that you'll always
Let it be me
The Andy Williams song "Let It Be Me" is a beautiful love ballad that expresses a deep love and admiration for someone. The lyrics convey the singer's gratitude for having found the person they love and their desire to always be with them. The opening lines "God bless the day I found you, I want to stay around you" show that the singer considers the person they love a blessing and wants to be close to them. The repetition of the phrase "Let it be me" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's desire to fill that person's life with love and affection.
The second verse of the song highlights the importance of the relationship, as the singer implores their lover not to take away the heaven they have found. "Now and forever, let it be me" shows a commitment to always be there for the person they love. The repeated verse "Each time we meet love, I find complete love" highlights the intensity and completeness of their love. The singer feels that without their lover's love, life would be incomplete, which is echoed in the final lines "Tell me you love me only, and that you'll always let it be me".
Overall, the song speaks of a powerful and enduring love that is grateful for its existence and never wants it to end. It is a beautiful expression of love in all its depth and complexity.
Line by Line Meaning
God bless the day I found you
I am so grateful and fortunate to have found you in my life.
I want to stay around you
I always desire to be close to you and spend time with you.
And so I beg you
I plead with you to consider my heartfelt request.
Let it be me
Please choose me as the one you want to be with and love.
Don't take this Heaven from one
Please don't take away the love and happiness that you bring to my life.
Well if you must cling to someone
Even if you feel the need to be close to someone else, please let it be me that you need and want.
Now and forever
I want to be with you and share my life with you for all time.
Each time we meet love
Every time we see each other, I feel a deep love and connection to you.
I find complete love
My love for you is all-consuming and fills every part of my being.
Without your sweet love
Without your love, life would be lacking something critical and essential.
Tell me, what would life be?
Life would lack joy and meaning without the love and connection we share.
So never leave me lonely
Please stay near me and never abandon me to loneliness and isolation.
Just tell me you love me only
Let me know that your love is devoted solely to me and that I am the only one you truly love.
And that you'll always
Please promise me and commit to staying by my side.
Let it be me
Choose me to be your partner and love for all time.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gilbert Becaud, Manny Kurtz, Pierre Delanoe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind