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.
Love Letters
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The song Love Letters by Andy Williams is a beautiful ballad that conveys good wishes and heartfelt prayers. The lyrics follow a simple structure of wishing happiness and success for the listener in each part of the week, month, year, and life. The first verse talks about daily life, where the singer prays for the Lord's protection and hopes for the listener's wishes to come true. In the second verse, the focus is on making new friends and cherishing happy memories. The third verse is about the passing of time, acknowledging that life is full of ups and downs, but the ultimate prayer is for love to shine through every day of the listener's life. The song ends with a sweet and simple "good night."
Overall, the lyrical interpretation of Love Letters is a prayerful wish for love, joy, and happiness to come to fruition in the listener's life. It is a song that speaks to hope, optimism, and the desire to live a fulfilling life.
Line by Line Meaning
May each day in the week be a good day
I hope that every day of the week treats you kindly.
May the Lord always watch over you
I pray that God keeps you safe and protected.
And may all of your hopes turn to wishes
I hope that the things you desire become more than just a dream.
And may all of your wishes come true
May your heart's desires be fulfilled.
May each day in the month be a good day
I hope every day in every month brings you joy and happiness.
May you make friends with each one you meet
I wish that you meet new people and make good friends with each one of them.
And may all of your daydreams be mem'ries
May you have a great time dreaming about things and turn those dreams into happy memories.
And may all of your mem'ries be sweet
I hope that all of your memories are pleasant and fond.
The weeks turn to months and the months into years
Time flies by quickly, and before we know it, weeks turn into months, and months into years.
There'll be sadness and joy, there'll be laughter and tears
Life's journey is full of happiness, sadness, laughter, and tears.
But one thing I pray to heaven above
But amidst all of the ups and downs, I pray for one thing to remain constant.
May each of your days be a day full of love
I hope that love surrounds you every day of your life.
May each day in the year be a good day
I wish for every day of the year to bring you happiness and prosperity.
May each dawn find you happy and gay
I hope that every morning brings you peace and joy.
And may all of your days be as lovely
May each day of your life be filled with beauty and wonder.
As the one you shared with me today
Just like the day we spent together, I hope your days are memorable and enjoyable.
May each day of your life be a good day
I wish for a lifetime of happiness and contentment for you.
And good night.
And finally, I bid you goodnight.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Victor Young, Edward Heyman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alfian Hopper
I really love this version. It's very beautiful. Thank you very much.
Kent Jacobs
Great rendition of a beautiful song.
Cookie Spear
Nice rendition for what I thought was more for the female singer. Can't beat Andy Williams,though,his version is right up there with Patti Page!! :-)
Mauricio Durón
Very well suited for his voice. Thank you.
Marılia Dutra
lindo! cartas de amor. maravilhosa canção.
Marılia Dutra
Cartas de Amor, inesquecíveis.