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 Theme from "Romeo and Juliet"
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When chains are torn by courage born of a love that's free
A time when dreams so long denied
Can flourish as we unveil the love we now must hide
A time for us at last to see
A life worthwhile for you and me
We will endure as we pass surely through every storm
A time for us some day there'll be a new world
A world of shining hope for you and me
A time for us at last to see
A life worthwhile for you and me
And with our love through tears and thorns
We will endure as we pass surely through every storm
A time for us some day there'll be a new world
A world of shining hope for you and me
These lyrics are from the song Love Theme from "Romeo and Juliet" which was composed by Nino Rota for the 1968 movie adaptation of Shakespeare's play. Andy Williams's rendition of the song became hugely popular, reaching number one on the Billboard charts in 1969. The song captures the idea of a future time when love can be freely expressed, when chains are broken and dreams that were once denied can now flourish.
The lyrics speak of a time, a "some day", when two people can be together without fear of judgment or persecution. A time where they can freely express their love and be accepted for who they are. The metaphorical chains that prevent them from being together are broken by the courage that comes from their love. This line is particularly meaningful as it speaks to the idea that love can inspire bravery, even in the face of adversity. The verse also suggests that the love between the two people is currently hidden or denied, but with time it will be unveiled and allowed to flourish.
The chorus emphasizes the idea of the future, the hope that someday they will be able to openly share their love. The lyrics speak of enduring through tears and thorns, suggesting that the journey toward this future time will not be easy. However, they will continue to endure together, knowing that they will eventually reach that "new world", a world filled with hope and acceptance. The last line emphasizes that this hope is for "you and me", for everyone who has ever felt the pain of loving someone in secret.
Line by Line Meaning
A time for us some day there'll be
In the future, there will be a specific moment for us
When chains are torn by courage born of a love that's free
At this moment, we will break free from our binding constraints with our courageous love
A time when dreams so long denied
This moment of freedom will bring dreams that have been repressed for a long time
Can flourish as we unveil the love we now must hide
As we reveal our love that we must currently conceal, our dreams will thrive
A time for us at last to see
This moment will allow us to finally witness
A life worthwhile for you and me
A meaningful life for both of us
And with our love through tears and thorns
Despite challenges and obstacles, our love will carry us
We will endure as we pass surely through every storm
We will overcome any storm that may come our way
A time for us some day there'll be a new world
The future will bring about a completely new world for us
A world of shining hope for you and me
This new world will be full of hope for both of us
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ROBERT EARL KEEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind