Howard Andrew Williams (born December 3, 1927 in Wall Lake, Iowa, died Sept… Read Full Bio ↴Howard Andrew Williams (born December 3, 1927 in Wall Lake, Iowa, died September 26, 2012), known as Andy Williams, was an American pop singer.

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.

My Eyes Adored You
Andy Williams Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My eyes adored you though I never laid a hand on you
My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me
You couldn't see how I adored you
So close, so close and yet so far
Carried your books from school
Playin' make believe you're married to me
You were fifth-grade, I was sixth when we came to be
Walkin' home ev'ry day over Bonnicut Bridge and Bay

Till we grew into the me and you who went our separate ways

My eyes adored you though I never laid a hand on you
My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me
You couldn't see how I adored you
So close, so close and yet so far
Headed for city lights, climbed the ladder up to fortune and fame
I worked my fingers to the bone made myself a name
Funny I seemed to find that no matter how the years unwind
Still I reminisce 'bout the girl I miss and the love I left behind

My eyes adored you though I never laid a hand on you
My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me
You couldn't see how I adored you
So close, so close and yet so far

All my life I will remember how warm and tender we were way back then
(My eyes adored you though I never laid a hand on you)
Whoa baby,
(My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me
You couldn't see how I adored you)
Oh the feeling, sad regrets I know I won't ever forget you
My childhood friend
(So close, so close and yet so far)

My eyes adored you though I never laid a hand on you
My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me
You couldn't see how I adored you
So close, so close and yet so far
My eyes adored you though I never laid a hand on you
My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me

You couldn't see how I adored you
So close, so close and yet so far

Overall Meaning

"My Eyes Adored You" is a sentimental pop ballad that expresses a love story that didn't come to fruition. Through the song, the singer reminisces about his childhood love for a girl who never knew how he felt about her. The lyrics reveal the longing and admiration he had for her from afar as they grew up together. Although they walked home every day across the bridge and bay, the relationship between the two did not go beyond a platonic friendship. The singer recalls with fondness the memories they shared together and the love he left behind.

The song's emotional power comes from its nostalgic atmosphere and the clear sadness of the singer. As he sings about his feelings for this girl, he shows how time has passed but not dampened the emotions he had for her. The lyrics are a mixture of hope, sadness, and loss, and the singer effectively communicates his heartache through his voice. The word "adored" repeated throughout the song emphasizes the depth and intensity of the feelings the singer had for this girl.

Line by Line Meaning

My eyes adored you though I never laid a hand on you
I had strong feelings of love and admiration for you, even though we never had physical contact

My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me
The intensity of my adoration for you was profound, but seemed unattainable and distant

You couldn't see how I adored you
You were unaware of the depth of my affection for you

So close, so close and yet so far
Although we were geographically close, emotionally we were far apart

Carried your books from school
I was always willing to help you and carry your burdens, even as a child

Playin' make believe you're married to me
In our childhood games, I imagined a future where we were husband and wife

You were fifth-grade, I was sixth when we came to be
Our relationship began when we were young and in elementary school

Walkin' home ev'ry day over Bonnicut Bridge and Bay
We had a shared routine of walking home together every day over a specific bridge and body of water

Till we grew into the me and you who went our separate ways
As we grew older, we developed our own individual paths and lives, and drifted apart

Headed for city lights, climbed the ladder up to fortune and fame
I pursued success and fame in the city as a way of moving on and finding fulfillment

I worked my fingers to the bone made myself a name
I dedicated myself to working tirelessly to become accomplished and well-known

Funny I seemed to find that no matter how the years unwind
Despite the passage of time, I still think about you and our past relationship

Still I reminisce 'bout the girl I miss and the love I left behind
I have lingering feelings of nostalgia and longing for the love that we had

All my life I will remember how warm and tender we were way back then
I will always cherish and hold onto memories of our past and the warmth and tenderness we shared

Oh the feeling, sad regrets I know I won't ever forget you
My emotions towards you are still strong and filled with sadness and regret

My childhood friend
You are not just a past love interest, but also someone who was a significant and important friend in my childhood

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kenny Nolan, Robert Crewe

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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