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.
Picnic
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm looking for that lonely street
I've got a sad, sad tale to tell
I need a place to go and weep
Where's this place called Lonely Street
Where dim lights bring forgetfulness
Where broken dreams and memories meet
Where's this place called Lonely Street
Perhaps upon that lonely street
There's someone such as I
Who came to bury broken dreams
And watch an old love die
If I could find that lonely street
Where dim lights bring forgetfulness
Where broken dreams and memories meet
Where's this place called Lonely Street
Where's this place called Lonely Street
In Andy Williams's "Picnic," the lyrics ask, "Where's this place called Lonely Street?" and describe looking for a place to share a sad tale and "go and weep." The song suggests that Lonely Street is a place of solitude and reflection, where people go to mourn relationships that have ended and reconcile with their past mistakes.
The lyrics also suggest that Lonely Street is not necessarily a physical location but rather an emotional state of mind, a place of feeling alone and disconnected from other people. The difficulty in finding it is mirrored in the uncertainty of whether there is anyone else on the street or if one is truly alone in their sadness.
Overall, the song tells a story of the search for a place of comfort and healing after experiencing loss or heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Where's this place called Lonely Street
I'm seeking a place filled with intense loneliness and despair
I'm looking for that lonely street
I want to find that place where nobody's around
I've got a sad, sad tale to tell
I have an unhappy story to recount
I need a place to go and weep
I need a place where I can cry
A place where there's just loneliness
A location that has only sorrow and solitude
Where dim lights bring forgetfulness
A spot where the lights are dim, and it's easy to forget one's troubles
Where broken dreams and memories meet
A junction where shattered aspirations and recollections commingle
Perhaps upon that lonely street
Maybe somewhere down that desolate road
There's someone such as I
There's an individual similar to me
Who came to bury broken dreams
Who arrived with the intention of burying their expired ambitions
And watch an old love die
And bear witness to the demise of a former romance
If I could find that lonely street
If I could locate that isolated avenue
Where dim lights bring forgetfulness
Where the obscured light serves as an escape from sorrow
Where broken dreams and memories meet
Where the remembrance of broken dreams is shared by my fellow mourners
Where's this place called Lonely Street
The location with solitude and sorrow that I search for
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE W DUNING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TobyJae
Beautiful song. Thank you for the post and the lovely images!
@marliaparecidavalentelara9273
Este filme é maravilhoso !!!!!!
@sarahannpace1609
so lovely .the song and Andys voice.
@illion53
Great clip. On the album "Chester and Lester" by Chet Atkins and Les Paul they play a beautiful instrumental of this and another song (which I can't recall the name of). The best instrumental of this song recorded. This is the first time I had ever heard the lyrics. Thanks for posting.
@mariannegillis8725
Simply beautiful
@KissMeQuk
Hi Jim, Beautiful song and video!! Love Andy Williams voice and songs!!! I recently heard that he has bladder cancer. I pray he will get well soon. Thanks for sharing his beautiful songs. Pam
@christinefrazerskinner2440
Andy sings this. It's perfect
@christinefrazerskinner2440
1956
@Jymster46
You are very welcome. I am so glad you enjoyed it! Mr. Williams was one of the Best, for sure. Thank you for listening and commenting. Jim
@Jymster46
@sorrowfulflower Yes, me too, Heather! I love wintertime but it just last too long here. Oh well, it just makes me appreciate the picnic season all that much more. Take care my Friend and thank you so much for watching my video! Oh, and thanks for the "Bravo"!! Ha! Jim