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.
Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothin' seems to fit
Those raindrops keep falling on my head, they keep falling
So I just did me some talkin' to the sun
And I said I didn't like the way he got things done
Sleepin' on the job
But there's one thing I know
The blues they send to meet me, won't defeat me
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me
Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red
Crying's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'
Because I'm free
Nothing's worrying me
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me
Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red
Crying's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'
Because I'm free
Nothing's worrying me
The song "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" by Andy Williams is a ballad about not letting the little things get in the way of living life to the fullest. The song uses the metaphor of raindrops to represent the small problems that we encounter in our daily lives. The line "Nothin' seems to fit" refers to the feeling of discomfort and unease that comes with having to deal with things that are out of your control.
The second stanza of the song talks about how the singer addresses his complaints to the sun, personifying the sun as being responsible for the rain. This demonstrates a need to find someone or something to blame for the problems that come your way. However, despite the rain continuing to fall, the singer acknowledges that life will get better, and he will soon experience happiness again.
The song's lyrics suggest an optimistic outlook on life, encouraging the listener to persevere through the tough times and not let the little things get in the way of happiness. The line "Crying's not for me" reiterates this message, emphasizing the need to focus on the positive things in life, rather than getting bogged down by the negative.
Line by Line Meaning
Raindrops keep falling on my head
I am constantly surrounded by hardships and obstacles
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
I feel like nothing in my life fits or goes according to plan
Nothin' seems to fit
My life feels disjointed and uncoordinated
Those raindrops keep falling on my head, they keep falling
My problems and obstacles are persistent and unrelenting
So I just did me some talkin' to the sun
I tried to communicate with a higher, more powerful source
And I said I didn't like the way he got things done
I expressed my dissatisfaction with the way things are going in my life
Sleepin' on the job
The higher source seems to not be doing their job
Those raindrops keep falling on my head, they keep falling
Despite me trying to communicate with the higher source, my problems persist
But there's one thing I know
I have confidence in at least one thing
The blues they send to meet me, won't defeat me
I won't let sadness or hardship overwhelm me
It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me
I have hope that my problems will be solved soon and happiness will come
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red
I won't succumb to crying or sadness despite the constant obstacles
Crying's not for me
I won't let my problems bring me to tears
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'
I won't solve my problems by complaining, so I won't waste my energy on it
Because I'm free
I am resilient and won't let my problems control me
Nothing's worrying me
I won't let my problems consume me because I have faith that they will be solved soon
Lyrics © Roba Music Verlag GMBH, Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, CTM Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Burt F. Bacharach, Hal David
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind