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.

Somewhere
Andy Williams Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Someday, somewhere
We'll find a new way of living
Will find a way of forgiving
Somewhere...
There's a place for us
Somewhere a place for us
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us

Somewhere
There's a time for us
Someday there'll be a time for us
Time together and time to spare
Time to learn, time to care
Someday, somewhere
We'll find a new way of living
Will find there's a way of forgiving
Somewhere... Somewhere... Somewhere...
There's a place for us
A time and a place for us
Hold my hand and we're half way there
Just hold my hand and I'll take you there

Somehow...
Someday, somewhere...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Andy Williams's song Somewhere evoke a sense of hope and longing for a better future. The song suggests that even though the world can be a difficult and unforgiving place, there is still a chance for peace and happiness, a place where one can truly belong. The use of "somewhere" throughout the song also implies that this place or state of being is not yet attainable, but it is still worth striving for.

The opening lines "someday, somewhere we'll find a new way of living" suggest that the current way of living is not satisfactory and there is a need for change. This is reinforced with the line "will find a way of forgiving," indicating that there is a need for forgiveness and understanding in order to move forward.

The line "there's a place for us, somewhere a place for us" creates a sense of belonging and hope for a better future. The following lines "peace and quiet and open air, wait for us somewhere" paint a picture of a serene and tranquil environment, something people might dream of in times of turmoil.

The chorus continues to echo these sentiments, with the lines "there's a time for us, someday there'll be a time for us, time together and time to spare, time to learn, time to care." The emphasis on time suggests that change will not happen overnight, and that it requires patience and effort. The song ends on a hopeful note, "just hold my hand and I'll take you there, somehow, someday, somewhere."

Overall, the song Somewhere by Andy Williams is a beautiful and poignant representation of hope and longing for a better future, one that is relaxed and forgiving, and where people can live and thrive in peace.

Line by Line Meaning

Someday, somewhere
At a future time and at an uncertain location

We'll find a new way of living
We'll discover a novel manner of existence

Will find a way of forgiving
We'll ascertain a method of pardoning

Somewhere...
At some place unknown to us

There's a place for us
There's a location that's meant for us

Somewhere a place for us
There's a particular area that is waiting for us to be discovered

Peace and quiet and open air
Tranquility and serenity along with fresh, unpolluted atmosphere

Wait for us
It's awaiting our arrival

Somewhere
At some unknown place

There's a time for us
There's a specific moment ideal for us

Someday there'll be a time for us
At some point, there will be a right time for us