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.
Sweet Caroline
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't begin to knowin'
But then I know it's growin' strong
Was in the spring
And spring became the summer
Who'd have believed you'd come along
Reachin' out
Touchin' me
Touchin' you
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
Ive been inclined
To believe they never would
But now I
Look at the night
And it don't seem so lonely
We fill it up with only two
And when I hurt
Hurtin' runs off my shoulders
How can I hurt when I'm with you
Warm, touchin' warm
Reachin' out
Touchin' me
Touchin' me
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
Ive been inclined
To believe they never would
Oh, no, no
Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
Ive been inclined
I believed they never could
Sweet Caroline
The lyrics to Andy William's "Sweet Caroline" are a tribute to the joy and energy that a new relationship can bring. The song opens with the singer acknowledging that he doesn't know where this relationship started, but he knows that it is growing stronger. The imagery of spring and summer symbolizes the blossoming love between the two people which is unexpected, but welcomed.
The singer then goes on to describe the physical connection between the couple. "Hands, touchin' hands, reachin' out" and "Warm, touchin' warm, reachin' out" illustrates the importance of touch in a relationship. He also mentions how being together brings him comfort, even during tough times, "And when I hurt hurtin' runs off my shoulders, how can I hurt when I'm with you." The chorus repeats the title phrase, "Sweet Caroline," which seems to be the nickname for the woman he is singing to.
Overall, the lyrics to " Sweet Caroline" convey the euphoria of a new relationship, the power of physical connection, and the comfort of being with someone who makes you feel good.
Line by Line Meaning
Where it began
I can't recall where this all started
I can't begin to knowin'
I have no idea where to start figuring it out
But then I know it's growin' strong
But I know this feeling has only gotten stronger over time
Was in the spring
This feeling started in the spring season
And spring became the summer
And as the seasons changed from spring to summer, this feeling remained
Who'd have believed you'd come along
Nobody would have guessed that you would come into my life
Hands, touchin' hands
Our hands are touching
Reachin' out
We are reaching out for each other
Touchin' me
You are touching me
Touchin' you
I am touching you
Sweet Caroline
The person being addressed by the song is named Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
Being with Sweet Caroline has made me feel like I am experiencing the best moments of my life
Ive been inclined
I have always had a tendency
To believe they never would
To believe that these moments of happiness would never come
But now I
But now that I am with you
Look at the night
I look at the night sky
And it don't seem so lonely
It doesn't feel as lonely now that you're with me
We fill it up with only two
The two of us are enough to make each other feel fulfilled
And when I hurt
Even when I'm in emotional pain
Hurtin' runs off my shoulders
Your presence helps take away the pain from my shoulders
How can I hurt when I'm with you
I can't feel hurt when I am with you
Warm, touchin' warm
Our bodies are touching in warmth
Touchin' me
You are still touching me
Touchin' me
I am still touching you
Sweet Caroline
The song reiterates the name of the person the singer is addressing
Good times never seemed so good
The happiness being experienced with Sweet Caroline is beyond any previous happy experience
Ive been inclined
I have always had this natural tendency
I believed they never could
I used to think these moments of happiness were impossible to attain
Sweet Caroline
The song ends by repeating the name of the person who inspired the song
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Neil Diamond
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind