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 Leilani
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can hear my heart singing
Soon bells will be ringing
This is the moment of sweet aloha
I will love you longer than forever
Promise me that you will
Leave me never
Here and now, dear
Promise me that you will
Leave me never
I will love you
Longer than forever
Now that we are one
Clouds won't hide the sun
Blue skies of Hawaii smile
On this, our wedding day
(I do) I do (love you) love you
With all my heart
The song Sweet Leilani by Andy Williams is a romantic ballad that expresses the joy and promise of a Hawaiian wedding. The singer is experiencing the moment he has been waiting for, the moment of sweet aloha, where he solemnly vows to love his bride forever. The soft and gentle melody of the song complements the lyrics which express the heartfelt promise of eternal love. The music builds to a crescendo as the singer declares his love in front of the beautiful Hawaiian landscape. The song creates a warm and comforting feeling to the listener and transports them to the blissful moment of a wedding ceremony.
The lyrics of Sweet Leilani are not only a celebration of love but also reflect the beauty and serenity of Hawaii. The line "Blue skies of Hawaii smile on this, our wedding day" paints a vivid picture of a sunny day in Hawaii. The title of the song, Leilani, is a Hawaiian name that means 'heavenly flower' which adds to the romantic tone of the lyrics. The song is a classic and has been covered by several artists over the years. It was even the title of a 1937 film which starred Bing Crosby, which led to the song's popularity.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the moment I've waited for
After waiting for a long time, The singer is in the moment of his happiness
I can hear my heart singing
The singer is very happy to the extent that he can feel his heart singing
Soon bells will be ringing
The union about to happen is so happy that soon there will be a celebration with bells ringing
This is the moment of sweet aloha
This is the happiest moment that involves love and friendship
I will love you longer than forever
I will love you for more than my lifetime
Promise me that you will
I want you to promise me that you will
Leave me never
Never to leave me, always to stay with me
Here and now, dear
I'm talking to you, my love, at this very moment
All my love I vow, dear
I swear all my love is for you, my dear
I will love you
I will be in love with you
Longer than forever
It will last for a long time or forever
Now that we are one
Now that we are unified in love
Clouds won't hide the sun
There will be no raining on their love and happiness
Blue skies of Hawaii smile
The atmosphere is happy, just like the blue skies of Hawaii
On this, our wedding day
This is the day of our wedding
(I do) I do (love you) love you
The singer agrees to be with and love the person they're getting married to
With all my heart
The singer loves the person they're getting married to with all their heart
Lyrics © ROYAL MUSIC PUBLISHER, BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Owens
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind