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.
Tell It Like It Is
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Go and find yourself a toy
Baby, my time is too expensive
And I'm not a little boy
If you are serious
Don't play with my heart
It makes me furious
But if want me to love you
Then, baby, I will
Girl, you know I will
Tell it like it is
Don't be ashamed to let
Your conscience be your guide
But I know deep down inside of me
I believe you love me
Forget your foolish pride
Life is too short
To have sorrow
You may be here today
And gone tomorrow
You might as well
Get what you want
So go on and live
Baby, go on and live
Tell it like it is
I'm nothing to play with
Go and find yourself a toy
But I tell it like it is
My time is too expensive
And I'm not your little boy
Tell it like it is
Andy Williams's song Tell It Like It Is seems to be a message of hurt and resentment towards someone who has been playing mind games with him. He starts off by saying that if the person is looking for someone to play with, they should go and find a toy. He states that his time is too expensive, and he is not a little boy to be played with. The person needs to understand that he is serious, and they should not toy with his heart as it makes him furious. He affirms that if the person wants him to love them, he will, and they know he will.
The chorus of the song is where he gets more passionate and tells the person to tell it like it is. They should not be afraid to let their conscience be their guide. He knows deep down inside that they love him and should forget their foolish pride. Life is too short to have sorrow, and they might as well get what they want. So they should go on and live, but they should not forget to tell it like it is as he is not someone to be played with.
Line by Line Meaning
If you want something to play with
If you're not interested in a real relationship and just want to fool around
Go and find yourself a toy
Then go find someone else who is just looking for a casual fling
Baby, my time is too expensive
I value my time and only want to invest it in someone who is genuine
And I'm not a little boy
I'm a grown man and expect to be treated as such
If you are serious
If you're truly interested in a committed relationship
Don't play with my heart
Don't lead me on and toy with my emotions
It makes me furious
It really upsets me
But if want me to love you
However, if you're the real deal and want a genuine loving relationship
Then, baby, I will
I'm willing to give it a chance
Girl, you know I will
You can trust me to be there for you
Tell it like it is
Be honest and straightforward about your feelings
Don't be ashamed to let
Don't be afraid or embarrassed to
Your conscience be your guide
Listen to your inner voice and do what feels right
But I know deep down inside of me
Despite any doubts or fears
I believe you love me
I trust that you genuinely care for me
Forget your foolish pride
Don't let your ego get in the way of what could be a great relationship
Life is too short
Life is brief and unpredictable
To have sorrow
Don't waste your time being unhappy
You may be here today
You never know what tomorrow may bring
And gone tomorrow
So seize the moment and make the most of every opportunity
You might as well
You might as well
Get what you want
Pursue what you truly desire
So go on and live
Live life to the fullest
Baby, go on and live
Don't hold back or let anything hold you back
Tell it like it is
Be honest, direct, and open about your feelings and intentions
I'm nothing to play with
Don't take me lightly or toy with my emotions
But I tell it like it is
I'm honest and upfront about my feelings and intentions
My time is too expensive
I value my time and only want to give it to someone who is genuine and sincere
And I'm not your little boy
I'm a grown man and expect to be treated as such
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, ZELLS MUSIC, M. JONES PUBLISHING CO., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: George Davis, Lee Diamond
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind