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.
The First Noel
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel
The first Noel the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter night that was so deep
Noel, Noel
Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel
They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the East, beyond them far
And to the Earth it gave great light
And so it continued both day and night
Noel, Noel
Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel
This star drew nigh to the Northwest
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest
And there it did both stop and stay
Right over the place where Jesus lay
Noel, Noel
Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel
The song "The First Noël" is a classic Christmas carol that was first published in 1833 in "Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern". The lyrics describe the story of how the angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, who then traveled to see him in Bethlehem. The repeated refrain of "Noel, Noel" serves as a celebratory exclamation of the birth of the King of Israel.
The first verse sets the scene of the shepherds in the fields as they were visited by the angel who told them of the birth of Jesus. The second verse describes the star that appeared in the sky, leading the shepherds to the stable where Jesus was born. The third verse describes how the star came to rest over the place where Jesus lay, guiding the shepherds to the exact location.
The carol is filled with religious imagery and symbolism, with the star and angels representing the guidance and divine intervention leading to the birth of Jesus. The repetitive nature of the song's lyrics helps to reinforce the joyous nature of the event being celebrated.
Line by Line Meaning
Noel, Noel
Joy to the world
Noel, Noel
Joy to the world
Born is the King of Israel
The ruler of Israel has been born
The first Noel the angel did say
The angel proclaimed the first Christmas message
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay
Shepherds were told of the news as they kept guard over their flocks
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
They were working in the fields, watching over their sheep
On a cold winter night that was so deep
The weather was bitterly cold and the night was very dark
Noel, Noel
Joy to the world
Noel, Noel
Joy to the world
Born is the King of Israel
The ruler of Israel has been born
They looked up and saw a star
The shepherds saw a bright light in the sky
Shining in the East, beyond them far
It was emanating from the east, far away from them
And to the Earth it gave great light
It shone down on the Earth and provided a great amount of light
And so it continued both day and night
Day and night, the star remained in the sky
Noel, Noel
Joy to the world
Noel, Noel
Joy to the world
Born is the King of Israel
The ruler of Israel has been born
This star drew nigh to the Northwest
The star moved closer and closer, toward the northwest
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest
It stopped over Bethlehem
And there it did both stop and stay
It stopped there and remained still
Right over the place where Jesus lay
Directly above the spot where Jesus was laid
Noel, Noel
Joy to the world
Noel, Noel
Joy to the world
Born is the King of Israel
The ruler of Israel has been born
Lyrics © Phonographic Digital Limited (PDL), Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind