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.

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The Impossible Dream
Andy Williams Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest, to follow that star,
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
To fight for the right without question or cause
To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To fight the unbeatable foe, to reach the unreachable star

Overall Meaning

The Impossible Dream by Andy Williams is a song that resonates with many because of its inspiring lyrics that encourage one to dream big and to fight for what they believe in, despite the challenges that they may face. The lyrics are based on the character Don Quixote, from the novel by Miguel de Cervantes, who dared to dream big and fight for his ideals, even in the face of ridicule and failure.

The first verse of the song encourages one to dream the impossible dream, fight unbeatable foes, bear unbearable sorrow, and go where even the brave would not go. The second verse emphasizes the importance of fighting for what is right, loving purely, and trying even when one is exhausted, in order to reach the unreachable star. The chorus highlights the main character's quest to follow his dream, no matter how hopeless or far away it may seem, and for him to be willing to go to any lengths to fight for his beliefs.

The bridge speaks of the peace that will come to the singer's heart when they remain true to their quest, and their assurance that the world will be better for their efforts. The final verse ends on a triumphant note, as the singer declares that even if they are scorned and covered in scars, they are willing to fight the unbeatable foe and reach the unreachable star.

Overall, the song encourages people to be persistent in their efforts, to fight for what they believe in, and to not be deterred by failures or disheartening experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

To dream the impossible dream
To have aspirations that seem unrealistic or impossible to achieve.

To fight the unbeatable foe
To challenge and overcome challenges that others might consider impossible to conquer.

To bear with unbearable sorrow
To endure deep emotional pain or hardship that seems intolerable to most people.

To run where the brave dare not go
To explore uncharted territory or take risks that others might consider too dangerous or bold to undertake.

To right the unrightable wrong
To do what is just and fair and act as a moral compass in a world where many things seem unjust or unfair.

To love pure and chaste from afar
To have feelings of affection and devotion for someone, even if they cannot be reciprocated or acted upon.

To try when your arms are too weary
To make an effort to achieve something even when one feels physically or emotionally exhausted.

To reach the unreachable star
To strive to achieve something that seems impossible to attain.

This is my quest, to follow that star,
This is my personal journey to pursue my aspirations and make them a reality.

No matter how hopeless, no matter how far
Regardless of how challenging or difficult the circumstances are, I will continue on this quest.

To fight for the right without question or cause
To act with integrity and stand up for what is right, even when it is not popular or convenient.

To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause
To make sacrifices and endure hardships for a noble purpose or goal.

And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest
If I remain committed and faithful to my goals and values, I will ultimately achieve great things.

That my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest
I will feel content and fulfilled when my life comes to an end because I know that I lived it in pursuit of my dreams.

And the world will be better for this
The world will be a better place because I pursued my dreams and made a positive impact on others.

That one man scorned and covered with scars
Even if I face criticism and hardships on my quest, I will persist and continue to fight for what I believe in.

Still strove with his last ounce of courage
Maintaining my bravery and persevering even when facing significant challenges.

To fight the unbeatable foe, to reach the unreachable star
To relentlessly pursue my dreams, even when others might say they cannot be attained, is my quest.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Joe Darion, Mitchell Leigh

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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