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 Long and Winding Road
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before it always leads me here
Leads me to your door
The wild and windy night that the rain washed away
Has left a pool of tears crying for the day
Why leave me standing here, let me know the way
Anyway you'll never know the many ways I've tried
And still they lead me back to the long and winding road
You left me standing here a long, long time ago
Don't leave me waiting here, lead me to you door
But still they lead me back to the long and winding road
You left me standing here a long, long time ago
Don't keep me waiting here (Don't keep me wait), lead me to you door
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
In "The Long and Winding Road," the singer expresses his frustration and heartbreak over a relationship that he cannot seem to let go of. The road he describes, which leads to his love interest's door, is both a physical and emotional journey that he has taken many times before. It is a path that he cannot escape, no matter how hard he tries, and it seems to be leading him to nowhere. He is stranded in his sadness, crying a pool of tears that have been washed away by the wild and windy night.
The singer begs for direction, asking his love interest to show him the way. He has been alone and cried many times, trying every method he knows in order to find peace and happiness, but always finding himself back on the same road, lost and confused. Despite this, he is still full of hope and determination to find his way back to his love, and he pleads for her to lead him to her door once again. The song portrays the tragic and cyclical nature of love and heartbreak, and how even the longest and winding road cannot be escaped when one's heart is so deeply involved.
Line by Line Meaning
The long and winding road that leads to your door
The challenging path I must take to reach you
Will never disappear
It remains unchanged, no matter how many times I traverse it
I've seen that road before it always leads me here
I've traveled this route many times and it always brings me to you
Leads me to your door
The road's ultimate purpose is to bring me to you
The wild and windy night that the rain washed away
The stormy weather that washed away my hope and optimism
Has left a pool of tears crying for the day
It resulted in sadness and regret for the time lost
Why leave me standing here, let me know the way
I'm lost and don't know how to reach you, please guide me
Many times I've been alone and many times I've cried
I've been by myself and shed tears countless times
Anyway you'll never know the many ways I've tried
You may not understand my numerous attempts to be with you
And still they lead me back to the long and winding road
Despite the difficulties, I always find myself attempting to reach you
You left me standing here a long, long time ago
You abandoned me and I've been waiting here ever since
Don't leave me waiting here, lead me to you door
Please don't make me wait any longer, show me the way to you
But still they lead me back to the long and winding road
My desire for you continues to draw me back to the difficult path
Don't keep me waiting here (Don't keep me wait), lead me to you door
I can't stand to wait any longer, help me find my way to you
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Expressing a sense of urgency and desperation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
moonraker7711
One of the greatest singers ever. He will be missed.
André Guilherme Portocarrero
Sensacional!
Ruben Aceja Uy
sad but heartfelt. wonderfully sung
Guillermo Bello
Olivia Newton -John's version is by far the best by a female singer. To tell you the truth, I am not surprised she is not included in any of your videos. I cannot understand why she is so underrated as a vocalist.
Jmichael Isbell
It is because her more "top 10" stuff is pushed, her magical version of this song needs to be heard even more. It is that good, probably "perfecto"
Zev Feldman
BEAUTIFUL COVER ANDY FROM THE BEATLES
Ewa Maria
Awesome!!!!!
Roland Schindler
The best cover.
Roland Schindler
one of my favourite Songs.
Usgradea Beef
The Best