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.
Unchained Melody
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've hungered for your touch a long, lonely time
Time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love, I need your love
God speed your love to me
Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh, "Wait for me, wait for me
I'll be coming home, wait for me"
Are you still mine?
I need your love, I need your love
God speed your love to me
The lyrics to Andy Williams's song "Unchained Melody" are an expression of yearning and longing for one's beloved. The singer is addressing his love, expressing how much he has missed the feeling of being touched by them. He describes how time moves slowly when one is waiting for their love to return, but it can also do so much when spent in love. The singer wonders if their love is still his and pleads for them to return to him, saying that he needs their love. The reference to "God" in the line "God speed your love to me" could indicate a deep sense of faith or a desperate plea for assistance.
The second stanza of the song utilizes the metaphor of a river flowing to the sea to convey the separation between the singer and his love. The lonely rivers symbolize the singer's loneliness and desire to be reunited with his lover, represented by the open arms of the sea. The rivers sigh and plead for their lover to wait for them, promising to return home to them. The final repetition of the chorus reinforces the singer's need for his love and his desperation for them to return to him.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, my love, my darling
My dearest, my beloved
I've hungered for your touch a long, lonely time
I have yearned for your embrace for a great deal of time where I felt isolated
Time goes by so slowly
The duration has felt exceptionally dragged out
And time can do so much
The amount of change that comes over time is significant
Are you still mine?
Do I still have a place in your heart?
I need your love, I need your love
I yearn for your affection, I desire your love
God speed your love to me
May your love arrive to me swiftly and with blessings
Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea
Waterways devoid of company drift towards the ocean, towards the vastness
To the open arms of the sea
To the warm embrace of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh, "Wait for me, wait for me
Lonesome rivers heave a lament, 'Hold on for me, wait for me
I'll be coming home, wait for me"
I will return home, please wait for me"
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, UNCHAINED MELODY PUB LLC
Written by: Alex North, Hyman Zaret
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paul Siebert
Самое лучшее исполнение этой песни из всего того, что я когда-то слышал. .Спасибо.
TheFieryWind
Andy Williams is sooooo overlooked nowadays. In the middle of the plethora of bad pop songs, he's one of my go-to artists for good pop songs.
Reamann MacBiatiagh
Andy's voice is amazing, nothing is over done,,, where has talent like this gone!
Galericulus
Great song, beautifully sung. It's been covered a lot, but it is one of those rare songs that I have not heard a bad version of (yet). That said, this is a particularly good version in my opinion. Very relaxed.
SuperChansy
Great as Bobby sang this I definitely love Andy’s version. He didn’t rush through it and I favor the orchestra and background singers. The whole gamut. Thankful I had the privilege of watching his weekly shows as a kid.❤
Tabitha Howard - Certified Nutritionist
This song literally made me cry the other night <3
Reina Letourneau
Ho wow Andy Williams was always one of my favorites and does he ever sing that song with his heart I Love it
nancy danise
8/26/2023 4:05 P.M. I'm really surprised he really sounds great doing this song.❤There are only a few I really like .
Robin R
Beautiful!
SuperChansy
Teenage Crush. Never missed his weekly shows for years