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.
What Now My Love
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now that you've left me
How can I live
Through another day
Watching my dreams
Turn into ashes
And my hopes
Into bits of clay
Once I could feel
Now I am numb
I've become unreal
I walk the night
Oh without a goal
Stripped of my heart
And my soul
What now, my love
Now that it's over
I feel the world
Closing in on me
Here come the stars
Tumbling around me
And there's the sky
Where the sea should be
What now, my love
Now that you're gone
I'd be a fool
To go on and on
No one would care
No one would cry
If I should live
If I should die
What now, my love
Now there is nothing
Only my last goodbye
Only my last
My last goodbye
The lyrics of Andy Williams’s What Now My Love describe the experience of heartbreak and the emotional aftermath that follows when a once loved individual leaves. The song starts with a question that speaks volumes about the singer’s current state: What now, my love? Now that you've left me, How can I live Through another day? This question speaks to the singer’s confusion and despair, which has left them directionless and uncertain of how to proceed without their former love.
The singer then goes on to describe the pain they are feeling as they watch their dreams turn to ashes and their hopes crumble. They once had vision and feelings, however, now they are numb and disconnected from reality. The singer has lost their sense of purpose and is aimlessly wandering through life, stripped of their heart and soul. This feeling is further emphasized by the line, "I walk the night Oh without a goal."
The second verse describes the singer’s desperation and hopelessness after the loss of their love. The stars tumbling around them represent their chaotic mental state, and the sky where the sea should be symbolizes the confusion they feel as their world is turned upside down. The singer talks about how they would be a fool to continue living without their love, and nobody would care if they lived or died. The song ends with the singer addressing their former love directly, stating that there is nothing left for them now but their last goodbye.
Line by Line Meaning
What now, my love
What will become of my life now that you are no longer here?
Now that you've left me
Since you have departed, what can I do?
How can I live
How am I to survive?
Through another day
Enduring each day has become an insurmountable task without you.
Watching my dreams
I can only observe as my aspirations slip away.
Turn into ashes
My goals and aspirations have been reduced to ruins.
And my hopes
My optimism and anticipation have been obliterated.
Into bits of clay
My faith and expectations of the future have morphed into nothingness.
Once I could see
At one point in my life, I was able to perceive and comprehend.
Once I could feel
I have the power to sense and empathize at some previous point.
Now I am numb
But these feelings have now dissipated, and I am numb.
I've become unreal
I've transformed into a person who seems to be lacking in a sense of reality.
I walk the night
I wander aimlessly in the dark with no direction.
Oh without a goal
My life seems to be devoid of purpose.
Stripped of my heart
My heart has been tormented and traumatized and taken from me.
And my soul
My essence as a human being has been shattered.
What now, my love
What choices do I have left in the absence of my love?
Now that it's over
Since this has come to an end, what should I do?
I feel the world
It seems as tho the universe is collapsing upon me.
Closing in on me
I feel like the walls are closing in on me at a lightning pace.
Here come the stars
I see the stars coming towards me quickly.
Tumbling around me
They surround me and seem to spin like crazy.
And there's the sky
What used to feel like the vast blue sky seems like the black colorless sea.
Where the sea should be
What once was solid and unbreakable has now been turned to rubble.
Now that you're gone
Since you aren't here, what is there left for me in this world?
I'd be a fool
It would be foolish to go on with the pretense that everything is alright without you.
To go on and on
It's impossible to act as tho nothing has changed.
No one would care
Without you, it feels like nobody will care about me anymore.
No one would cry
If I should continue to exist or pass away without you, it seems like it wouldn't make much of a difference
If I should live
Living life without you seems unfathomable!
If I should die
Passing away might be the only alternative since life without you is unbearable.
Now there is nothing
Without you, there isn't anything left for me to be hopeful about.
Only my last goodbye
All that remains is my final goodbye.
Lyrics © CROMA MUSIC CO., INC. , S D R M
Written by: CARL SIGMAN, GILBERT BECAUD, PIERRE DELANOE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind