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.
after all this time
Andy Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We out-run ′em
There were songs
We out-sung 'em
There were brighter days never ending
There was time
And we were burnin′
And we were learnin'
There was all the love two hearts could hold
And after all this time
You're always on my mind
Hey I could never let it end
′Cause my heart takes so long to mend
The dream that keeps your hopes alive
The lonely nights you hold inside
And after all this time
You′re always on my mind
I still want you
There was rain
That we outlasted
There was pain
But we got past it
There were last goodbyes still left unspoken
There were ways I should have thrilled you
There were days when I could have killed you
You're the only love my life has known
And after all this time
You′re always on my mind
Hey I could never let you go
A broken heart that heals so slow
Could never beat for someone new
While you're alive and I am too
And after all this time
You′re always on my mind
I still miss you
Inst
And I could never let it in
'Cause my heart takes so long to mend
The dream that keeps your hopes alive
The lonely nights you hold inside
And after all this time
You′re always on my mind
I still want you
And after all this time
You're always on my mind
I still love you
The lyrics of Andy Williams’ song “After All This Time” revolve around a sense of nostalgia and longing for a past love. The song reminisces about the brighter days filled with love that the couple shared but also acknowledges the pain and challenges that they faced during their time together. It speaks of the intense love that two hearts can hold and the difficulty in letting that love go even after all this time.
The lyrics are comprised of contrasting elements that are weaved into the song. There were trains that they out-ran and songs that they out-sung, indicating the couple’s youth and vitality. There were also darker elements like pain and last goodbyes still left unspoken, which point to the heartache and unresolved issues that the couple faced. The line, “There were ways I should have thrilled you, there were days when I could have killed you” is particularly poignant, suggesting that love can be complex and challenging.
The central theme of the song is that the love they shared continues to linger, even after all this time. This is reflected in the chorus, where the singer admits that his former love is “always on my mind”. The song speaks to the resilience of love and its ability to withstand the test of time, even after heartbreak and loss.
Overall, “After All This Time” is a reflection on the power of love and the lingering effects it can have on us, even years after the relationship has ended.
Line by Line Meaning
There were trains
There were many things that came and went quickly
We out-run 'em
We were able to overcome these things and move forward
There were songs
There were moments of happiness and celebration
We out-sung 'em
We were able to enjoy these moments and make the most of them
There were brighter days never ending
There were times when everything seemed perfect and would last forever
There was time
There was a period of my life that I cherish and hold dear
And we were burnin'
I was passionate and full of life during that time
There were rhymes
There were moments of creativity and expression
And we were learnin'
I was constantly growing and improving as a person during that time
There was all the love two hearts could hold
There was a deep and meaningful love shared between two people
And after all this time
Even after all these years have passed
You're always on my mind
I still think about you and the memories we shared together
Hey I could never let it end
I never wanted our love to come to an end
′Cause my heart takes so long to mend
I am still healing from the pain of losing you
The dream that keeps your hopes alive
The thought of us being together again is what keeps me going
The lonely nights you hold inside
The nights that I spend alone thinking of you
There was rain
There were difficult times and challenges that we faced
That we outlasted
But we were able to overcome them together
There was pain
There were moments of heartache and sorrow
But we got past it
But we were able to overcome the pain and move on
There were last goodbyes still left unspoken
There were things left unsaid between us when we parted
There were ways I should have thrilled you
There were times when I should have made you feel more special
There were days when I could have killed you
There were moments of frustration and annoyance in our relationship
You're the only love my life has known
You are the only person I have loved this deeply and unconditionally
I still miss you
I still feel the emptiness of your absence in my life
Inst
Instrumental break in the song
And I could never let it in
I am afraid to let anyone else in and risk getting hurt again
'Cause my heart takes so long to mend
It takes a long time for me to heal from heartbreak
I still want you
I still desire to have you in my life
I still love you
I still have deep feelings of love for you
Writer(s): Rodney J. Crowell
Contributed by Samantha N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.