Born Ezekiel Christopher Montanez in Los Angeles, California, Montez was brought up in Hawthorne, California. His early musical influences included the latino music played and performed by residents of his neighborhood, as well as Ritchie Valens. After the release of the highly successful "Let's Dance" on Monogram Records, Montez spent several years touring with artists such as Sam Cooke, The Platters, and Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, as well as The Beatles, then relatively unknown outside of Liverpool.
Early in 1963, Montez would score another hit with "Some Kinda Fun". Reaching #43 on the charts, the song utilized the same catchy keyboard instrumentation as did "Let's Dance"; fittingly, both were million sellers, and were awarded gold discs. 1963 also saw the release of Montez's only album on Monogram, Let's Dance and Have Some Kinda' Fun!!!. Shortly before Monogram folded, Montez was paired up with Kathy Young, releasing two singles as the duo Chris & Kathy, most notably surf rock classic "Shoot That Curl". While at Monogram, Montez wrote, or co-wrote, several of his own songs, such as "Chiquita Mia", "Let's Do the Limbo" and "No No No".
Two years later, Montez was practically a non-entity in the music business; however, Herb Alpert, co-founder of A&M Records, cordially invited Montez to resume his recording career at A&M. When Montez attempted to replicate his earlier rock 'n' roll success, however, Alpert personally suggested that Montez try a different approach: a middle of the road, soft ballad sound. While not particularly interested in changing his style of music, Montez decided to trust Alpert's instincts.
"Call Me", a cover version of a Petula Clark song, was the first single from his 1966 album, The More I See You / Call Me, earning Montez his biggest hit in years, eventually reaching #22. The song has since become an easy listening standard. The album's title cut, Montez's second single, was a source of confusion for certain radio disc jockeys who were unfamiliar with Montez' past as a rocker; when back-announcing the song, they would often refer to Montez as being female, likely owing to Montez's falsetto singing style. This confusion would be cleared up by the time the album, bearing Montez's pictures on the front and back sleeve, was released.
Montez would record three more albums for A&M: Time After Time (1966), Foolin' Around (1967), and Watch What Happens (1968). Although quite stylistically similar to his first hit album on A&M, they failed to mirror its success, although Time After Time's title cut and "Because of You" both managed to crack the Hot 100. In 1968, Montez departed from A&M on a three-year sabbatical. In 1972, Montez released a big hit single in Brazil, "Loco por ti". By this time, he had returned to his rock roots, albeit with more noticeable pop influence than before.
Two years later, now with CBS Records, Montez released The Best of Chris Montez, a compilation consisting of both old and new material, the newer bearing little to no resemblance to his past hits. While at CBS, he released one more album: Raza: Ay no digas, which fared well in international markets but failed to make an impact in the US. In 1983, Montez released his final album, Cartas de Amor, all of its songs being sung in Spanish. Although his recording career appears to be behind him, Montez is still an active musician, performing to mostly foreign audiences.
In 2008, Frozen Pictures announced plans to make a documentary on Montez's life and career, El viaje musical de Ezekiel Montanez: The Chris Montez Story. The film, focusing on Montez's multi-faceted musical career and considerable influence, has been previewed at several film festivals, but has not seen domestic release.
Ay No Digas
Chris Montez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
quieres mi amor.
Because I love you I only want you
oh
how I need you
that is for sure.
I'd give it to you
if I had fortunes
I'd do the same.
I'd give the stars to nobody but you
and
most of all
I'd give you my name.
We've been through all kinds of weather
Now is no time to go 'way.
If we could just stay together
then ev'rything will be okay.
We've been through all kinds of weather
Now is no time to go 'way.
If we could just stay together
then ev'rything will be okay.
Ay no digas que tu no quieres.
Ay no digas que tu no quieres
que tu no quieres
quieres mi amor.
Because I love you I only want you
oh
how I need you
that is for sure.
We've been through all kinds of weather
Now is no time to go 'way.
If we could just stay together
then ev'rything will be okay.
We've been through all kinds of weather
Now is no time to go 'way.
If we could just stay together
then ev'rything will be okay.
Ev'rything be okay.
The song "Ay No Digas" by Chris Montez is a romantic ballad where the singer professes his love to his partner. The song is written in Spanish and English, and it talks about the strong love that the singer has for his lover. The first verse of the song states that the singer only wants his lover because he loves her so much. He also mentions that he needs her and that he would give her the world if he could. The second verse talks about the couple's resilience and how they have been through all kinds of weather, but now is not the time to leave each other. The chorus repeats the idea that the singer's lover should not say that she does not want him because he loves her and only wants her.
The song uses simple language to express complex emotions. Chris Montez's voice is smooth and soothing, and the melody is easy to listen to, which adds to the romantic atmosphere of the song. The use of Spanglish also adds to the romanticism of the song, as the two languages blend together seamlessly to create a beautiful love song.
Line by Line Meaning
que tu no quieres
Because I love you I only want you
quieres mi amor.
I am in love with you, and I want you
oh
how I need you
that is for sure.
I am yearning for you, and I am sure of my feelings
If I had sunshine
I'd give it to you
I would do anything to make you happy, even if it means giving you something I do not possess
if I had fortunes
I'd do the same.
I would give you everything, even if it meant giving up my own possessions
I'd give the stars to nobody but you
and
most of all
I'd give you my name.
I would give you everything I have, including my identity
We've been through all kinds of weather
Now is no time to go 'way.
We've faced difficult times together, and now is not the time to separate
If we could just stay together
then ev'rything will be okay.
I believe that our relationship is strong enough to overcome any obstacles
Ay no digas que tu no quieres.
Please do not say that you do not want me
Ay no digas que tu no quieres
que tu no quieres
quieres mi amor.
I want you to know that I love you and only you
Ev'rything be okay.
Despite any challenges we may face, everything will be alright as long as we are together
Contributed by Camden P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@loredanach7575
Bis heute ein Hit...
Klasse Lied
Danke Chris
@georgwestermeier8592
Unbeschreiblich schön!
@johannesmuller8462
Zufällig "entdeckte" ich das wunderschöne Lied "Ay no digas", gesungen von Chris Montez, heute auf you tube. Ich kenne dieses Lied bereits seit meiner Jugendzeit in den 60er-Jahren. Ich singe dieses Lied gelegentlich noch im Alter von 70 Jahren.
@ledaincoco8278
Et moi aussi 😁
@agustinanunez674
Lo mismo pasó conmigo y siempre la cantaba , vaya coincidencia 🤣 saludos ❗
@1997Aytham
Ich habe immer Tränen in den Augen, wenn ich dieses Lied höre. Ich bin 74 Jahre jung ❤
@Fred-fr5zu
Das bleibt immer..und ist in die Geschichte
"voll eingebrannt".. Nach "Lets dance..."
@FACE-sb5vk
Ein sehr schönes Lied, seit vielen Jahren ein großer Hit 😃😍
@TA-kj1zl
Geweldig
@Svennemann04
Ja ich auch. Ich bin Baujahr 1968 und sehe mich heute noch auf dem Boden sitzen bei meiner Oma und das Lied hören!