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.
I Will Wait For You
Chris Montez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For a thousand summers I will wait for you
Till you're back beside me, till I'm holding you
Till I hear you sigh here in my arms
Anywhere you wander, anywhere you go
Every day remember how I love you so
In your heart believe what in my heart I know
The clock will tick away the hours one by one
Then the time will come when all the waiting's done
The time when you return and find me here and run
Straight to my waiting arms
If it takes forever I will wait for you
For a thousand summers I will wait for you
Till you're here beside me, till I'm touching you
And forevermore sharing your love
The lyrics to Chris Montez's song I Will Wait For You depict an unwavering love that is willing to wait indefinitely for the person they love. The singer declares that he will wait forever, through a thousand summers if need be, until the person he loves returns to him. He longs to hold and hear them sigh in his arms once again. He urges them to remember how deeply he loves them, no matter where they go. He trusts that they will believe in what he knows in his heart, that he will wait for them forevermore.
The singer's longing and devotion is palpable as he declares his willingness to wait for an indefinite amount of time. He is comforted by the hope that one day his love will return and find him waiting with open arms. Time ticks away and the anticipation of their reunion grows stronger as he remains steadfast in his love. The sweet and romantic lyrics combined with Montez's smooth vocals create a heartwarming atmosphere.
Line by Line Meaning
If it takes forever I will wait for you
I am willing to wait indefinitely for you
For a thousand summers I will wait for you
Even if I have to wait for a thousand summers, I will wait for you
Till you're back beside me, till I'm holding you
I will wait until you return to me and I am able to hold you again
Till I hear you sigh here in my arms
I long to hold you in my arms and hear you sigh with contentment
Anywhere you wander, anywhere you go
No matter where you go or what you do, my love for you remains constant
Every day remember how I love you so
I hope that each day you remember how much I love you
In your heart believe what in my heart I know
Please believe that what I feel in my heart is true
That forevermore I will wait for you
I will wait for you forever and always
The clock will tick away the hours one by one
Time will continue to pass, but I will still wait for you
Then the time will come when all the waiting's done
Eventually, the waiting will come to an end
The time when you return and find me here and run
When you come back, you will find me waiting for you and you will run to me
Straight to my waiting arms
You will come straight to me and I will embrace you
Till you're here beside me, till I'm touching you
I will wait until you are next to me and I can touch you
And forevermore sharing your love
Once we are reunited, we will share our love forevermore
Contributed by Lincoln S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.