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.
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
Chris Montez Lyrics
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It's the April rose that only grows in the early Spring
Love is nature's way of giving a reason to be living
The golden crown that makes a man a king
Once on a high and windy hill, In the morning mist
Two lovers kissed and the world stood still
Then your fingers touched my silent heart and taught it how to sing
Yes, true love's a many splendored thing
Love is a many splendored thing
It's the April rose that only grows in the early Spring
Love is nature's way of giving a reason to be living
The golden crown that makes a man a king
Once on a high and windy hill, In the morning mist
Two lovers kissed and the world stood still
Then your fingers touched my silent heart and taught it how to sing
Yes, true love's a many splendored thing
The song "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" is a classic love song that describes love as a beautiful and powerful force that can transform one's life. The lyrics compare love to an April rose, a rare and beautiful flower which only blossoms in the early Spring. Love is described as nature's way of giving a reason to live and as a golden crown that makes a man a king. The song evokes images of a high and windy hill where two lovers kissed and the world stood still. The lovers' touch melts the singer's heart, making him capable of singing again. The lyrics celebrate the transformative power of love and its ability to bring people together.
The song was released in 1955 as part of the movie soundtrack for the film "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing." The movie was based on the novel "A Many-Splendored Thing" by Han Suyin, which tells the story of a Eurasian doctor and a married American war correspondent who fall in love in Hong Kong. The film won three Academy Awards, including Best Original Song for "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing." The song became a hit for Chris Montez in 1963, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Since then, the song has been covered by numerous artists and featured in many films and TV shows.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is a many splendored thing
Love has many beautiful aspects that make it remarkable and cherished.
It's the April rose that only grows in the early Spring
Love is as delicate and rare as a rose that blooms in the early days of Spring, and should be cherished accordingly.
Love is nature's way of giving a reason to be living
Love is the driving force that gives meaning and purpose to our existence.
The golden crown that makes a man a king
True love has the power to elevate a person to a position of great importance and honor, just like a golden crown makes a man a king.
Once on a high and windy hill, In the morning mist
This is a specific moment in time when two people were together on a hilltop, surrounded by mist and whatever nature had to offer.
Two lovers kissed and the world stood still
At that instant when true love is shared via a kiss, everything else fades into insignificance and the world seems to stop, paused for that one moment between the two lovers.
Then your fingers touched my silent heart and taught it how to sing
When two lovers finally find each other and their hearts touch, the music of life begins, and they can teach each other how to find joy and sing through the ups and downs.
Yes, true love's a many splendored thing
The idea is repeated here to emphasize that true love contains an infinite number of amazing qualities and is, without a doubt, among the greatest things we could ever hope to experience.
Writer(s): Paul Webster, Sammy Fain
Contributed by Allison G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.