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.
Once I Loved
Chris Montez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I gave so much love to this love.
It was the world to me.
Once I cried.
At that time I was foolish and proud
And let you say goodbye
Then one day
From my infinite sadness you came
Now I know
That no matter whatever befalls
I'll never let you go.
I will hold you close,
Make you stay.
Because love is the saddest thing
When it goes away
Then one day
From my infinite sadness you came
And brought me love again
Now I know
That no matter whatever befalls
I'll never let you go.
I will hold you close,
Make you stay.
Because love is the saddest thing
When it goes away
Because love is the saddest thing
When it goes away
Because love is the saddest thing
When it goes away.
The lyrics to Once I Loved by Chris Montez are a poignant and heartfelt expression of the pain of lost love, the joy of rediscovered love, and the determination to hold onto it. The song begins by describing the singer's past love, which meant everything to him/her and to which he/she gave so much love. However, foolishness led to their separation, and the singer found themselves alone and crying.
But then, in their infinite sadness, the singer was given a second chance at love when someone new entered their life and brought them the love they had lost. This experience taught the singer to appreciate the value of true love and to never let it go, no matter what obstacles may arise.
Throughout the song, the singer emphasizes the importance of not taking love for granted and the sadness that comes with its loss. But even in the face of this sadness, the singer remains determined to hold onto love and to hold their beloved close, believing that love is worth fighting for.
Overall, the lyrics to Once I Loved are a moving testament to the power and importance of love in our lives and the resilience of human spirit when it comes to matters of the heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I loved.
There was a time when I was in love.
And I gave so much love to this love.
I dedicated myself to this person and our relationship.
It was the world to me.
Our love was the most important thing in my life.
Once I cried.
I experienced heartbreak and sadness at the end of our relationship.
At that time I was foolish and proud
I was naive and stubborn in thinking that our love could withstand anything.
And let you say goodbye
I allowed you to leave me.
Then one day
Unexpectedly.
From my infinite sadness you came
You came into my life when I was at my lowest point.
And brought me love again
You renewed my hope for love and happiness.
Now I know
I have come to realize.
That no matter whatever befalls
Regardless of what happens in the future.
I'll never let you go.
I will never let our love slip away again.
I will hold you close,
I will cherish and protect our relationship.
Make you stay.
I will do everything in my power to make sure you never leave me again.
Because love is the saddest thing
Love has the potential to cause immense pain and heartbreak.
When it goes away
When a once great love ends and is gone forever.
Writer(s): Gilbert, Jobim, Demoraes
Contributed by Audrey M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Roberto Cesar
A Bossa Nova foi um movimento musical que tornou internacionalmente conhecida a MPB, caracterizada por uma “batida diferente” e bastante influenciada pelo samba e jazz. Penso, que vivenciou o melhor momento da MPB em todos os tempos.
Once I Loved (O amor em paz) é uma composição de Tom Jobim e Vinicius de Moraes, a versão em inglês é de Ray Gilbert. Excelente a interpretação de Chris Montez, com primoroso arranjo musical.
Peter- ClipstoneFilms
Heavenly!
rfuturemd1
this is amazing... thank you up loader
Antonio Fernandes de Queiroga
Bossa nova classic.
Renato Arana Conde
@coolitababy Mine's 'Watch what happens'