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.
SUNNY
Chris Montez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain.
Now the dark days are bright, and the bright days are here,
My sunny one shines so sincere,
Sunny one so true, I love you.
Sunny, thank you for the sunshine bouquet.
You gave to me your all and all,
And now I feel ten feet tall,
Sunny one so true, I love you.
Yeah!
Sunny, thank you for the smile upon your face.
Sunny, thank you for that gleam that flows with grace.
You're my star of nature's fire,
You're my sweet complete desire.
Sunny one so true, I love you.
Sunny, yesterday my heart was filled with rain.
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain.
Now the dark days are bright, and the bright days are here,
My sunny one shines so sincere,
Sunny one so true, I love you.
In Chris Montez's song "Sunny," the lyrics express how the singer's life was once filled with rain, but then Sunny (presumably a person) came into their life and eased their pain with a smile. The singer thanks Sunny for bringing love and light into their life, making even the dark days bright. They express their love for Sunny and appreciation for all that she has done for them. The repetition of "Sunny" throughout the song emphasizes the importance of this person in the singer's life, and the upbeat tempo emphasizes the joy and happiness that Sunny brings.
Line by Line Meaning
Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain.
My life felt heavy and burdensome.
Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain.
Your smile brought me comfort and lifted my spirits.
Now the dark days are bright, and the bright days are here,
Everything is turning around for the better.
My sunny one shines so sincere,
You radiate with genuineness and warmth.
Sunny one so true, I love you.
You are my true love and I adore you.
Sunny, thank you for the sunshine bouquet.
Thank you for bringing joy and light into my life.
And Sunny, thank you for the love you've brought my way.
I am grateful for the love and care you have shown me.
You gave to me your all and all,
You have given me everything of yourself.
And now I feel ten feet tall,
I am empowered and confident because of you.
Sunny one so true, I love you.
You are my true love and I adore you.
Sunny, thank you for the smile upon your face.
Thank you for your genuine and lovely smile.
Sunny, thank you for that gleam that flows with grace.
Thank you for your graceful and radiant presence.
You're my star of nature's fire,
You are the shining light in my life.
You're my sweet complete desire.
You are my sweetest and most fulfilling desire.
Sunny one so true, I love you.
You are my true love and I adore you.
Sunny, yesterday my heart was filled with rain.
My heart felt heavy and sad.
Now the dark days are bright, and the bright days are here,
Everything is turning around for the better.
My sunny one shines so sincere,
You radiate with genuineness and warmth.
Sunny one so true, I love you.
You are my true love and I adore you.
Contributed by Emily T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@patrickstocks3576
Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain
And sunny, you smiled at me and really erased the pain
Then the dark days are gone, and the bright days are here
My sunny one shines so sincere
Sunny, one so true, I love love
Sunny, thank you for the sunshine bouquet
And sunny, thank you for the love you brought my way
You gave to me your all and all
And now I feel 10 feet tall
Sunny one so true, I love you
Yeah
Sunny, thank you for the smile upon your face
Sunny, thank you for the gleam that shows your Grace
You’re my spark of natures fire
You’re my sweet compete desire
Sunny one so true, I love you
Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain
Sunny, you smiled at me and really really eased the pain
Now the dark days are gone, and the bright days are here
My sunny one shines so sincere
Sunny one so true, I love you
Hmm, I love you (sunny)
Hmm, I love you (sunny)
Hmm, I love you (sunny)
Hmm, I love you (sunny)
@Elza8106
Essa musica marcou minha juventude, nos meus 16 anos, dancei muito ela nos bailinhos que eram moda nos anos de 1965 , jamais esquecerei, foi regravado por muitos cantores, mas o Cris Montes de voz pequena e chamavam de chiquitos, vendeu horrores e se tornou famoso e o rei dos bailes e bailinhos, eu nunca vou cansar de ouvir !
@Elza8106
Essa musica foi o classico dos anos 68 a 70, não teve nenhum adolescente que não dançou Sunny com Cris Montez, cantor de baladas românticas que se tornou o rei dos bailes ! Eu dancei muito essa musica e gostei de ouvir ela novamente , bons tempos os anos 70 !
@MarcosSilva-bt6yo
Call me, também foi um clássico.
@suelideamorimmoreira1125
Verdade
Saudades
Música lindaaaa
@tyronegoulart6431
Ano de 1967.
@tyronegoulart6431
@Marcos Silva Call me 1966.
@edsondemoraesmachado3568
Show esta música me trasporta em tempos antigos onde tudo era alegria sem pensamento ruim.😂😂😂😂😂
@gessimargomes7274
Chris Montez tinha uma voz pequeninha, suave e muito gostosa de ouvir. Essa música, Call me e The more I see you são ESPETACULARES. ADORO. REMETE À MINHA INFÂNCIA.
@beatrizgonzalez906
😊me encanta la voz de este chico. Grabo varios éxitos en los sesenta. Tengo LP original de esa época pues a mis papás les encantaba.❤
@soniamariagarcia8845
Saudade imensa dos meus 12 anos,que eu dançava ,ouvindo Chris Montez