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.
Watch What Happens
Chris Montez Lyrics
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Let him hold out his hand
Let him touch you and watch what happens
One someone who can look in your eyes
And see into your heart
Let him find you and watch what happens
Maybe just afraid to be broken again
Let someone with a deep love to give
Give that deep love to you
And what magic you'll see
Let someone with a deep love to give
Give that deep love to you
And what magic you'll see
Let someone give his heart
Someone who cares like me
Let someone give his heart
Someone who cares like me
"Watch What Happens" by Chris Montez is a romantic song that speaks of the power of love to transform a person's life. The song starts by encouraging the listener to let someone start believing in them, and to let them hold out their hand and touch them. The lyrics suggest that by allowing someone to get close to you, you can experience the transformative power of love.
The second verse emphasizes the importance of finding someone who can see into your heart and understand your innermost desires. The lyrics suggest that by being open and vulnerable, one can attract someone with a deep love to give. The chorus repeats the motif of "watching what happens" when one allows love into their life. The final verse serves as an invitation to the listener to let someone give their heart to them, someone who cares like the singer does.
Overall, the song is an uplifting and positive message about the power of love to bring about positive change in a person's life. The lyrics encourage the listener to be open and receptive to love, and to be willing to take a chance on a deep and meaningful connection with another person.
Line by Line Meaning
Let someone start believing in you
Allow someone to believe in you and what you can achieve
Let him hold out his hand
Allow him to offer his support
Let him touch you and watch what happens
Allow him to get close and see the impact he can make on your life
One someone who can look in your eyes
Find someone who can connect with you emotionally
And see into your heart
Someone who can truly understand your feelings
Let him find you and watch what happens
Allow him to discover who you truly are and see the positive changes that can happen
Cold, no I won't believe your heart is cold
I don't think you are incapable of love or emotion
Maybe just afraid to be broken again
Perhaps you are just guarded because of past hurt and fear of getting hurt again
Let someone with a deep love to give
Find someone who is capable of loving you deeply
Give that deep love to you
Allow that person to show you how much they care
And what magic you'll see
Experience the transformative power of love
Let someone give his heart
Allow someone to trust you with their heart
Someone who cares like me
Find someone who truly cares for you
Contributed by Benjamin I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.