They were hired on the spot, audiences at Disneyland quickly accepting them and loving their good-time image, and the Playboys were soon playing to a full house every night. Band leader Les Brown had known Jerry Lewis for years, and he told record producer Snuff Garrett that the younger Lewis was playing at Disneyland. After listening to the band, Garrett liked their sound and thought using Gary's famous name might sell tons of records. Garrett took them into a recording studio with the song "This Diamond Ring" in a session financed by Jerry Lewis' wife Patti. However, according to Lewis, the Playboys weren’t allowed to play their instruments except on the backing tracks.
Garrett wanted to maximize the chances for a hit, so he insisted on using experienced studio musicians for the overdubs, which included guitar and keyboard solos, additional bass and drum overdubs, and timpani. These musicians included Tommy Allsup on guitar, Leon Russell on keyboards, Joe Osborn on bass, and Hal Blaine on drums. Session singer Ron Hicklin did the basic vocal track. Garrett then added Gary’s voice twice, added some of the Playboys and more of Hicklin. "When I got through, he sounded like Mario Lanza," Garrett commented.
Regarding the musicians who performed on "This Diamond Ring" and other tracks by the band, Gary Lewis told Songfacts, "The Playboys played on every track we ever did, the Wrecking Crew did solos and overdubs. I sang every song myself and had a backup singer that sang only harmonies with me. My producer Snuff Garrett can back up everything I've told you, and so can Leon Russell, who was the arranger of everything I did."
Garrett got airplay in New York City for "This Diamond Ring" by making a deal with WINS disc jockey Murray the K Kaufman, who ran a series of all-star concerts at theaters around the New York area, promising that if he played Lewis’ record, the Playboys would do his shows. Garrett then had Jerry Lewis use his contacts to get his son onto 'The Ed Sullivan Show', which often 'made' an artist. However, Sullivan had a general policy that all acts appearing on his show were to perform live (although one of his frequent guests, The Dave Clark Five, had lip-synched from their second appearance on, in early 1964). Since so many studio tricks had been used on the record, the Playboys could not re-create its sound. In compromise, Lewis sang along with pre-recorded tracks as the Playboys pretended to play their instruments. The January 1965 broadcast made Gary Lewis and the Playboys instant stars.
"This Diamond Ring" went all the way to #1, and pressing plants reportedly could not keep up with initial demand for the record. Successful touring and persistent airplay has made the tune a part of 60s music history, appearing in many multi-artist collections. However, only West and Lewis remained in the band by the end of 1965. Other members later included Tommy Tripplehorn (father of actress Jeanne Tripplehorn), Carl Radle, Jimmy Karstein, Dave Gonzalez, and "Myke".
In 1965, Gary Lewis was deemed 'Cash Box' magazine's "Male Vocalist of the Year," winning against nominees Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. As a testament to his group's success, his was also the only 60s artist to have its seven single releases reach Billboard magazine's Top 10 on the Hot 100 chart (with "Count Me In" (#2), "Save Your Heart for Me" (#2), "Everybody Loves a Clown" (#4), "She's Just My Style" (#3), "Sure Gonna Miss Her" (#9), and "Green Grass" (#8) all hitting the upper reaches of the chart). Lewis was drafted into the U.S. Army in January 1967 and discharged in 1968. He immediately returned to recording but was unable to regain his group's earlier momentum. Lewis continued touring, eventually marketing the band as a nostalgia act.
In total, Gary Lewis and his band has had eight gold singles, 17 top 40 hits, and four gold albums. In addition to playing on 'The Ed Sullivan Show', he appeared on 'American Bandstand', 'Shindig!', 'Hullabaloo', 'The Sally Jessy Raphaël Show', 'The Tonight Show', 'The Mike Douglas Show', 'Nashville Now', and Wolfman Jack's famous program. Gary Lewis has also appeared and performed on many of his father's Labor Day telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
I Don't Wanna Say Goodnight
Gary Lewis & The Playboys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's a funny thing that I had a hunch we couldn't miss
I should've tried to keep you from knowin'
But how can I stop my love from showin'?
CHORUS:
I don't wanna say goodnight (no no no no)
I don't wanna say goodnight
Was it the way you smiled the first time you caught me looking at you?
Or is it just tonight that's makin' me feel the way I do?
It's gettin' late & I should be goin'
But I can't stop my love from showin'
(chorus)
Don't send me away when I've been waitin' so long to hold you in my arms
Baby, here we are; somehow I knew it would be like this
It's a funny thing that I had a hunch we couldn't miss
I should've tried to keep you from knowin'
But it's too late now, you really got me goin'
(repeat & fade):
I don't wanna say goodnight (no no no no)
Gary Lewis & The Playboys's song "I Don't Wanna Say Goodnight" is a love song that explores the dilemma of wanting to stay in the moment with the person you love and not wanting it to end. The lyrics describe the feeling of being caught up in the moment and not wanting the night to come to an end, despite the fact that it's getting late and they should be leaving. The singer reflects on his feelings towards the person he's with and wonders if it's just the moment that's affecting his emotions, or if it's something more.
The chorus repeats the phrase "I don't wanna say goodnight" over and over as the singer pleads with his love interest not to make him leave. He expresses that he's waited so long to hold them in his arms and he doesn't want the moment to end. The singer ultimately acknowledges that it's too late to hide his feelings and that he's already been swept up in the moment. The song is a classic 60s pop love song that captures the feeling of falling in love and wanting to stay in that moment forever.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, here we are; somehow I knew I'd feel like this
I knew all along that our meeting would be meaningful and I have this feeling that I can't shake
It's a funny thing that I had a hunch we couldn't miss
It's strange how I had a feeling that we were meant to be and nothing could stop us
I should've tried to keep you from knowin'
I should have kept my emotions hidden from you
But how can I stop my love from showin'?
But it's hard to keep my love for you hidden, and it's starting to show
I don't wanna say goodnight (no no no no)
I don't want to say goodbye to you, not now, not ever
Baby, please don't make me
Please don't force me to leave or say goodbye. I want to stay with you
Was it the way you smiled the first time you caught me looking at you?
I wonder if it was your smile that first captivated me when I caught you looking at me
Or is it just tonight that's makin' me feel the way I do?
Or is it just tonight that's making me feel this way? I'm not sure
It's gettin' late & I should be goin'
It's late and I should go home, but it's hard for me when I'm with you
But I can't stop my love from showin'
But I can't help showing my love for you, it's stronger than I am
Don't send me away when I've been waitin' so long to hold you in my arms
Please don't ask me to leave when I've been waiting so long to hold you in my arms
But it's too late now, you really got me goin'
But now it's too late, you've stirred up all these emotions in me and I can't turn them off
I don't wanna say goodnight (no no no no)
I don't want to say goodbye to you, not now, not ever
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: P. F. SLOAN, STEVE BARRI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind