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 werenโt 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 Garyโs 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 Lewisโ 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 Raphaรซl 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.
Runaway
Gary Lewis & The Playboys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Made lots of friends, many different races
I've had such fun around the world it's true
African skies with a Nairobi mood
I fell asleep in Tuscany and dreamed
The one thing missing was you
Runaway with me my love,
Runaway with me my love,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I woke up with an Australian breeze
And danced the dance with Aborigines
Oh under the moon glow down in Mexico I dreamed
One thing was missing that's you
Runaway with me my love,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Runaway with me my love,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
We'll sail the waters of many colors
We won't need a compass, love will guide our way
Don't need nobody, as long as we got each other
No need to hurry, we've got everyday
I wanna share the world with you, you see
Spring time in Paris feels so good to me
Oh this is for me reality
So please make all my wishes come true
Runaway with me my love,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
And I just know we'll have a good time
And I just know we'll have a good time
The lyrics of Gary Lewis & The Playboys's song โRunawayโ describe a traveler who has been to many different places around the world and had various experiences, but still feels like something in their life is missing. The singer of the song has had fun experiencing African skies with a Nairobi mood, slept in Tuscany and dreamed of having someone special with them, danced with the Aborigines in Australia, and dreamed of someone while looking at the moon glow of Mexico. However, they still have this nagging feeling that something is missing, and that it would all be complete if they could runaway with the love of their life.
The singer then offers a vision of what their life could be like if they could be together. They'd sail the waters of many colors, guided by their love and would never need a compass. They wouldn't need anyone else as long as they had each other, and they would take their time to explore the world. They express a desire to share all the wonders of the world with the one they love, whether itโs the springtime in Paris or just a simple reality. All they need is for their wishes to come true, which is to runaway with their love.
Overall, the song is a celebration of love and the joys of traveling. Through the lyrics, the singer tries to convince his love to runaway with him and experience the wonders of the world together. The singer conveys that while they have travelled the world and have had many unforgettable experiences, all of it would be incomplete without the love of their life by their side.
Line by Line Meaning
I've seen the world, been to many places
I have traveled a lot and explored various parts of the world
Made lots of friends, many different races
I have made friends with people from different cultures and races
I've had such fun around the world it's true
I have enjoyed my travels and had a great time
African skies with a Nairobi mood
I have seen the beauty of African skies and experienced the rich culture of Nairobi
I fell asleep in Tuscany and dreamed
I slept in Tuscany and had a dream
The one thing missing was you
The one thing that would make my travels complete is having you with me
Runaway with me my love,
Let's escape together and go on an adventure, my love
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I am excited about the possibility of our journey together
I woke up with an Australian breeze
I was awoken by the refreshing breeze in Australia
And danced the dance with Aborigines
I had the chance to dance with the native people of Australia
Oh under the moon glow down in Mexico I dreamed
I had a dream while under the moonlight in Mexico
One thing was missing that's you
You were the one thing missing in my dream and travels
We'll sail the waters of many colors
Let's embark on an exciting journey across various waters
We won't need a compass, love will guide our way
We won't require a navigation tool because our love will show us the way
Don't need nobody, as long as we got each other
We don't require anyone else as long as we have each other
No need to hurry, we've got everyday
We don't have to rush because we have plenty of time
I wanna share the world with you, you see
I want to explore the world with you because I love and care for you
Spring time in Paris feels so good to me
I love the feeling of springtime in Paris
Oh this is for me reality
This dream of travelling with you can be a reality for us
So please make all my wishes come true
Please join me on this adventure and make my dreams come true
And I just know we'll have a good time
I am confident that we will enjoy ourselves
Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management
Written by: Del Shannon, Max D. Crook
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind