Johnny was 13 years old when Clem took him to see Connie Cox, a Bay Area voice teacher, who agreed to take on the youngster in exchange for his doing odd jobs around her house. Johnny studied with Connie for six years learning vocal scales and exercises, voice production, classical and operatic skills.
At George Washington High School, Johnny was known not only for his singing ability but his athleticism as well. He became a star athlete on the track and field team as a high jumper and hurdler and played on the basketball team.
In 1954, Johnny enrolled at San Francisco State College with the intention of being an English and Physical Education teacher. While there, Johnny set a high jump record of 6’-5 1/2”. This is still on the College’s Top 15 list and was only two inches short of the Olympic record of the time. Just as when he was in high school, Johnny’s name was frequently mentioned in the sports sections of the Northern California newspapers. He was often referred to as “the best all-around athlete to come out of the San Francisco Bay Area”.
A fellow student whose sextet was working at the Black Hawk nightclub brought Johnny in for a Sunday afternoon jam session. It was at the Black Hawk that Helen Noga, co-owner of the club, first heard him sing. She decided that she wanted to manage his career.
In early September of 1955, Johnny landed a job singing weekends at Ann Dee’s 440 Club. After repeated attempts, Helen convinced George Avakian, then head of Jazz A&R at Columbia, to see him. Avakian came to the club, heard Johnny sing and sent the now famous telegram to his record company: “Have found phenomenal 19 year old boy who could go all the way. Send blank contracts.”
Avakian left for New York after telling Johnny that he would eventually send for him. Johnny continued his studies at San Francisco State and gained additional fame as a high jumper. In early 1956, Johnny was asked to attend the trials for the 1956 Olympic teams that would travel to Melbourne, Australia that summer. At the same time, Columbia Records requested that Johnny come to New York to start arrangements for his first recording session. Clem helped his son decide that his future and best interests were with the recording company. So, Johnny gave up his chance to become a member of the USA Olympic Team. He went to New York to record his first album in March of 1956.
The first album was a collection of jazz oriented renditions of popular standards entitled: Johnny Mathis: A New Sound In Popular Song. It included jazz musicians Gil Evans, John Lewis and Teo Macero and songs like “Angel Eyes”, “Easy to Love” and “Babalu”. The album enjoyed only moderate success because jazz vocal albums were not good sellers. Nevertheless, Johnny remained in New York and landed bookings at some of the leading nightclubs such as the Village Vanguard, The Blue Angel and Basin Street East.
Soon, Columbia placed Johnny under the supervision of producer Mitch Miller. Mitch favored using Johnny’s voice to sing soft, romantic ballads. At his second recording session, in the fall of 1956, Johnny recorded two singles. These songs were to become among his most popular all-time greatest hits: “Wonderful, Wonderful” and “It’s Not For Me To Say.” Subsequently, MGM Studios signed Johnny to sing “It’s Not For Me To Say” in the film Lizzie . He played a tavern piano bar singer. In 1958, Johnny made another motion picture appearance. This time it was for 20th Century Fox in A Certain Smile. In this movie, he sang the title song playing himself in an elegant nightclub scene. Since then, Johnny’s voice has been used in countless Hollywood movies for theme songs, background music and to enhance a particular setting or segment.
“Wonderful, Wonderful” and “It’s Not For Me To Say” reached their peaks on the BILLBOARD pop chart in July of 1957. These successes were followed by the monumental single “Chances Are” which became Johnny’s first #1 hit.
In June of 1957, Johnny appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show where he was introduced to the record buying public and became a national celebrity and household name. Columbia Records continued to release albums of Johnny singing beautiful and romantic ballads, classic standards and the best songs from Broadway musicals. These albums, like the singles, became immediate successes with sales in the millions. It was not uncommon for Johnny to have as many as four albums on the BILLBOARD Top Albums chart at the same time. In late 1959, Johnny recorded another song that became synonymous with the name of Johnny Mathis, the Erroll Garner composition, “Misty”.
Johnny’s accomplishments are numerous and varied. He holds many records and has set many precedents in the music industry. In 1958, two years after being signed by Columbia Records, Johnny’s Greatest Hits was released. It began a “Greatest Hits” tradition copied by every record company since then. Johnny’s Greatest Hits went on to become one of the most popular albums of all time and spent an unprecedented 490 continuous weeks (almost ten years) on the BILLBOARD Top Albums Chart. This record has been noted in the GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS.
According to record historian Joel Whitburn, Johnny is one of only five recording artists to have Top 40 Hits spanning each of the four decades since 1955. Amazingly, his second #1 Hit Single, “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” (recorded with Deniece Williams), came almost 21 years after his very first #1 Hit Single, “Chances Are”.
Johnny has been honored to make several appearances before various heads of state. Starting in June of 1973, he sang at a State Dinner held in honor of the President of Liberia. In 1978, Johnny sang for the British Royal Family at A Command Performance held at The London Palladium. He performed for President and Mrs. Reagan at the State Dinner held in honor of the Prime Minister of Japan in April of 1987. Four years later in April of 1991, he sang for President and Mrs. Bush in honor of the President of Nicaragua. Most recently, in May of 1994, Johnny sang for President and Mrs. Clinton (along with the other five living First Ladies) at a very special First Ladies Tribute.
Johnny has also been honored by entertainment heads of state. In June of 1972, he was awarded his own star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has participated in the Academy Awards presentation many times to sing the song nominated in the “Best Song” category. He has received two Grammy nominations. The first was for “Misty” in 1960 in the category of Best Vocal Performance Single Record or Track Male. The second came in 1992 for In a Sentimental Mood/Mathis Sings Ellington in the category of Best Traditional Pop Performance.
1996 marked Johnny’s 40th Anniversary as a recording artist. He celebrated by releasing All About Love. He then released The Global Masters (songs from his three year contract at Mercury Records) in 1997, and 1998 saw the release of The Ultimate Hits and Because You Loved Me.
In his free time, Johnny loves to golf. He plays golf almost every day when he’s not traveling and has sung at many golf banquets such as the Ryder Cup. In 1985 and 1986, Johnny hosted his own golf tournament, The Johnny Mathis Seniors PGA Classic which was held in Los Angeles, California.
Johnny’s other favorite avocation is cooking. He is a gourmet cook who cooks for himself and often others when he’s home or traveling. His mother taught him at an early age how to cook up a storm and do it well. He’s enjoyed doing so all his life.
Love Story
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To tell the story of how great a love can be
The sweet love story that is older than the sea
The simple truth about the love she brings to me
Where do I start
With her first hello
She gave new meaning to this empty world of mine
There'd never be another love, another timeShe came into my life and made the living fine
She fills my heart
She fills my heart with very special things
With angels songs, with wild imaginings
She fills my soul with so much love
That anywhere I go I'm never lonely
With her around, who could be lonely
I reach for her hand-its always there
How long does it last
Can love be measured by the hours in a day
I have no answers now but this much I can say
I know I'll need her till the stars all burn away
And she'll be there
How long does it last
Can love be measured by the hours in a day
I have no answers now but this much I can say
I know I'll need her till the stars all burn away
And she'll be there
The song "Love Story" by Johnny Mathis narrates the story of a love that transcends time and space. The lyrics speak of the greatness of this love, which is as old as the sea and gives new meaning to the world. Mathis initially wonders where to begin to describe such love, but he finds his starting point with the memory of his first encounter with his loved one. From then on, his life has been filled with love and joy, and he cannot imagine being with anyone else. The woman he loves fills his heart with special things, such as angel songs and wild imaginings, and his soul with so much love that he is never lonely when she is around. Whenever he reaches for her hand, she is always there.
The lyrics of the song also contemplate the question of how long this love will last, and whether it can be measured by the hours in a day. Mathis confesses to having no answers, but he knows that he will need her until the stars all burn away, and she will be there. The song thus speaks of a timeless and eternal love that endures despite the passing of time and the changing of circumstances. It celebrates the beauty of love and the joy it brings to life.
Line by Line Meaning
Where do I begin
How do I start
To tell the story of how great a love can be
To convey how magnificent love can truly be
The sweet love story that is older than the sea
A love tale that is timeless and beyond measure
The simple truth about the love she brings to me
The undeniable fact that the love she gives me is pure and sincere
Where do I start
How do I begin
With her first hello
From the very first time I heard her say 'hello'
She gave new meaning to this empty world of mine
She filled my life with purpose and significance
There'd never be another love, another time
No other love can ever compare to hers, no other time can ever replace this moment
She came into my life and made the living fine
She entered my life and made everything better
She fills my heart
She completes me emotionally
She fills my heart with very special things
She fills my heart with unique emotions
With angels songs, with wild imaginings
With feelings of elation and wonderment
She fills my soul with so much love
She fulfills me beyond just my heart
That anywhere I go I'm never lonely
I never feel alone no matter where I am as long as I have her in my heart
With her around, who could be lonely
As long as she's here, there's no reason to feel lonely
I reach for her hand-its always there
Whenever I need her, she's always there to offer her support
How long does it last
How enduring is this love
Can love be measured by the hours in a day
Is the length of love determined by the duration of a day
I have no answers now but this much I can say
I may not know much, but I know this
I know I'll need her till the stars all burn away
I know that I will always need her, even after the world ends
And she'll be there
And I know she'll be by my side
How long does it last
How enduring is this love
Can love be measured by the hours in a day
Is the length of love determined by the duration of a day
I have no answers now but this much I can say
I may not know much, but I know this
I know I'll need her till the stars all burn away
I know that I will always need her, even after the world ends
And she'll be there
And I know she'll be by my side
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Sentric Music
Written by: Carl Sigman, Francis Lai
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kimberlydawson2189
Thank you for this post. This was one of my favorite movies and the music was such a big deal then.
I have never forgotten the movie or the music, both were so beautiful. Johnny Mathis makes everything seem so alive.
@MoMoMyPup10
The song and the movie are 100% pure magic. I think it is the love story of the ages. Ali is stone cold amazing in this. Ryan never looked better. Johnny kills this song. And it fits the tragic beauty of them together.
@LuisGuilhermeGoncalvesBraga
Saudades do meu pai que amava o Johnny Mathis e comprava todos seus discos, choro cada vez que escuto, pois lembro dele. Só a música te leva a esses momentos tão marcantes, expõe as suas cicatrizes.
@richardfox1605
The most beautiful tenor voicevof his generation or possibly any
@isabelamaro778
Lindíssima música! Deve fazer uns 50 anos que não a ouço.
@anetemelo5259
Não se ouve mais uma voz igual a essa.
@catiacristina9845
Chorando em 19/11/21 e todos os dias...😭
@selvamartaperalta8321
Maravillosa película. Todas adoramos a Ali y nos enamoramos de Ryan. ❤❤❤❤❤
@fatimacunhafeo7542
Não há voz e letra mais linda 💕
@stacystevens114
Mr. Mathis is "THE VOICE ". ❤❤❤