The fourth of seven children, John Royce Mathis was born on September 30, 1… Read Full Bio ↴The fourth of seven children, John Royce Mathis was born on September 30, 1935 in Gilmer, TX to Clem and Mildred Mathis. As a small boy, the family moved to Post Street in San Francisco. It was there that he learned an appreciation of music from his father who taught him his first song, “My Blue Heaven”. At age eight, his father purchased an old upright piano for $25. When he brought it home, it wouldn’t fit through the front door. So that evening, Johnny stayed up all night to watch his father dismantle the piano, get it into the small living room of their basement apartment and then reassemble it. Clem Mathis, who worked briefly as a musician back in Texas playing the piano and singing on stage, would continue to teach his son many songs and routines. Johnny had proven to be the most eager of the children to learn all about music. He sang in the church choir, school functions, community events, for visitors in their home as well as amateur shows in the San Francisco area.
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.
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.
Come to Me
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Though you don't call anymore
I sit and wait in vain
I guess I'll rap on your door
Tap on your window pane
I want to tell you baby
The changes I've been going through
Missing you
Listen you
'Till you come back to me
That's what I'm gonna do
Why did you have to decide
You had to set me free
I'm gonna swallow my pride
I'm gonna beg you to (please baby please) see me
I'm gonna walk by meself
Just to prove that my love is true
Oh, for you baby
'Till you come back to me
That's what I'm gonna do
Living for you my dear
Is like living in a world of constant fear
In my plea, I've got to make you see
That our love is dying
Although your phone you ignore
Somehow I must explain
I'm gonna rap on your door
Tap on your window pane
I'm gonna camp on your step
Until I get through to you
I've got to change your view baby
'Till you come back to me
That's what I'm gonna do
I sit and wait in vain
I guess I'll rap on your door
Tap on your window pane
I want to tell you baby
The changes I've been going through
Missing you
Listen you
That's what I'm gonna do
Why did you have to decide
You had to set me free
I'm gonna swallow my pride
I'm gonna beg you to (please baby please) see me
I'm gonna walk by meself
Just to prove that my love is true
Oh, for you baby
'Till you come back to me
That's what I'm gonna do
Living for you my dear
Is like living in a world of constant fear
In my plea, I've got to make you see
That our love is dying
Although your phone you ignore
Somehow I must explain
I'm gonna rap on your door
Tap on your window pane
I'm gonna camp on your step
Until I get through to you
I've got to change your view baby
'Till you come back to me
That's what I'm gonna do
The lyrics of Johnny Mathis’s song “Come to Me” speaks about the intensity of love and the desire to unite with the person you love. The opening lines of the song, “Come to me now that I have found you, Come to me, wrap my love around you,” establishes the theme of the song - a plea to the loved one to come and wrap themselves with the love and affection of the singer. The singer’s desire to be with the person he loves is highlighted in the lines “I'm on fire; let your lips caress me, My desire is that you possess me.”
The singer urges his lover to stay with him and not to run away from the overwhelming emotions they are experiencing. The chorus of “Stay, stay, stay” emphasizes the singer’s plea for the lover not to leave. The line “Don't be afraid for love to come to you” signifies that the person may be hesitant about love, but the singer reassures them that it is okay to fall in love and urges them to take the leap of faith.
In conclusion, the lyrics of “Come to me” are an ode to the powerful emotion of love and the need for two people to be together. The song’s lyrics are an invitation to the loved one to come and share in the singer's intense emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Come to me now that I have found you
I have finally found you, and I'm inviting you to come to me
Come to me, wrap my love around you
I want to show you my love and hold you close to me
Look in my eyes, hear what they say
My eyes will tell you how much I love you and how much I want you to stay
Don't run away
Please don't leave me, don't run away from my love
Stay, stay, stay
All I'm asking is for you to stay with me, please don't go
I'm on fire; let your lips caress me
I'm burning with desire, and I want you to kiss me
My desire is that you possess me
I want you to take control and love me completely
Don't be afraid for love to come to you
Don't be scared of falling in love, let love come to you
My lover, come to me
My love, please come to me
Lover, come to me
I'm calling out to my lover, begging them to come
Come to me
Please come to me, my love
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Morris Broadnax, Clarence O. Paul, Stevie Wonder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Milton Moore
Tillotson is not that
common a name,
so I imagine you
could very well be
on the same family
tree as JOHNNY
TILLOTSON. The great triumvirate of
Johnny Mathis; Johnny Desmond; &
Johnny Tillotson account for a large number of the songs
I treasure, including
this masterpiece.
Suzan Wilson
A SIREN ... SOPARO VOICE SO HIGH & HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFULLY, ALLURING...
THAT IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
THE SIRENS , WOULD LURR
SALIORS TO THEIR DEATHS
BY.. THEIR MOANFUL WAILS OF BEAUTIFUL SIGHS OF INTONATIONS!
GOREGOUS VOICE!!!
DA GIRL CAN SANG... ALONG WITH
THE UNMATCHED SUBLIME VOICE...
OF
THE GREATEST VOICE OF
ALL TIME!! MY BAMMMMMM
MY GOREGOUS JOHNNY
I'VE KISSED HIM& EMBRACED
HIM.. I FOREVER FEEL HIS
STRENGTH !!
AS
MY BACK CRACKED IN
ECSTACY!!
NEVER ANOTHER!!
THE GOLDENESS
OF
MEN!!!!
AMEN!!😇😇😇😇👏👏👏👏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💜💜💙💚💚🧡🧡💛💚💙💜💘💋💘💋💘💘💚💕💕💛💘💘💋
I'LlL COME TOO HIM ANYTIME,
ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE
CALL ME!!
SUZZAN C. WILSON💜🤎💚💕💕💛💋💛💛💕💚💚💜💜💚💕💛💘🧡🧡💙💋💘💕💚💚💜
Paul Marshall
There are many great vocalists. Most sang love songs. But there is something about the voice of Mathis that lets him OWN the space. To hear him is to be in another world...a dream world filled with the emotion of love. His voice has a heavenly quality about it that no one can match. There is quite simply none better at what he does. 55 years ago I fell in love with my late wife, with the songs of Mathis playing in the background. Nothing has changed. He is still the master of the romantic song...none better.
Milton Moore
NONE BETTER, OK,
BUT VIC DAMONE, BROOK BENTON,
TONY MARTIN, JIM REEVES, JOHNNY DESMOND, NAT "KING" COLE, ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINK AND JOHNNY TILLOTSON WERE ON HIS CLASS.
RESPECTFULLY
Melek Alrahim
Marvelous. Magnificent. I'm 45, but 25 years ago I felt this music was made exactly for romantics like me. All of his songs are pure jewels. Only very few people in México remember this unique voice master. He sounds so much like José José ( el príncipe de la canción ) he confessed to have all the influence from Johnny Mathis.
Dee Hall
What a classic song that's will never lose it's weight in the quality of sound. This is one of my favorites! simply Awsome! Only Johnny can sing this song!!
ezabdullah
The song has a deep meaning and Johnny Mathis sung it to perfection.
RKradio
His voice is just dreamy and it just melts your soul with romance, his choice of songs is incredible, so emotional and beautiful. Thanks for sharing this beautiful song,I love Johnny Mathis.
Jery Tillotson
I used to hear this tune back in 1958 when it was always rainy and cold--brilliant arrangement and oh, that fabulous female chorus that underscored all these tunes to make them unforgettable.
blue mountain
+Jery Tillotson I used to have a Johnny Mathis LP and play it all day long. Good old times !
Milton Moore
Tillotson is not that
common a name,
so I imagine you
could very well be
on the same family
tree as JOHNNY
TILLOTSON. The great triumvirate of
Johnny Mathis; Johnny Desmond; &
Johnny Tillotson account for a large number of the songs
I treasure, including
this masterpiece.
jennie966
Just beautiful ... torture if you're missing your loved one!!!