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.
Emotion
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the heartache lives on inside
And who's the one you're clinging to
Instead of me tonight?
And where are you now? Now that I need you
Tears on my pillow, wherever you go
I cry me a river that leads to your ocean
In the words of a broken heart
It's just emotion that's taken me over
Tied up in sorrow, lost in my soul
And if you don't come back, come home to me, darling
You know that there'll be nobody else in this world to hold me tight
Nobody left in this world to kiss goodnight
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
I'm there at your side
I'm a part of all the things you are
But you've got a part of someone else
You've got to find your shining star
And where are you now? Now that I need you
Tears on my pillow, wherever you go
I cry me a river that leads to your ocean
You never see me fall apart
In the words of a broken heart
It's just emotion that's taken me over
Tied up in sorrow, lost in my soul
And if you don't come back, come home to me, darling
You know that there'll be nobody else in this world to hold me tight
Nobody left in this world to kiss goodnight
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
The lyrics to Johnny Mathis/Deniece Williams’s song “Emotion” paint a picture of heartbreak and longing that anyone who’s ever experienced a breakup can relate to. The singer is unable to move on from the relationship, as the pain still lives on inside. They wonder who their ex-lover is with now, wishing it was them instead. The lyrics are filled with emotion and vulnerability as the singer expresses their sadness through tears and not being able to hold back their feelings.
The chorus lyrics “It's just emotion that's taken me over, tied up in sorrow, lost in my soul” convey how the singer feels completely overwhelmed and consumed by their emotions. They can’t escape the heartache, and it’s a difficult place to be in. The bridge in the lyrics introduces a moment of hope, with the singer asking their lover to come back to them. But the goodbye at the end suggests that the singer sadly accepts that their lover may never return to them. It's a powerful, intense song that showcases the depth of emotions felt during a breakup.
Line by Line Meaning
It's over and done
The romantic relationship between the two people has ended.
But the heartache lives on inside
Although the relationship is over, the hurt and pain of the breakup remain with the singer.
And who's the one you're clinging to
The singer wonders who their ex-partner has moved on to.
Instead of me tonight?
The singer questions why their ex-partner is with someone else instead of being with them.
And where are you now? Now that I need you
The singer misses their ex-partner and wishes they were there during this difficult time.
Tears on my pillow, wherever you go
The singer is crying and upset at the thought of their ex-partner being with someone else.
I cry me a river that leads to your ocean
The singer's tears are like a river that leads to their ex-partner's emotional depth.
You never see me fall apart
The singer is putting on a brave face and trying to hide their true emotions from their ex-partner.
In the words of a broken heart
The singer is expressing their feelings of sadness and heartbreak.
It's just emotion that's taken me over
The singer's feelings of sadness and heartbreak are overwhelming them.
Tied up in sorrow, lost in my soul
The singer is consumed by their feelings of sadness and grief.
And if you don't come back, come home to me, darling
The singer is hoping that their ex-partner will come back to them and be there for them during this difficult time.
You know that there'll be nobody else in this world to hold me tight
The singer feels that no one else can comfort them or provide emotional support like their ex-partner can.
Nobody left in this world to kiss goodnight
The singer misses the physical affection and intimacy they shared with their ex-partner.
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
The singer is saying goodbye to their ex-partner and the relationship they once shared.
I'm there at your side
The singer is still emotionally attached to their ex-partner and wishes they could be by their side.
I'm a part of all the things you are
The singer still sees themself as a part of their ex-partner's life and thoughts.
But you've got a part of someone else
The singer realizes that their ex-partner has moved on and is now with someone else.
You've got to find your shining star
The singer understands that their ex-partner needs to find someone who makes them happy, even if it isn't them.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Barry Alan Gibb, Robin Hugh Gibb
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sharonstinson7015
Just saw him in concert on Ft. MYERS, at age 86 he is still the Greatest singer EVER. He can never be replaced, voice one in a million. So glad l got to see him again, my 4th concert staring him. God bless this spectacular TALENT.🎶💜🎵
@psagbishop
agree
@LuizFernando-cg3vi
EU TENHO CERTEZA QUE O ANO 80 FOI MARAVILHOSO PARA MUITA GENTE SE CONCORDA DA UM LIKE.
@carlamaranho
concordo, mas isto não é 1980. É 1972.
@Elidihara
Decada de 70
@juaresalves2037
VERDADE!
@marialuciacordovil9780
Os anos 70 e 80.
@marialuciacordovil9780
@Elidihara Trigueiro A melhor de todas as décadas.
@gertidaub8039
As pessoas mais jovens nos chamam de saudosistas. Como não ser? Éramos jovens, as músicas eram maravilhosas... Como não ter saudades?
@maedagigi9928
Ohh tempo bom agora só passa bunda e peito e depravação quanta decadência!!!!