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.
Friends In Love
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never thought I'd feel this way
I never knew that you and I
were meant to be in love
Oh, darling, you've always been around
to see me through
How was I to know
Time and time again before, always on our own
but now we're friends in love
Hoping that we'll always
still be friends in love
It's dawn and we're together
Darling, now we got forever and day
Don't you go away
Remember everytime you cried
you came to me
Much to my surprise, I found someone to see
Even nights of loneliness
you were always there for me
We're friends in love
Hoping that we'll always
still be friends in love
It's dawn and we're together
Darling, now we got forever and day
Don't you go away
You turned around, looked my way
I can't say that it hasn't crossed my mind
I've loved you all along
Ah now we're leavin' yesterday behind
we'll never be alone
Friends in love
Hoping that we'll always
still be friends in love
It's dawn and we're together
Darling, now we got forever and day
Don't you go away
You and I are friends in love
Hoping that we'll always
still be friends in love
It's dawn and we're together
Darling, now we got forever and day
Don't you go away
The song "Friends in Love" by Johnny Mathis is a beautiful melody that is about two friends who have finally realized that they are meant to be together. The lyrics reveal their journey from loneliness to happiness, as they discover love in each other. The opening lines mention how some nights that seemed lonely, now turn out to be sunny and bright, indicating that the singer had found love in the most unexpected of places.
The lyrics then go on to describe how his friend had always been there for him, but he had no idea that they were meant to be in love. However, as they spend more time together and go through various struggles and challenges in life, they realize that they are more than just friends. The singer expresses their hope that they will still be friends in love, meaning that even though they are in a romantic relationship, they still have the close bond that they did as friends.
The chorus of the song talks about how they are finally together, and they have forever to look forward to. The lyrics beautifully convey the idea that even though they have been through a lot, they are now in a very good place, and want it to stay that way. The song ends with the declaration that they are friends in love, and they hope to always be so. Overall, the song showcases the journey of two people as they discover love and friendship together.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes, lonely nights turn into sunny days
Loneliness can be followed by the joy of finding someone special.
I never thought I'd feel this way
Being in love was unexpected.
I never knew that you and I were meant to be in love
It was a surprise to discover that the two are meant for each other.
Oh, darling, you've always been around to see me through
The other person has always been there to provide support and help in tough times.
How was I to know you'd make my dreams come true
The other person fulfilled some of the deepest desires of the singer.
Time and time again before, always on our own
Both have been alone in the past and not found each other.
but now we're friends in love
Both have moved from being just friends to being intimately in love.
Hoping that we'll always still be friends in love
Desire for the relationship to last long term.
It's dawn and we're together
Waking up next to each other in a state of happiness.
Darling, now we got forever and day
Both have a lifetime to spend together.
Don't you go away
Plea for the other person to stay.
Remember everytime you cried you came to me
The other person has come to the singer for emotional support in the past.
Much to my surprise, I found someone to see
It was surprising to find someone who understood the deep emotions of the singer.
Even nights of loneliness you were always there for me
The other person has always been there for the singer, especially in moments of loneliness.
You turned around, looked my way
The other person became interested in the singer.
I can't say that it hasn't crossed my mind
The singer also had feelings for the other person, but did not act on them until later.
I've loved you all along
The singer had feelings for the other person for a long time.
Ah now we're leavin' yesterday behind
Both are moving on from their past and starting a new future together.
we'll never be alone
Both are now together and will never be alone again.
You and I are friends in love
Both are now friends who share a deep romantic love.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, GARDEN RAKE MUSIC
Written by: BILL CHAMPLIN, DAVID FOSTER, JAY GRAYDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dr.Kadir Kaymaz
Sometimes, lonely nights turn into sunny days
I never thought I'd feel this way, I never knew
That you and I were meant to be in love
Oh darling, you've always been around to see me through
How was I to know you make my dreams come true?
Time and time again we fall, always on our own
But now we're friends in love
Hoping that we always will be friends in love
Strong when we're together
Darling now we've got forever and a day
Don't you go away
Remember, every time I cried you came to me
Oh much to my surprise I found someone who could see
Through the nights of loneliness
You were always there for me
We're friends in love
Hoping that we always will be friends in love
Strong when we're together
Darling now we've got forever and a day
Don't you go away
You turn around, looked my way
I can't say that it hasn't crossed my mind
I'd loved you all along
And now we're leaving yesterday behind
We'll never be alone, oh
Friends in love
Hoping that we always will be friends in love
Strong when we're together
Darling now we've got forever and a day
Don't you go away
You and I are friends in love
Hoping that we always will be friends in love
Strong when we're together
Darling now we've got forever and a day
Don't you go away
Ruben Zamorano
TWO GREATS AND BEAUTIFUL VOICES.
CLASSIC FOREVER.
THIS IS REAL MUSIC.
Doobie1975
love this song, always felt it should've gone much higher on the Billboard Hot 100, very underrated love ballad.
cristobal cardona
That trumpet at 1:51/3 so well performed! Superb vocals and a timeless arrangement! 1982 release!
MultiMach5
This song still sounds beautiful after all these years.
Robert Fishman
MultiMach5 You can never go wrong with these two joining forces!
hamilton lucas amorim pinto
Linda musica lembranças de um tempo que não volta mais
Wanderley Orias Rocha
ESSA CANÇÃO É UM HINO PARA MIM !!!!
Halley Polastrini
Love this song. Two great voices!
Kimberly Estep
I can remember my mother playing this song on the record player in the early 80's. Love this song!
shadapakap
It's been a while since I last listened to this song. Still beautiful! ♥