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.
Night & Day
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only you 'neath the moon or under the sun
Whether near to me or far
It's no matter, darling, where you are
I think of you day and night
Night and day, why is it so
That this longin' for you follows wherever I go ?
In the silence of my lonely room
I think of you day and night
Night and day, under the hide of me
There's an oh, such a hungry yearnin' burnin' inside of me
And its torment won't be through
Till you let me spend my life makin' love to you
Day and night, night and day
[Instrumental]
Night and day, you are the one
Only you 'neath the moon or under the sun
Whether near to me or far
It's no matter, baby, where you are
I think of you day and night
Night and day, why is it so
That this longin' for you follows wherever I go ?
In the roarin' traffic's boom
Silence of my lonely room
I think of you day and night
Night and day, under the hide of me
There's an oh, such a hungry burning inside of me
And its torment won't be through
Till you let me spend life makin' love to you
Day and night, night and day
The lyrics of Johnny Mathis's song "Night and Day" convey a deep longing for someone. The singer speaks directly to their love interest, stating that they are the only one for them, no matter the circumstances. The lyrics suggest that the singer is constantly thinking about this person, both day and night, even in the midst of the "roaring traffic's boom" or the "silence of [their] lonely room." The emotional intensity builds as the singer describes the "oh, such a hungry yearning burning inside" them; a yearning that won't be fulfilled until they can spend their life making love to this person.
Overall, the lyrics of "Night and Day" express a deep longing for someone, a yearning that cannot be satisfied until they are united with the one they love. The song's romantic lyrics and lush orchestration evoke a sense of longing and passion that has made it a classic love song for many generations.
Line by Line Meaning
Night and day, you are the one
No matter the time or circumstance, you are the one I think of.
Only you 'neath the moon or under the sun
You are the one I long for day and night, in all times of day.
Whether near to me or far
It doesn't matter how far away you are from me, I still think of you.
It's no matter, darling, where you are
No matter where you are, you hold a special place in my heart.
I think of you day and night
You are always on my mind, whether it's day or night.
Night and day, why is it so
Why do I constantly think of you, day and night?
That this longin' for you follows wherever I go?
My yearning for you never fades, no matter where I am.
In the roarin' traffic's boom
Even in the chaos of a crowded city, I can't help but think of you.
In the silence of my lonely room
Even in solitude, I can't escape thoughts of you.
Night and day, under the hide of me
Deep inside me, there is a burning passion for you.
There's an oh, such a hungry yearnin' burnin' inside of me
I long for you so deeply, my desire is almost unbearable.
And its torment won't be through
This inner torture won't end until I have you.
Till you let me spend my life makin' love to you
My desire to love you is so strong, I want to spend my life loving you day and night.
Day and night, night and day
My love for you is constant, no matter the time of day or night.
[Instrumental]
Night and day, you are the one
You are always the one I think of.
Only you 'neath the moon or under the sun
No one else holds a place in my heart, only you.
Whether near to me or far
I can't escape thinking of you, no matter how far away you are.
It's no matter, baby, where you are
No matter where you are in the world, you are always on my mind.
I think of you day and night
You consume my thoughts both day and night, my love for you never fades.
Night and day, why is it so
Why can't I escape this burning desire for you?
That this longin' for you follows wherever I go?
My love and yearning for you never fades, no matter where I am in the world.
In the roarin' traffic's boom
Even amid the chaos of the city, I can't escape thinking of you.
Silence of my lonely room
In the quiet of my alone time, I can't help but think of you.
Night and day, under the hide of me
Deep inside me, there is an unquenchable desire for you.
There's an oh, such a hungry burning inside of me
My yearning for you is insatiable and all-consuming.
And its torment won't be through
This longing and desire for you won't end until I'm with you.
Till you let me spend life makin' love to you
My desire to love you is so strong, I want to be with you day and night.
Day and night, night and day
My love for you never fades, no matter the time of day or night.
Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind