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.
Warm & Tender
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When my lips are touching yours, my love
Heaven opens up its doors, my love
Warm and tender soul, warm and tender love
Lips that you grant me just seem to enchant me
We kiss and I know I've been kissed
It's like flyin' into space, my love
Warm and tender soul, warm and tender your
Arms hold me tightly, they thrill and excite me
And I'd be a fool to resist you
The moment you're near my life can start
When we're apart, my life is through
Each single tingle deep down in my heart
Just beats for you, beats for you, beats for you!
With each yearning burning in my soul
Loving only you will be my goal
Warm and tender in sweet surrender I
Offer my lips and I offer my arms and I
Offer my heart that implores
Won't you make me yours?
Make me yours
Make me yours
The lyrics of Johnny Mathis's song Warm and Tender are that of a love-struck individual addressing their significant other. The singer is calling out to their lover and asking to be taken completely by them. The repetition of the phrase "make me yours" reinforces the singer's desire to be entirely owned by their lover. Each time they touch or kiss, it feels like heaven has opened up its doors. It's apparent that the singer is wholly devoted to their lover, as they describe them with words like "warm and tender soul" and "warm and tender love."
The singer expresses that when they're apart from their lover, their life feels incomplete. They compare being in their embrace to flying into space, which emphasizes the overwhelming joy and excitement they feel when they're around them. The singer's love is so intense that they describe feeling a "single tingle deep down in [their] heart" that beats only for their lover. They end the song by offering their lips, arms, and heart to their lover, urging them to make them theirs.
Line by Line Meaning
Make me yours, make me yours, make me yours
I want to belong to you and only you - my love for you is pure and unbreakable
When my lips are touching yours, my love
Our love is so powerful that when we kiss, it feels like we're being transported to heaven
Heaven opens up its doors, my love
Our physical connection is so intense that the divine opens up to us
Warm and tender soul, warm and tender love
Our love is not just physical, but also emotional and genuine
Lips that you grant me just seem to enchant me
When you kiss me, it feels like I'm under a spell - I'm captivated by your love
We kiss and I know I've been kissed
Our kisses are special and magical - I know I'm loved and cared for
When I'm lost in your embrace, my love
Being held by you feels like being lost in a beautiful dream
It's like flyin' into space, my love
Our love is so strong that it feels like we're lifted off the ground and soaring through the universe
Warm and tender soul, warm and tender your
You offer me warmth and tenderness not just through your words, but also through your actions
Arms hold me tightly, they thrill and excite me
You hold me close and tight, and I feel safe and loved - it's an exhilarating feeling
And I'd be a fool to resist you
I know that resisting your love would be a foolish thing to do - I want to give in to you completely
The moment you're near my life can start
My life truly begins when I'm with you - you give me hope and purpose
When we're apart, my life is through
Being away from you feels like a kind of death - I need you to survive and thrive
Each single tingle deep down in my heart
I feel a deep, visceral sensation in my heart that tells me you're the one for me
Just beats for you, beats for you, beats for you!
My heart beats only for you - my love for you is the only thing that truly matters to me
With each yearning burning in my soul
I feel a deep and intense longing in my soul for your love
Loving only you will be my goal
I'm committed to you and only you - my sole focus is loving you
Warm and tender in sweet surrender I
I surrender myself completely to you, knowing that your love will always be warm and tender
Offer my lips and I offer my arms and I
I give you my body and soul - I want you to have all of me
Offer my heart that implores
I offer you my heart, knowing that it will be in good hands with you
Won't you make me yours?
I'm asking you to take me as your own - to make me yours completely and forever
Make me yours
I want to belong to you - please make me yours
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BACHARACH, DAVID
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind