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.
Wonderful Wonderful
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And we breathe in the cool salty air
You turn to me with a kiss in your eyes
And my heart feels a thrill beyond compare
Then your lips cling to mine
It's wonderful, wonderful
Oh, so wonderful, my love
And we gaze at the earth and the sky
I turn to you and you melt in my arms
There we are, darling, only you and I
What a moment to share
It's wonderful, wonderful
Oh, so wonderful, my love
The world is full of wondrous things it's true
But they wouldn't have much meaning without you
Some quiet evening I sit by your side
And we're lost in a world of our own
I feel the glow of your unspoken love
I'm aware of the treasure that I own
And I say to myself
It's wonderful, wonderful
Oh, so wonderful, my love
And I say to myself
It's wonderful, wonderful
Oh, so wonderful, my love
The lyrics to Johnny Mathis's "Wonderful! Wonderful!" describe the beauty and significance of being in love with someone. The first stanza portrays a romantic moment by the sea where the couple shares a kiss and the singer's heart is filled with an indescribable thrill. The use of the word "wonderful" emphasizes the captivating and enchanting nature of the moment. The second stanza describes another breathtaking moment, this time on top of a hill where the couple is engrossed in each other's arms, feeling and embracing their love.
In the final stanza, the singer sits beside their partner during a quiet evening, feeling the warmth and comfort of their love. Being in love is a treasure that the singer cherishes deeply, and it's evident in the repetition of the phrase "Oh, so wonderful, my love." The lyrics highlight how love creates an otherworldly experience that supersedes all else, and that without love, life loses much of its wonder.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes we walk hand in hand by the sea
We enjoy strolling near the seashore while holding hands
And we breathe in the cool salty air
We inhale the refreshing salty fragrance around us
You turn to me with a kiss in your eyes
You look at me affectionately with your eyes full of love
And my heart feels a thrill beyond compare
I get an ecstatic feeling deep inside my heart
Then your lips cling to mine
We exchange a passionate kiss
It's wonderful, wonderful
The experience is fantastic and incredible
Oh, so wonderful, my love
My love for you is so profound and intense
Sometimes we stand on the top of a hill
We admire the beauty of nature from a hilltop
And we gaze at the earth and the sky
We look at the vast expanse of land and the sky above
I turn to you and you melt in my arms
You come closer to me and show your love
There we are, darling, only you and I
We are together enjoying the moment
What a moment to share
This is such a precious moment to have together
The world is full of wondrous things it's true
The world has plenty of amazing things to offer
But they wouldn't have much meaning without you
They lose their relevance if I don't have you to share them with
Some quiet evening I sit by your side
On some peaceful evening, I enjoy your company
And we're lost in a world of our own
We get immersed in our own little world
I feel the glow of your unspoken love
I sense the warmth of your love, even when you don't express it verbally
I'm aware of the treasure that I own
I realize how fortunate I am to have you as my love
And I say to myself
I think to myself
It's wonderful, wonderful
I express how special it is
Oh, so wonderful, my love
My love for you is immeasurable
And I say to myself
I continue to think to myself
It's wonderful, wonderful
It's truly amazing and fantastic
Oh, so wonderful, my love
My love for you is incomparable and deep
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BEN RALEIGH, SHERMAN EDWARDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Leonscient
Sometimes we walk hand in hand by the sea
And we breathe in the cool salty air
You turn to me with a kiss in your eyes
And my heart feels a thrill beyond compare
Then your lips cling to mine, it's wonderful, wonderful
Oh, so wonderful, my love
Sometimes we stand on the top of a hill
And we gaze at the earth and the sky
I turn to you and you melt in my arms
Here we are, darling, only you and I
What a moment to share, it's wonderful, wonderful
Oh, so wonderful, my love
The world is full of wondrous things, it's true
But they wouldn't have much meaning without you
Some quiet evening I sit by your side
And we're lost in a world of our own
I feel the glow of your unspoken love
I'm aware of the treasure that I own
And I say to myself "It's wonderful, wonderful
Oh, so wonderful, my love."
And I say to myself "It's wonderful, wonderful
Oh, so wonderful, my love."
Tim Lynch
My parents used to listen to him but it wasn't until the X-Files episode "Home" where they featured this song that I really appreciated the beauty of his voice.
Bryan Dew
Just learned that wasn't Mathis on that episode, but someone that sounds very similar!
CJL
The x files version is actually Kenny James.
note2owns
I'm the same. I first heard the song on that episode. Been listening to it quite often ever since.
T D
The combo of his voice and that very 1950s sounding humming and whistling just make this song everything. 🙌🙌🙌
Nicki Here
They used this in the finale of Desperate Housewives during a peak in multiple storylines…. It was absolutely moving… <3 wonderful song
Mrs. Greene
True I saw that episode, very moving. Had me in tears.
Joska Kamala
That's what brought me here☺️
tripp cory
It just fit so perfectly…the baby being born, the wedding, the old lady’s death
Steph Ko
I’m here because of Desperate Housewife +1