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.
You Make Me Feel Brand New
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll never find the words, my love
To tell you how I feel, my love
Mere words could not explain
Precious love
You held my life within your hands
Created everything I am
Only you
Cared when I needed a friend
Believed in me through thick and thin
This song is for you, filled with gratitude and love
God bless you
You make me feel brand new
For God blessed me with you
And you make me feel brand new
I sing this song 'cause you make me feel brand new
My love
Whenever I was insecure
You built me up and made me sure
You gave my pride back to me
Precious friend
With you I'll always have a friend
You're someone who I can depend
To walk a path that's sometimes back
Without you
My life has no meaning or rhyme
Like notes to a song out of time
How can I repay you for having faith in me?
God bless you
You make me feel brand new
For God blessed me with you
And you make me feel brand new
I sing this song for you, yes
God bless you
You make me feel brand new
I sing this song for you
You make me feel brand new
For God blessed me with you
And you make me feel brand new
I sing this song for you
In Johnny Mathis's song You Make Me Feel Brand New, the lyrics are filled with a deep sense of gratitude and love for a person who means everything to the singer. The first verse mentions that the singer could never find the right words to express how much they feel for this person, as mere words could not explain the depth of their emotions. The second verse uses imagery to show how this person held the singer's life in their hands and taught them how to live again, indicating a previous struggle the singer may have gone through. The chorus speaks of how God has blessed the singer with this person, and they make the singer feel brand new, as if they have been given a renewed sense of purpose and meaning.
The third verse continues to show the importance of this person in the singer's life, particularly during times of insecurity and doubt. This person has built the singer up and given them back their pride, showing support and understanding throughout thick and thin. The fourth verse speaks of the significance of this friendship, and how much the singer depends on and values this person. Without them, the singer's life would not have meaning or purpose, much like notes to a song out of time. The final chorus speaks to the singer's immense gratitude for this person, thanking God for blessing them with each other and singing this song as a tribute to this person who makes them feel brand new.
Line by Line Meaning
My love
Addressing the listener with whom the singer is deeply in love
I'll never find the words, my love
The singer struggles to express the intensity of their feelings towards the listener
To tell you how I feel, my love
The singer acknowledges that words alone cannot fully convey their emotions
Mere words could not explain
A repetition of the previous line to emphasize the difficulty in expressing feelings with language
Precious love
Addressing the listener with a term of endearment
You held my life within your hands
The listener has played a crucial role in the singer's life
Created everything I am
Suggesting that the listener has had a major influence on the formation of the singer's identity
You taught me how to live again
The listener has been instrumental in the singer's renewal or rebirth
Only you
Emphasizing that the listener is unique or incomparable to anyone else
Cared when I needed a friend
The listener has provided support and companionship when the singer was in need
Believed in me through thick and thin
The listener has consistently provided encouragement and faith in the singer
This song is for you, filled with gratitude and love
The song is a tribute to the listener, expressing the singer's immense gratitude and love
God bless you
Offering a blessing or good wishes to the listener
You make me feel brand new
The listener has had a transformative effect on the singer's life or emotions
For God blessed me with you
Acknowledging that the listener is a gift or blessing from a higher power
I sing this song 'cause you make me feel brand new
The song is an expression of the joy and renewal the listener has brought to the singer's life
Whenever I was insecure
The listener has been a source of comfort and reassurance during times of doubt or insecurity
You built me up and made me sure
The listener has helped the singer to develop self-confidence and belief in themselves
You gave my pride back to me
The listener has helped the singer to regain a sense of self-worth and dignity
Precious friend
Addressing the listener with a term of endearment that emphasizes their close bond
With you I'll always have a friend
The listener is a constant source of friendship and companionship for the singer
You're someone who I can depend
The listener is trustworthy and reliable, a source of support for the singer
To walk a path that's sometimes back
The listener is willing to accompany the singer through difficult or uncertain times
Without you
Highlighting the importance of the listener in the singer's life
My life has no meaning or rhyme
Suggesting that the listener is essential to the singer's sense of purpose or direction
Like notes to a song out of time
Imagery suggesting that the singer's life would be disordered or chaotic without the listener
How can I repay you for having faith in me?
Recognizing the listener's unwavering belief in the singer and expressing a desire to reciprocate their generosity or support
I sing this song for you, yes
Reiterating that the song is dedicated to the listener
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LINDA CREED, LINDA DIANE CREED, THOM BELL, THOMAS RANDOLPH BELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind