1) Paul Hamilton Wil… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists named Paul Williams;
1) Paul Hamilton Williams Jr. (born September 19, 1940) is an American composer, singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for writing popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s, including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song" and "Out in the Country," Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World," David Bowie's "Fill Your Heart" and the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" and "Rainy Days and Mondays."
Williams is also known for his musical contributions to films, including the Academy Award-nominated song "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie, and penning the lyrics to the #1 chart-topping song "Evergreen," the love theme from the Barbra Streisand vehicle A Star Is Born, for which he won a Grammy for Song of the Year and an Academy Award for Best Original Song. He wrote the lyrics to the opening theme for the television show The Love Boat, with music previously composed by Charles Fox, which was originally sung by Jack Jones and, later, by Dionne Warwick.
Williams had a variety of high-profile acting roles, such as "Little Enos Burdette" in the action-comedy Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and the villainous Swan in Brian De Palma's Phantom of the Paradise (1974), which Williams also co-scored, receiving an Oscar nomination in the process.
Williams was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the son of Paul Hamilton Williams, an architectural engineer, and his wife, Bertha Mae (née Burnside), a homemaker.
His father died in a car accident in 1953, when Williams was 13 years old, after which Williams grew up living with his aunt. As a result, Williams moved to Long Beach, California with his family and attended Woodrow Wilson Classical High School.
One of his brothers was John J. Williams, a NASA rocket scientist, who participated in the Mercury and Apollo programs and was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, their highest honor, in 1969. His other brother was Mentor Williams, a songwriter as well who penned Dobie Gray's 1973 hit "Drift Away".
2) Paul Williams (born August 7, 1992 in Nelson, New Zealand) is a musician, singer, rapper and comedian. He has released three albums - Songs About Girls, Jungle River Adventures, and Surf Music. His music videos often feature other members of the New Zealand comedy scene, include Chris Parker, Rose Matafeo and Brynley Stent. Outside of his music, Paul is best known for being the Taskmaster's Assistant in Taskmaster NZ. His musical influences include Kanye West, The Strokes, Drake, Animal Collective, Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco, Kid Cudi, and MGMT.
3) Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams (July 13, 1915 – September 14, 2002) was an American rhythm and blues bandleader, songwriter and saxophonist. He composed "The Hucklebuck", a twelve-bar blues that also spawned the dance craze of the same name.
4) Paul Williams is a British guitarist and Gospel artist.
5) Paul Williams is a Canadian electronic artist.
If We Could Still Be Friends
Paul Williams Lyrics
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Till you and I were friends
Into the shadows of my life
You brought sympathy and sunshine
I wish that we could still be friends
Once I held you now you've gone
And now each day must end with another night alone
I wish that we could still be friends
Nobody moves me like you do
Your magic just goes on and on
We used to wake up every morning
Safe and warm
We'd laugh away the chill
I'd laugh again
If we could still be friends
Life is not a love song
But broken hearts will mend
And in the quiet of my room
We might sit and hold the pieces
I think that we could still be friends
Nobody moves me like you do
Your magic lust goes on and on
We used to wake up every morning
Safe and warm
We'd laugh away the chill
I'd laugh again
If we could still be friends
Love can put things back again
I wish that we could still be friends
The song "If We Could Still Be Friends" by Paul Williams is a bittersweet reflection on a lost love and the desire to salvage a friendship from it. The lyrics convey a deep sense of longing for the companionship and warmth that the singer shared with the person they once loved. They express regret over the fact that the relationship did not work out, but hold out hope that they can preserve some semblance of what they had by staying friends.
In the first verse, the singer reminisces about how they were strangers to love until they met their former partner, who brought "sympathy and sunshine" into their life. The second verse describes the pain of being alone after the breakup, and the sense of isolation that comes with it. They express the desperate desire to have someone to turn to during this difficult time.
The chorus reinforces the idea that nobody else can affect the singer in the same way that their former partner did, and acknowledges the happy moments they shared together. The final verse is perhaps the most hopeful, as the singer suggests that even though their hearts are broken, they can still sit together and hold the pieces. The song ends on a note of optimism, with the singer believing that love can still heal their wounds and that they could still be friends.
Overall, "If We Could Still Be Friends" is a poignant and relatable song about the complexities of love and the difficulties of letting go. It speaks to the universal experience of enduring a breakup and the longing to salvage some kind of connection with a former partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Love and I were strangers
At the start, I didn't know anything about love
Till you and I were friends
But then you came along and we became close friends
Into the shadows of my life
Before I met you, my life was dull and uneventful
You brought sympathy and sunshine
But you brought light and happiness into my life
I wish that we could still be friends
I miss our friendship and wish we could still have that connection
Once I held you now you’ve gone
We used to be together, but now you're gone
And now each day must end with another night alone
Without you, each day feels incomplete and lonely
Is there no one I can turn to
I feel like I have nobody left who understands me
Nobody moves me like you do
You have a special place in my heart and nobody can replace you
Your magic just goes on and on
Your presence still has a powerful impact on me
We used to wake up every morning
We had a strong routine and shared many moments together
Safe and warm
I felt comfortable and secure around you
We’d laugh away the chill
We had a lighthearted and joyful relationship that brought warmth to my life
I’d laugh again
I miss those moments of laughter and happiness we shared
If we could still be friends
I hope that we could rekindle our friendship
Life is not a love song
Life is not always full of romance and love
But broken hearts will mend
Even though my heart is broken, I know it will heal over time
And in the quiet of my room
When I'm alone and isolated, I reflect on our past friendship
We might sit and hold the pieces
We can come together and try to make sense of our broken connection
Love can put things back again
I believe that love has the power to fix what's broken between us
I wish that we could still be friends
Once again, I express my desire to rebuild our friendship
Contributed by Allison I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.