After serving in the U.S. Army in World War II (where he worked under Walter Schumann), he was hired by Mitch Miller, then head of A & R at Columbia Records as their home arranger, and he worked with several artists, including Rosemary Clooney, Marty Robbins, Frankie Laine, Johnny Mathis, Guy Mitchell and Johnnie Ray. He wrote a top 10 arrangement for Don Cherry's "Band of Gold" in 1955, a single that sold more than a million copies.
Amongst the hit singles he backed with his orchestra (and eventually with a male chorus) were "Yes Tonight Josephine" and "Just Walkin' in the Rain" by Johnnie Ray; "Chances Are" and "It's Not for Me to Say" by Johnny Mathis; "A White Sport Coat" and "The Hanging Tree" by Marty Robbins; "Up Above My Head," a duet by Frankie Laine and Johnnie Ray, and "Pet Me, Poppa" by Rosemary Clooney. He also backed up the albums "Tony" by Tony Bennett, "Blue Swing" by Eileen Rodgers, "Swingin' for Two" by Don Cherry. and half the tracks of "The Big Beat" by Johnnie Ray.
In these early years he also produced some similar sounding records for Columbia's Epic label under the name of Jay Raye (which stands for "Joseph Raymond") amongst them a backing album and singles with Somethin' Smith & The Redheads, an American male vocal group.
Because of the success of his backings Mitch Miller allowed him to make his own record, and this became the successful "'S Wonderful", a collection of standards that were recorded with an orchestra and a wordless singing chorus (four men, four women). He released many more albums in the same vein, including "Dance The Bop" (1957), "'S Marvelous" (1957, gold album), "'S Awful Nice" (1958), "Concert in Rhythm" (1958, gold album), "Hollywood in Rhythm" (1958), "Broadway in Rhythm" (1959), and "Concert in Rhythm, Volume II" (1959, gold album).
In 1959 he started the Ray Conniff Singers (12 women and 13 men) and released the album "It's the Talk of the Town. This group of word— not just syllable — singing singers brought him the biggest hit he ever had in his career: "Somewhere My Love" (1966). The title track of the album was written to the music of Lara's Theme from the film Doctor Zhivago (1965), and was a top 10 single in the US. The album also reached the US top 20 and went platinum, and Conniff won a Grammy. The single and album reached high positions in the international charts (a.o. Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Japan) as well. Also extraordinarily successful was the first of four Christmas albums by the Singers, "Christmas with Conniff" (1959). Nearly fifty years after its release, in 2004, Conniff posthumously was awarded with a platinum album/CD.
Musically different highlights in Conniff's career are two albums he produced in cooperation with Billy Butterfield, an old buddy from earlier swing days. "Conniff Meets Butterfield" (1960) featured Butterfield's solo trumpet and a small rhythm group; "Just Kiddin' Around" (after a Conniff original composition from the 1940's), released 1963, featured additional trombone solos by Ray himself. Both albums are pure light jazz and did not feature any vocals.
Later in the 1960's he produced an average of two instrumental and one vocal album a year. Among these are (Original albums only):
* "'s Wonderful" (1956)
* "Dance the Bop!" (1957)
* "'s Marvelous" (1957)
* "'s Awful Nice" (1958)
* "Concert in Rhythm, Vol.1" (1958)
* "Broadway in Rhythm" (1958)
* "Hollywood in Rhythm" (1958)
* "It's The Talk of the Town" (1959)
* "Conniff Meets Butterfield" (1959)
* "Christmas with Conniff" (1959)
* "Concert in Rhythm, Vol.2" (1959)
* "Young at Heart" (1960)
* "Say It with Music (A Touch of Latin)" (1960)
* "Memories Are Made of This" (1960, gold album)
* "Somebody Loves Me" (1961)
* "'S Continental" (1961)
* "So Much in Love" (1962, gold album)
* "Rhapsody in Rhythm" (1962)
* "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" (1962, gold album)
* "The Happy Beat" (1962)
* "You Make Me Feel So Young" (1963)
* "Speak to Me of Love" (1963)
* "Friendly Persuasion" (1964)
* "Invisible Tears" (1964)
* "Love Affair" (1965)
* "Music From 'Mary Poppins', 'The Sound of Music', 'My Fair Lady' & Other Great Movie Themes" (1965)
* "Here We Come A-Caroling" (1965)
* "Happiness Is" (1965)
* "Ray Conniff's World of Hits" (1966)
* "En Español (The Ray Conniff Singers Sing It in Spanish)" (1966)
* "This Is My Song" (1967)
* "Ray Conniff's Hawaiian Album" (1967)
* "It Must Be Him" (1967, gold album)
* "Honey" (1968, gold album)
* "Turn Around Look at Me" (1968)
* "I Love How You Love Me" (1968)
* "Live Europa Tournee 1969/Concert in Stereo" (1969)
* "Jean" (1969)
* "Concert In Stereo: Live At 'The Sahara Tahoe'" (1969)
* "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (1970)
* "We've Only Just Begun" (1970)
* "Love Story" (1970)
* "Great Contemporary Instrumental Hits" (1971)
* "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" (1971)
* "Love Theme from "The Godfather" (1972)
* "Alone Again (Naturally)" (1972)
* "I Can See Clearly Now" (1972)
* "Ray Conniff in Britain" (1973)
* "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" (1973)
* "Harmony" (1973)
* "The Way We Were" (1973)
* "The Happy Sound of Ray Conniff" (1974)
* "Ray Conniff In Moscow" (1974)
* "Laughter in the Rain" (1975)
* "Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" (1975)
* "Love Will Keep Us Together" (1975)
* "I Write the Songs" (1975)
* "Live in Japan" (1975)
* "Send in the Clowns" (1976)
* "Theme from 'SWAT' and Other TV Themes" (1976)
* "After the Lovin'" (1976)
* "Exitos Latinos" (1977)
* "Ray Conniff Plays the Bee Gees and Other Great Hits" (1978)
* "I Will Survive" (1979)
* "The Perfect '10' Classics" (1980)
* "Exclusivamente Latino" (1980)
* "Siempre Latino" (1981)
* "The Nashville Connection" (1982)
* "Musik für Millionen" (partly produced for a German TV show in 1982)
* "Amor Amor" (1982)
* "Fantastico" (1983)
* "Supersonico" (1984)
* "Campeones" (1985)
* "Say You Say Me" (1986)
* "30th Anniversary Edition" (1986)
* "Always in My Heart" (1987)
* "Interpreta 16 Exitos De Manuel Alejandro" (1988)
* "Ray Conniff Plays Broadway" (1990)
* "'S Always Conniff" (1991)
* "Latinisimo" (1993)
* "40th Anniversary" (1995)
* "Live in Rio (aka Mi Historia)" (1997)
* "I Love Movies" (1997)
* "My Way" (1998)
* "'S Country" (1999)
* "'S Christmas" (1999)
* "Do Ray Para O Rei" (2000).
Between 1957 and 1968, he had 28 albums in the American Top 40, the most famous one being "Somewhere My Love" (1966). He topped the album list in Britain in 1969 with "His Orchestra, His Chorus, His Singers, His Sound". He also was the first American popular artist to record in Russia—in 1974 he recorded "Ray Conniff in Moscow" with the help of a local choir. His later albums like "Exclusivamente Latino", "Amor Amor" and "Latinisimo" made him very popular in Latin-American countries, even more so after performing in the Viña del Mar International Song Festival. In Brazil and Chile he was treated like a young pop superstar in the 1980s and 1990s when he was in his 70s and 80s. He even played live with his orchestra and eight-person chorus in large football stadiums as well as in Viña del Mar.
Ray Conniff was a quiet, modest sympathetic artist. He always worked in the background so that in the fifties there were rumours that this man didn't even exist and his name was just a name fake as then his orchestral sound was so sensational. Nevertheless he sold about 70 million albums world-wide and continued recording and performing until his death in 2002.
He died in Escondido, California, and is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
In 2004, a memorial two-CD compilation set, "The Essential Ray Conniff", was released, featuring many rare and previously unreleased tracks. "The Singles Collection, Vol.1" was released on the Collectables label in 2005. This also features many rare tracks.
Christmas Bride
Ray Conniff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ohh, ohh, ohh, ohh.
Santa make her my bride for christmas.
Santa it wouldn′t cost very much.
Just a sprinkle of reindeer dust, a sprig of mistle toe
And the sound of your laughter
As you fly above the snow.
This Christmas Eve while I'm holding her tight
Then I′ll whisper the proper thing and offer
Please santa make her my christmas bride
Santa make me his bride for christmas.
Santa it wouldn't cost very much.
Just a sprinkle of reindeer dust, a sprig of mistle toe.
And the sound of your laughter
As you fly above the snow
Santa if you will use your magic.
This Christmas Eve while im holding her tight.
Then we'll whisper the proper things
And wear each other′s ring.
Santa make her my christmas,
Christmas bride!
Ohh, ohh, ohh, ohh.
Ohh, ohh, ohh, ohh.
Christmas bride!
The song "Christmas Bride" by Ray Conniff is a delightful Christmas romance song that is sung from the perspective of a person who wants Santa Claus to grant their Christmas wish of making their loved one their bride. The song begins with an invocation to Santa Claus to grant this wish, asking him to make it come true with just a sprinkle of reindeer dust, some mistletoe, and the sound of his laughter as he flies over the snow. The lyrics then go on to express the hope that Santa Claus can use his magic to bring them together on Christmas Eve and that they may whisper the proper things to each other and offer each other rings, sealing their love forever. The chorus repeats the plea to Santa to make the loved one a Christmas bride.
The lyrics of "Christmas Bride" are full of the traditional imagery that is associated with Christmas, such as the reindeer and snow, but it is the romantic element that makes the song stand out. It is a heartfelt plea to Santa Claus to help the singer get what they desire most, which is to have their partner as their bride. The song captures the magic of Christmas, which is a time when anything seems possible, even the fulfillment of a romantic dream.
Line by Line Meaning
Ohh, ohh, ohh, ohh.
The singer is expressing excitement and anticipation for what they want to ask Santa for.
Santa make her my bride for christmas.
The singer is asking Santa to magically make the person they love their spouse by Christmas.
Santa it wouldn′t cost very much.
The singer believes that it wouldn't take much for Santa to make their wish come true.
Just a sprinkle of reindeer dust, a sprig of mistle toe
The singer humorously suggests that all that's needed is some magical reindeer dust and mistletoe to make their wish come true.
And the sound of your laughter as you fly above the snow.
The singer imagines Santa flying above them and laughing as he uses his magic to make their wish come true.
Santa if you will use your magic
The singer is asking Santa to use his magical powers to make their wish come true.
This Christmas Eve while I'm holding her tight
The singer envisions holding the person they love close on Christmas Eve while their wish is granted.
Then I′ll whisper the proper thing and offer
The singer plans to use this magical moment to propose to the person they love.
Please santa make her my christmas bride
The singer is once again asking Santa to make the person they love their spouse by Christmas.
Santa make me his bride for christmas.
This time, the singer imagines themselves as the one being magically made the spouse of the person they love by Santa on Christmas.
Then we'll whisper the proper things
If their wish is granted, the singer and the person they love plan to whisper sweet nothings to each other.
And wear each other′s ring.
The singer and the person they love plan to exchange rings if their wish is granted.
Santa make her my christmas, Christmas bride!
The singer repeats their wish one last time, hoping that Santa will make it come true.
Ohh, ohh, ohh, ohh.
The song ends with the singer still expressing excitement and anticipation for what they want to ask Santa for.
Writer(s): Ray Conniff
Contributed by Cooper W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Carlos Gzz
Ohh, ohh,ohh.
Ohh, ohh, ohh, ohh.
Santa make her my bride for christmas.
Santa it wouldn´t cost very much.
Just a sprinkle of reindeer dust, a sprig of mistle toe
And the sound of your laughter
As you fly above the snow.
Santa if you will use your magic
This Christmas Eve while I´m holding her tight
Then I'll whisper the proper thing and offer
Please santa make her my christmas bride
Santa make me his bride for christmas.
Santa it wouldn´t cost very much.
Just a sprinkle of reindeer dust, a sprig of mistle toe.
And the sound of your laughter
As you fly above the snow
Santa if you will use your magic.
This Christmas Eve while im holding her tight.
Then we'll whisper the proper things
And wear each other´s ring.
Santa make her my christmas,
Christmas bride!
Ohh, ohh, ohh, ohh.
Lauren Malcom
I remember making Christmas cookies with my mom when I was little with this song playing in the background. Good memories 💖
Peace and Joy
You had a beautiful home. God has blessed you so much
Peace and Joy
One of the dearest Christmas songs. It brings back the bright Christmases of my childhood. Praise God.
Jay Breezy
My only wish is that the song was longer. I can replay this sing over and over. Its so enchanting and beautifully well done. Makes me think of my mom, who I miss dearly 💖😘.
Lori Steinle
My mom had this record album and we listened to it all the time when I was a kid. Listening to her music collection comforts me, but also makes me miss her so much.
50's Group Harmony
Beautiful! The Most Romantic Christmas Song ever.
Gloria Burt
I was really into Ray Conniff for several years. But my favourite Christmas song remains Mel Torme's...Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. I think it's called "Merry Christmas to You". Incidentally, when I used to sing professionally, I was compared to Karen Carpenter more than any other singer.
jon-michael fink
Gloria Burt
Awesome
bruce maynard
Nat King Cole... chestnuts roasting on an open fire is my favorite
Cher Aspinall
@Gloria Burt I believe the Mel Torme song is called "The Christmas Song: