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.
Georgy Girl
Ray Conniff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Swinging down the street so fancy-free
Nobody you meet could ever
See the loneliness there inside you
Hey there, Georgy girl
Why do all the boys just pass you by
Could it be you just don't try
You're always window shopping
But never stopping to buy
So shed those dowdy feathers
And fly a little bit
Hey there, Georgy girl
There's another Georgy deep inside
Bring out all the love you hide
And oh, what a change there'd be
The world would see
A new Georgy girl
Inside you
Hey there, Georgy girl
Dreaming of the someone you could be
Life is a reality
You can't always run away
Don't be so scared of changing
And rearranging yourself
It's time for jumping down
From the shelf a little bit
Hey there, Georgy girl
There's another Georgy deep inside
Bring out all the love you hide
And oh, what a change there'd be
And then the world would see
A new Georgy girl
A new Georgy girl
A new Georgy girl
A new Georgy girl
The song "Georgy Girl" by Ray Conniff is a catchy and upbeat tune with a deeper message about self-discovery and self-improvement. The titular Georgy girl is described as swinging down the street, appearing fancy-free to those around her. However, the singer suggests that there is a hidden loneliness within her that no one can see. The song then turns to the fact that men seem to pass her by, asking if it is perhaps due to the clothes she wears or if she simply doesn't try hard enough. Georgy girl is described as always window shopping but never buying anything, suggesting a hesitancy or fear of change.
The chorus of the song encourages Georgy girl to shed her "dowdy feathers" and fly a little bit, to bring out the love she is hiding inside herself, and make a change that the world could see. The song is ultimately about embracing oneself fully, stopping to hide and starting to take action towards creating the life and person that one wants to be. It encourages Georgy girl to not be scared of changing and rearranging herself, and to take the time to jump down from the shelf a little bit.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey there, Georgy girl
Addressing the person named Georgy girl.
Swinging down the street so fancy-free
Walking down the street in a carefree manner with an easygoing attitude.
Nobody you meet could ever See the loneliness there inside you
Although people may not recognize it, there is a sense of loneliness that persists inside Georgy girl.
Why do all the boys just pass you by
Questioning why men seem to not express interest in Georgy girl.
Could it be you just don't try
Is it because she is not putting enough effort into it.
Or is it the clothes you wear
Maybe her fashion sense is not appealing to men.
You're always window shopping
Georgy girl spends a lot of time looking at things but rarely spends money to buy anything.
But never stopping to buy
She never stops to purchase anything she sees.
So shed those dowdy feathers
It is time for Georgy girl to shake off her old-fashioned and unflattering clothing.
And fly a little bit
It is time for her to break out her comfort zone and take risks.
There's another Georgy deep inside
A different side to Georgy girl exists beneath what is seen on the surface.
Bring out all the love you hide
It is time for Georgy girl to overcome inhibitions and reveal her true emotions to the world.
And oh, what a change there'd be The world would see
If Georgy girl embraced her true self, she could make a positive impact on the world.
Dreaming of the someone you could be
Georgy girl envisions her full potential but has not yet actualized it.
Life is a reality
True fulfillment comes from living life, not just dreaming of it.
You can't always run away
Avoiding obstacles will not lead to growth or progress.
Don't be so scared of changing
It is natural to resist change, but it is necessary for growth and personal development.
And rearranging yourself
Sometimes it is necessary to adjust oneself to face new challenges and opportunities.
It's time for jumping down From the shelf a little bit
It is time for Georgy girl to take risks and be more spontaneous, rather than living a rigid life.
A new Georgy girl
By embracing her true self and taking risks, Georgy girl could become a more confident and self-assured version of herself.
A new Georgy girl
Reiterating that Georgy girl has the potential to transform herself into a new and better version.
A new Georgy girl
Emphasizing once more that there is a brighter future for Georgy girl if she takes the steps to make a positive change.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIM DALE, TOM SPRINGFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nedra Leggett
Very refreshing to hear this sound again. So nice : )
flavio rivera
Ray Conniff... Un músico de ligas mayores con una excelente interpretación!!...
MrPauloRobertoSilva
Really fantastic to hear again Ray Coniff sing and play this so good song. And the beautiful artistis shown have made my day!
Beautifulmusiclistnr
Georgy Girl is another fave of mine, and this is such a nice version. Thanks for sharing it with us! God Bless!
Navin Navin
One of the top versions of georgy girl.cannot beat ray conniff.may he rest in peace.
Navin (srilanka)
Antonio Carlos Salvi
Belíssima
david cassin
love hearing ran conniff singers singing the 60s songs fab
Antonio Carlos Salvi
Belíssima
Antonio Carlos Salvi
Belíssima
chevy vasquez
i love this music