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.
Lonely Night
Ray Conniff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me, what am I gonna do?
'Cause it's always been you to dry the tears,
Always been you to wash away my fears,
Always been you each night and day,
Now what can I say when love slips away?
Lonely night, I'm walkin' the floor.
Without your precious love, your tender touch?
Hey, little girl, miss you so much;
Wish we could turn back the hands of time
To the day when you were mine.
You used to call me angel face,
Used to call me angel face.
You used to help me through the night,
Make me feel alright.
Now all I have is teardrops through a lonely night.
Lonely night.
I promise you I'll change my ways,
I promise you love's here to stay.
Hey, little girl, depend on me,
I'll be yours for eternity.
You used to call me angel face,
Used to call me angel face.
You used to help me through the night,
Make me feel alright.
Now all I have is teardrops through a lonely night.
Lonely night,
Lonely night.
Such a, such a, such a lonely night.
Lonely night.
Lonely lonely night lonely night lonely night
The lyrics to Ray Conniff's "Lonely Night" express the sadness and despair one feels after a break-up or loss of a loved one. The song highlights the singer's loneliness and desperation, as he tries to find a way to cope with the situation. He reaches out to his lost love, telling her how much he misses her, how much her love meant to him, and how lost he feels without her. The lyrics are filled with longing and regret, and the singer's feelings are heightened by the lonesome, melancholic melody.
The first verses of the song express the singer's despair as he cries himself to sleep, missing the comfort and solace his love used to bring him. He remembers how she was always there for him, wiping away his tears and fears, and now he feels abandoned and alone. The second verse shows the singer's hopelessness and restlessness as he walks the floor, longing for his love's touch and wishing he could turn back time. He pleads with his lost love, promising to change his ways and offering his eternal love.
Overall, "Lonely Night" is a powerful and moving song that speaks to anyone who has gone through the pain of love and loss. It perfectly captures the raw emotions of heartbreak and the yearning for a lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
Lonely night, I cry myself to sleep.
I am all alone tonight and the sadness in my heart is so overwhelming that I cannot help but cry myself to sleep.
Tell me, what am I gonna do?
This situation is so hopeless that I am left feeling lost and confused, wondering what options I have.
'Cause it's always been you to dry the tears,
Whenever I would cry, you were the one who would soothe my pain and dry my tears.
Always been you to wash away my fears,
Whenever I was scared, you were the one who could calm my fears and make me feel safe and secure.
Always been you each night and day,
You were always the one who was there for me, no matter what time of day it was or what was going on in my life.
Now what can I say when love slips away?
Now that we have drifted apart and our love has faded, I am left feeling powerless and unable to express my emotions.
Lonely night, I'm walkin' the floor.
I am so upset and restless that I cannot even stay in one place - I am walking back and forth in my desperation.
Without your precious love, your tender touch?
Without the warmth and affection that you used to bring into my life, everything feels cold and empty now.
Hey, little girl, miss you so much;
I miss you more than words can express, and I feel like a small, vulnerable child without you.
Wish we could turn back the hands of time
I long to undo whatever went wrong and bring us both back to a happier, more loving place in the past.
To the day when you were mine.
Back to the time when we were together and everything was good between us.
You used to call me angel face,
You gave me a loving nickname that made me feel special and valued.
You used to help me through the night,
During the darkest hours, you were the one who helped me feel okay and find strength to keep going.
Make me feel alright.
You had a way of making everything better and helping me feel happy and content with life.
Now all I have is teardrops through a lonely night.
All that is left for me now is tears of sadness, and the long, lonely night stretches out before me with no hope in sight.
I promise you I'll change my ways,
I vow to do whatever it takes to win you back, and to correct any mistakes that I made before that drove us apart.
I promise you love's here to stay.
If you take me back, I promise to love you forever and be the best partner I can be to make our love last.
Hey, little girl, depend on me,
I am desperate to be the source of happiness and security in your life again, and I'm begging you to give me that chance.
I'll be yours for eternity.
I will love you and commit to you for the rest of our days, if you'll just take me back and give me another chance to prove it.
Lonely night,
Despite my promises and my yearning for you, I am still so hopelessly alone tonight.
Lonely lonely night lonely night lonely night
This night is so full of sadness and despair that it feels like it will never end, and I'm doomed to be forever trapped in this painful state of mind.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: NEIL SEDAKA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind