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.
MEMORY
Ray Conniff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Has the moon lost her memory, she is smiling alone
In the lamplight, the withered leaves, collected my fee
And the wind begins to moan
Memory, all alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days, it was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life, and I mustn't give in
When the dawn comes, tonight will be a memory, too
And a new day will begin
Burnt out ends of smoky days,
the stale cold smell of morning
The street lamp dies,
another night is over, another day is dawning
Touch me, it's so easy to leave me,
all alone with the memory of my day in the sun
If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is
Look a new day, has begun
Memory, all alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days, it was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
The lyrics to Ray Conniff's song Memory are filled with nostalgia and a longing for a past that is now gone. The first verse establishes the setting of the song, a quiet street late at night, with the moon alone in the sky. The singer observes the leaves collected at their feet and the wind's eerie moan. The second verse is a reflection on the past and how it was beautiful once. The singer remembers a time when they knew what happiness was, but now all they have are memories to hold on to. The chorus echoes this sentiment, with the singer yearning for the chance to relive those moments once more.
The third verse shows a glimmer of hope for the future. The singer acknowledges that they must wait for the sunrise and think of a new life. They must not give up hope for a better tomorrow. The final verse is a plea for connection, as the singer reaches out to be touched by someone. They want to be understood, to share their memories and happiness with another person. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the promise of a new day beginning.
Line by Line Meaning
Midnight, not a sound from the pavement
It is midnight and the street is completely silent
Has the moon lost her memory, she is smiling alone
The moon is alone and its memory has faded but it is still smiling
In the lamplight, the withered leaves, collected my fee
The leaves that have fallen are illuminated by a nearby street lamp and now they lie at my feet
And the wind begins to moan
The wind starts making a mournful sound
Memory, all alone in the moonlight
In the darkness of night, memories take over
I can smile at the old days, it was beautiful then
I can smile looking back at the past as it was filled with beauty
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
I recall the moments in my life when I was truly happy
Let the memory live again
I want those memories to live on and be remembered
Daylight, I must wait for the sunrise
The night is over, waiting for the sun to rise
I must think of a new life, and I mustn't give in
I have to move on and not give up, I need to build a new life
When the dawn comes, tonight will be a memory, too
Once the morning comes, the current night will also become a memory
And a new day will begin
A new day presents itself
Burnt out ends of smoky days, the stale cold smell of morning
The remains of yesterday - the smell of ash and cold air - still lingers in the morning
The street lamp dies, another night is over, another day is dawning
As the street light fades, night ends, and a new day begins
Touch me, it's so easy to leave me, all alone with the memory of my day in the sun
My past is so easy to forget and leave behind, leaving me alone with memories of the past where I was happy
If you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is
If you were to experience what I felt, then you'll understand what happiness is
Look a new day, has begun
A new day has started
Writer(s): T. S. Eliot, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Trevor Nunn Copyright: Faber And Faber Ltd. Gb 1, The Really Useful Group Ltd.
Contributed by Ethan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@pauloalvim3623
Mente iluminada e inspiração divina teve o compositor dessa linda melodia que na interpretação de RAY CONNIFF torna-se simplesmente espetacular!
@josecarlospadovani305
Se.pudesse.cequestrassetodos.eles.para.min
@MrPAPAGAYO46
Ray Conniff con su Orquesta y con su Coro de Querubines nos regaló esta joya musical de Andrew Lloyd Weber llamada "MEMORIA" y en la cual Ray ejecutó el solo de clavieta como de continuo él mismo lo hizo para cientos o quizá para miles de conciertos a lo largo de sus casi 55 años de carrera como arreglista y director. El maestro falleció en Los Angeles en noviembre de 2002, pero su música y su fama continuarán en nuestros corazones y recuerdos por muchos años más.
@marcosraimundo1293
Gênios assim são insubstituíveis
@alexandrecesarps
Muito especial essa música.
@luzieteoliveira6761
Gosto muito Ray Coniff e de todas músicas dele. São doces lembranças. Dancei muito ao som das musicad dele. Boa tarde.
@luzieteoliveira6761
Desculpe os erros de português. Obrigada.
@manoelmartinsmoraesneto7986
Obrigado YouTube! Ray Conniff é lazer!😀
@andreiasantos4985
Perfeita!🙏
@carlosenriquezcampollo8271
Siempre será fantástico escuchar a Ray Conniff con sus coros. En la época de los sesenta empecé a escuchar esta clase de canciones como llena el alma y me da nostalgia