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.
My Eyes Adored You
Ray Conniff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me
You couldn't see how I adored you
So close, so close and yet so far
Carried your books from school
Playin' make believe you're married to me
You were fifth-grade, I was sixth when we came to be
Walkin' home ev'ry day over Bonnicut Bridge and Bay
My eyes adored you though I never laid a hand on you
My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me
You couldn't see how I adored you
So close, so close and yet so far
Headed for city lights, climbed the ladder up to fortune and fame
I worked my fingers to the bone made myself a name
Funny I seemed to find that no matter how the years unwind
Still I reminisce 'bout the girl I miss and the love I left behind
My eyes adored you though I never laid a hand on you
My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me
You couldn't see how I adored you
So close, so close and yet so far
All my life I will remember how warm and tender we were way back then
(My eyes adored you though I never laid a hand on you)
Whoa baby,
(My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me
You couldn't see how I adored you)
Oh the feeling, sad regrets I know I won't ever forget you
My childhood friend
(So close, so close and yet so far)
My eyes adored you though I never laid a hand on you
My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me
You couldn't see how I adored you
So close, so close and yet so far
My eyes adored you though I never laid a hand on you
My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me
You couldn't see how I adored you
So close, so close and yet so far
The song "My Eyes Adored You" by Ray Conniff is a heart-breaking ballad about unrequited love. The lyrics describe the singer's deep and enduring love for a girl he has known since childhood, but who never felt the same way about him. The song starts with the thoughtful lines "My eyes adored you though I never laid a hand on you / My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me," which sets the mood for the rest of the song. The singer reminisces about their shared childhood memories, where he used to carry her books from school and they would play make-believe games where they were married.
As they grew up, their lives took different paths, with the singer heading for the city lights and climbing the ladder to fortune and fame, while the girl stayed behind. Even though the singer is now successful, he still remembers the girl he left behind and the love he lost in those long-ago childhood days. The singer concludes the song with the poignant line, "My childhood friend," emphasizing the deep connection they shared, even though it was only one-sided.
Overall, "My Eyes Adored You" is a classic example of a romantic ballad that speaks to the heart of anyone who has ever loved someone who didn't love them back.
Line by Line Meaning
My eyes adored you though I never laid a hand on you
I had a strong admiration for you, even though we never had any physical contact.
My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me
My love for you was so distant and unattainable, like a million miles away.
You couldn't see how I adored you
You were unaware of how much I truly loved and cherished you.
So close, so close and yet so far
We were emotionally close, but physically far apart and unable to be together.
Carried your books from school
I enjoyed being helpful to you by carrying your school books.
Playin' make believe you're married to me
As children, we enjoyed playing make-believe and pretending to be married.
You were fifth-grade, I was sixth when we came to be
We met and became close when you were in fifth grade and I was in sixth grade.
Walkin' home ev'ry day over Bonnicut Bridge and Bay
We walked home together every day over the Bonnicut Bridge and Bay.
Till we grew into the me and you who went our separate ways
As we grew older, we became different people and went our separate ways.
Headed for city lights, climbed the ladder up to fortune and fame
I pursued a career in the city, seeking fame and success.
I worked my fingers to the bone made myself a name
I worked extremely hard to make a name for myself in my chosen career.
Funny I seemed to find that no matter how the years unwind
It's funny how I still think about you, even as time goes by.
Still I reminisce 'bout the girl I miss and the love I left behind
I often think back to the girl I loved and the love I was unable to pursue.
All my life I will remember how warm and tender we were way back then
I will always remember how warm and loving our relationship was back then.
(My eyes adored you though I never laid a hand on you)
(Repeat of the earlier line: I had a strong admiration for you, even though we never had any physical contact.)
Whoa baby, (My eyes adored you like a million miles away from me
(Repeat of an earlier line: My love for you was so distant and unattainable, like a million miles away.)
You couldn't see how I adored you)
(Repeat of an earlier line: You were unaware of how much I truly loved and cherished you.)
Oh the feeling, sad regrets I know I won't ever forget you
I feel a deep sadness and regret that I will never forget you and the love we shared.
My childhood friend
You were my childhood friend, and I will always cherish the memories we shared.
(So close, so close and yet so far)
(Repeat of an earlier line: We were emotionally close, but physically far apart and unable to be together.)
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kenny Nolan, Robert Crewe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind