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.
New York New York
Ray Conniff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it
New York, New York
These vagabond shoes are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it
New York, New York
I wanna wake up in a city that doesn't sleep
These little town blues are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it in old New York
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York, New York
New York, New York, New York
I want to wake up in a city that never sleeps
And find I'm a number one, top of the list
These little town blues are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it in old New York
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you, New York, New York, New York
The lyrics of Ray Conniff's song New York New York express the singer's desire to leave whatever he has behind and start anew in New York City. He wants to be part of the city's bustling energy and excitement that never sleeps. The first verse starts with a declaration of departure - he is leaving today - and he wants to experience everything that New York has to offer. He wants to feel the pulse of the city, which he believes lies in the heart of it. He claims that his vagabond shoes want to wander right through the very heart of New York.
The chorus is a declaration and a challenge. It says that the singer wants to wake up in a city that never sleeps, where he will feel like the king of the hill, top of the heap. He believes that the little town blues that have been holding him back will melt away once he starts anew in this urban landscape. He is confident that he will make a brand new start of it in old New York, and if he can make it there, he can make it anywhere. The chorus repetition might convey his unwavering resolve to succeed in New York.
Finally, the second verse amplifies the chorus by placing more emphasis on the desire to feel like number one, top of the list. The little town blues are still melting away, and he wants to start over in old New York. It is his confidence that is emphasized again, that if he can make it there, he will make it anywhere, making a vivid reflection of his belief that New York is the city of dreams that can make or break anyone.
Overall, the song is a love letter to New York City. The singer is optimistic about his future in the city and the possibility of his success. He sees New York as a place of endless opportunities and possibilities.
Line by Line Meaning
Start spreading the news
I want to share my excitement with everyone
I'm leaving today
I am departing for New York City today
I want to be a part of it
I desire to take part in the culture of New York City
New York, New York
Referring to New York City, the place of dreams and endless possibilities
These vagabond shoes are longing to stray
I have a strong desire to wander and explore the city
Right through the very heart of it
I want to explore every aspect of this city thoroughly
New York, New York
Referring to New York City, the place of dreams and endless possibilities
I wanna wake up in a city that doesn't sleep
I want to be in a city that is always active and vibrant, even at night
And find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap
I want to be the best in my field and truly succeed in this city
These little town blues are melting away
I am happy to be leaving behind my past and mundane life in a small town
I'll make a brand new start of it in old New York
I am eager to begin anew and start fresh in New York City
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
If I am successful in New York City, I can be successful anywhere in the world
It's up to you, New York, New York
Referring to the city's opportunities and challenges that will determine my success
New York, New York, New York
Repeating the name of the city for emphasis
I want to wake up in a city that never sleeps
Reiterating the desire to be in a city with constant activity and potential for success
And find I'm a number one, top of the list
I want to achieve the highest level of success and recognition in my field or industry
These little town blues are melting away
Repeated phrase from earlier in the song, emphasizing the eagerness to start afresh in New York City
I'll make a brand new start of it in old New York
Reiterating the desire to start over and create a new life in the city
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
Repeating the earlier line to emphasize the belief that success in New York City means success anywhere
It's up to you, New York, New York, New York
Reiterating that the city holds the opportunities and challenges that will determine success
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Fred Ebb, John Kander
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@patriciaalvarez8437
CADA VEZ MEJOR RAY!!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤
@GracielaSanchez-ct6ur
Tu música siempre maravillosa Ray !!! Que legado mos dejaste!!!
@magdaibanez3400
Recordar es vivir que hermosa musica
@jacelibarreto4960
Lindo arranjo do Ray Conniff,para New York,New York !!!! 🌍🎷🎺🎺🎷🌍🇧🇷
@jacelibarreto4960
Lindo arranjo arranjo do Ray Conniff ,New York
@TheANDBROW
Q época boa!!
@rogildalacerda1026
Maravilhosooooooo
@someonesawthatchange
Jequiti! Os perfumes das estrelas!
@getuliofonseca8935
Maravilha !
@lauramartinezcortes6706
F.A.N.T.A.S.T.I.C.O Ray Conniff - New York, New York 🌹