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.
People Will Say We
Ray Conniff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why do the neighbors chatter all day, behind their doors?
I know a way to prove what they say is quite untrue.
Here is the gist, a practical list of "donts" for you.
Don't throw bouquets at me
Don't please my folks too much
Don't laugh at my jokes too much
Don't sigh and gaze at me
Your sighs are so like mine
Your eyes mustn't glow like mine
People will say we're in love!
Don't start collecting things
Give me my rose and my glove.
Sweetheart they're suspecting things
People will say we're in love.
Don't praise my charm too much
Don't look so vain with me
Don't stand in the rain with me
People will say we're in love!
Don't take my arm too much
Don't keep your hand in mine
Your hand feels so grand in mine
People will say we're in love!
Don't dance all night with me
Till the stars fade from above.
They'll see it's alright with me
People will say we're in love.
The lyrics of "The Way We Were" by Ray Conniff address the issue of gossip and the way people can be judgmental and quick to make assumptions. The first verse questions why people make up stories and talk behind closed doors, linking the singer's name with another person's name. The singer proposes a practical list of "don'ts" to prove that what people say is untrue.
The practical list of "don'ts" includes refraining from throwing bouquets, pleasing the singer's folks too much, laughing at the singer's jokes too much, and sighing and gazing too much. The singer warns that people will say they are in love if these actions take place. The list continues with other cautionary measures, such as not collecting things, not praising the singer's charm too much, and not standing in the rain with the singer too much.
In the final stanza, the singer asks the other person not to dance all night until the stars fade from above. While the singer acknowledges that this is alright with them, people will still say they are in love. Overall, the song conveys a sense of frustration with people's tendency to judge and make assumptions based on appearances and actions without taking the time to understand the truth.
· Ray Conniff recorded the song in 1974, but it was originally written for the 1973 film of the same name.
· The song was composed by Marvin Hamlisch with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.
· The movie starred Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford, and the song was a major hit for Streisand.
· The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, but it lost to "The Way We Were" sung by Barbra Streisand from the movie The Way We Were.
· The Ray Conniff version reached #76 on the U.S. music charts.
· The song has been covered by many other artists over the years, including Gladys Knight & The Pips, Perry Como, and Engelbert Humperdinck.
· It has also been featured in various TV shows and movies, such as Murphy Brown, The Simpsons, and Mad Men.
· Several parodies of the song have been created, including a political satire version called "The Way We Pay" about taxes.
· The song's melody also features in an instrumental version during the end credits of the movie.
· The song is known for its romantic and nostalgic tone, with the lyrics focusing on memories of a past relationship.
Chords:
Verse 1:
G Em7 A7 D7
G Em7 A7 D7
Chorus:
G Gmaj7 G7 C Cm
G Gmaj7 G7 Db7
Verse 2:
G Em7 A7 D7
G Em7 A7 D7
Chorus:
G Gmaj7 G7 C Cm
G Gmaj7 G7 Db7
Bridge:
Bb Bbm Am7 D7
G7 F#dim Em7 A7
Bb Bbm Am7 D7
G7 F#dim Em7 A7
Chorus:
G Gmaj7 G7
C Cm G G7
C Cm G G7
Db Bb A7 D7
G Gmaj7 G7
C Cm G G7
C Cm G G7
Db Bb A7 D7
G
Line by Line Meaning
Why do they think up stories that link my name with yours?
Why do people fabricate tales that associate me with you?
Why do the neighbors chatter all day, behind their doors?
Why do the neighbors gossip incessantly behind closed doors?
I know a way to prove what they say is quite untrue.
I have a way to demonstrate that their claims are false.
Here is the gist, a practical list of "donts" for you.
Here are some essential tips that you should abide by to avoid misconceptions.
Don't throw bouquets at me
Don't show excessive affection towards me in public.
Don't please my folks too much
Don't be too ingratiating towards my parents.
Don't laugh at my jokes too much
Don't laugh too heartily at all my jokes.
People will say we're in love!
If you do any of the above, people will assume that we're romantically involved.
Don't sigh and gaze at me
Don't exhibit longing sighs or stares at me.
Your sighs are so like mine
Your sighs mimic mine, which could suggest mutual affection.
Your eyes mustn't glow like mine
Don't let your eyes display the same captivation as mine.
Don't start collecting things
Don't give the impression of accumulating possessions or souvenirs from me.
Give me my rose and my glove.
Keep the gifts I gave you to a minimum and don't flaunt them.
Sweetheart they're suspecting things
My dear, people are beginning to assume something is going on between us.
People will say we're in love.
Any suspicious behavior may lead others to believe we're in love.
Don't praise my charm too much
Don't overly flatter my personality or physical features.
Don't look so vain with me
Avoid appearing excessively self-absorbed while in my company.
Don't stand in the rain with me
Don't create situations that would indicate we're lost in our own world together.
Don't take my arm too much
Don't show too much physical affection by constantly touching my arm.
Don't keep your hand in mine
Don't hold my hand for too long, which could indicate intimacy.
Your hand feels so grand in mine
Holding your hand feels great, but we need to avoid suggesting deeper feelings.
Don't dance all night with me
Don't spend too much time dancing with me, or others may assume we're a pair.
Till the stars fade from above.
Until the night ends, and the stars disappear from the sky.
They'll see it's alright with me
If we don't show too much affection, others will see that we're just friends.
People will say we're in love.
If we're not cautious, people may suspect that we're romantically involved.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind