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.
Sing
Ray Conniff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees
And snow-white turtle doves
I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I'd like to hold it in my arms
It's the real thing
What the world wants today
That's the way it will stay
With the real thing
It's the real thing
Won't you hear what I say?
What the world needs today
Is the real thing
I'd like to see the world for once
All standing hand in hand
And hear them echo through the hills
For peace throughout the land
It's the real thing
I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
A song of peace that echoes on
And never goes away
It's the real thing
I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I like to hold it in my arm
And keep it company
It's the real thing
The lyrics of Ray Conniff's song "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" speak of a utopian vision where the world is a peaceful and harmonious place to live in. The singer imagines building a home for everyone and filling it with love, and supplying fresh produce from apple trees and honey from bees. The tranquil image of snow-white turtle doves flying around sets the tone for the entire piece.
The singer further wishes to teach the entire world to sing in perfect harmony, bringing each other together in amiable unison. He envisions holding the world in his arms, sheltering it as he teaches them to sing. As the song progress, the singer emphasizes that this vision is not a mere daydream, but rather something that the world needs today. The pursuit of the "real thing" of love, peace, and harmony is what will bring real change to the world.
The chorus of "It's the real thing" is a definitive statement that emphasizes the need for a world where everyone can stand together and enjoy peace and harmony. The lyrics are a call to arms for everyone, irrespective of differences in culture, race, and creed, to come together and strive for a world without conflict.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd like to build the world a home
I wish to create a warm and welcoming environment for everyone in the world.
And furnish it with love
In this place, love will be the foundation and essence of all that we do.
Grow apple trees and honey bees
Along with love, we will cultivate and nourish the gifts of nature, which sustain and enrich our lives.
And snow-white turtle doves
We will also appreciate and protect the beauty and freedom of all living creatures, including delicate and pure doves.
I'd like to teach the world to sing
My vision is to share the joy and power of music with all people on Earth, as it can transcend languages, cultures, and differences.
In perfect harmony
Through music, we can learn to listen to and blend our voices, feelings, and aspirations, and create a beautiful and unified sound.
I'd like to hold it in my arms
As a symbol of my deep care and concern for the world, I want to embrace it in a compassionate and supportive way.
And keep it company
I want to be there for the world, to share its joys and sorrows, and to help it overcome its challenges and achieve its dreams.
It's the real thing
My vision and message are authentic, sincere, and relevant to the hopes and needs of humanity.
What the world wants today
The world is seeking something that is positive, inspiring, and transformative, that can lift it up and make it better.
That's the way it will stay
This longing for a better world is not a passing fancy or trend, but a fundamental and enduring human desire.
Won't you hear what I say?
I am inviting you to listen to my message, to join me in this noble and worthwhile cause, and to make a difference in the world.
What the world needs today
The world requires something that can heal its wounds, unite its people, and restore its faith in itself and in the future.
Is the real thing
The solution to the world's problems lies not in illusions, deceptions, or superficialities, but in honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
I'd like to see the world for once
As a person who cares deeply about the world, I wish to see it in its true form, beyond the masks, stereotypes, and prejudices that often obscure our view.
All standing hand in hand
I long for a world where people can hold hands without fear, suspicion, or hostility, and where they can work together for the common good.
And hear them echo through the hills
I hope that our voices of peace, love, and unity can reverberate throughout the mountains and valleys of the world, reaching every corner and every heart.
For peace throughout the land
My ultimate goal is to create a world where peace prevails, where conflicts are resolved peacefully, and where all people can live in dignity, freedom, and harmony.
A song of peace that echoes on
The song that I want to teach the world is not just a catchy tune, but a timeless and universal message of hope, understanding, and nonviolence, that can inspire generations to come.
And never goes away
This song of peace will endure, because it speaks to the deepest and best aspirations of humanity, and because it is rooted in the essential goodness and beauty of life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WILLIAM M BACKER, ROGER F. COOK, ROQUEL DAVIS, ROGER GREENAWAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind