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.
The Way You Look Tonight
Ray Conniff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
when the world is cold
i will feel a glow, just thinking of you
and the way you look tonight
oh but your lovely
with your smile so warm
and your cheeks so soft
just the way you look tonight
with each word your tenderness grows
tearing my fear apart
and that laugh
that wrinkles your nose
touches my foolish heart
lovely, never never change
keep that breathless charm
won't you please arrange it
because i, i love you
just the way you look tonight
The Way You Look Tonight by Ray Conniff is a song that speaks about the power of love and the feeling of being loved. The singer acknowledges that life can be tough and cold sometimes, but just the thought of their loved one makes them feel a sense of warmth and inner glow. The song praises and flatters the object of the singer's affection for their physical features, particularly their smile and soft cheeks. However, it is not just external beauty that captivates the singer, as they go on to describe the way their loved one's tenderness and laughter touch their heart, dispelling any fear or doubt they may have. The singer ends by expressing their desire for their loved one to never change and to keep their charm, as they love everything about them just the way they are.
The lyrics of this song were written by the legendary songwriter, Dorothy Fields, with music composed by Jerome Kern, and it was originally featured in the 1936 film, Swing Time. The Way You Look Tonight wasn't initially intended to become a hit song, but it went on to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song and has been covered by countless artists over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
Someday, when i'm awfully low
At some point in the future, when I'm feeling very low emotionally
when the world is cold
During a time when everything around me feels harsh and uninviting
i will feel a glow, just thinking of you
I will experience a feeling of warmth and comfort when I imagine you in my mind
and the way you look tonight
This feeling is brought on by the memory of how you appeared the last time I saw you
oh but your lovely
You are incredibly beautiful
with your smile so warm
Your smile is welcoming and comforting
and your cheeks so soft
I find your physical appearance and features to be incredibly gentle and appealing
there is nothing for me, but to love you
I can't help but feel deep affection for you
just the way you look tonight
This affection is primarily due to the way you looked the last time I saw you
with each word your tenderness grows
As I hear you speak, my appreciation for your kindness and affection deepens
tearing my fear apart
Your kindness and affection is so powerful that it removes any anxiety or worry I may have been feeling
and that laugh
When you laugh
that wrinkles your nose
Your nose crinkles as you laugh
touches my foolish heart
My heart is deeply affected by the joy and happiness that comes from hearing your laugh
lovely, never never change
You are so wonderful just the way you are and I hope you never change
keep that breathless charm
Continue to be stunning and captivating
won't you please arrange it
I'm asking you to please maintain the qualities that make you so special
because i, i love you
I am deeply in love with you
just the way you look tonight
My love for you is largely due to the memory of how you appeared the last time I saw you
Writer(s): Carl William Doy, Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields Copyright: T.B. Harms, Warner/Chappell Music Australia Pty Ltd., T.B. Harms Co., Shapiro Bernstein & Co. Inc. O/B/o Aldi Music
Contributed by Audrey K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@EAS8334
The Way You Look Tonight é um dos mais felizes arranjos de Ray Conniff, sem dúvida um dos pontos mais altos da sua brilhante carreira de trobonista/arranjador. Todos que nos anos 50, 60 e 70 puderam ter a felicidade de dançar, namorar e amar com arranjos do Ray sabem que são eternos e são muito gratos a ele.
@franzschaefer4002
Ray and his team made the Fifties unforgettable. S'marvellous!
@JOYOUSONEX
Ray Conniff was one of a kind. The first, and only, composer to blend chorus and music into a single sound. My favorite Conniff tune is La Mer or Beyond the Sea.
@joelfernandozunigafigueroa3400
bella melodía y un hermoso sonido inigualable, bien por ray connif
@manuelcamposvillarreal6572
Mr. Conniff´s sound is definitely beyond time.
@ChuckWroste
In 1959, I was in 11th grade and I actually went to a teen party that played only Ray Conniff music the whole time. I remember it being a good time, visiting with friends and dancing with a few girls. I have about 40 or so of his many hit LP's and I use Ray's music to "rock me to sleep" at night. Thanks Ray for such great music.
@coastalmermaid55
THis music harks back to more innocent times.
@carlosanaya9070
I wish I had the chance to enjoy so beautiful decades in which people had a good sense of real music. 🥰
@guadalupeaguilar6632
Only The Best....................
@milabluelady
Bela musica,som para sonhar!