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.
With Every Beat Of My Heart
Ray Conniff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never thought you′d really go away.
I never thought you'd try it
But, then, again, you never can tell nowadays.
With every beat of my heart (with every beat of my heart)
I think about all the good times we had (the good times we had)
The fun we had together but, now, I guess it′s over
I'm all torn apart (I'm all torn apart)
It shows you never really can tell what the future will bring
(What the future will bring)
So, that′s why I′m never gonna fall in love again,
Know how I'm never gonna hurt again, never want to try anymore.
But every beat of my heart,
Will always seem to me the spell out your name.
I guess I never really get over this feeling,
I′ll always be the same
With every beat of my heart (with every beat of my heart)
I'll always pray that you come back once again
(Come back once again)
Until you do, I know that I′ll always think of you
With every beat of my heart
(Beat of my heart)
With every beat of my heart
I think about all the good times we had
The fun we had together but, now, I guess it's over
I′m all torn apart
With every beat of my heart (with every beat of my heart)
I always seem to hear the sound of your name
(The sound of your name)
I guess I'll never really get over this feeling
I'll always be the same (I′ll always be the same)
With every beat of my heart (with every beat of my heart)
I always pray that you come back once again
(Come back once again)
Until you do, I know that I′ll always think of you
With every beat of my heart (beat of my heart)
With every beat of my heart (with every beat of my heart)
I always seem to hear the sound of your name
(The sound of your name)
I guess I'll never really get over this feeling
I′ll always be the same (always be the same)
With every beat of my heart (with every beat of my heart)
I always pray that you come back once again
(Come back once again)
Until you do, I know that I'll always think of you
With every beat of my heart...
The lyrics to Ray Conniff's "With Every Beat of My Heart" expresses the heartache of losing someone and the feelings of regret over moments lost. The song reflects on a past relationship that has ended, and the emotional pain that lingers with the singer. The first stanza is an expression of surprise that the other person has left, despite the singer's expectation that they would never do so. The second stanza reflects on the good memories that the couple had while they were together, followed by the realization that the relationship is indeed over. The third stanza shows the singer acknowledging the loss that he/she feels, and the fear that comes with falling in love again.
The repetition of the phrase "With every beat of my heart" signifies the love and affection that the singer still has for the person who has left. The chorus reinforces the hope that they would come back and that the singer can't get over the feeling, despite the passage of time. The song is a poignant reflection on the bittersweet memories of a past lover and the hopelessness that comes with loss.
Line by Line Meaning
With every beat of my heart,
I am reminded of the person I once loved
I never thought you′d really go away.
I never expected you to leave me
I never thought you'd try it
I never thought you would leave me for good
But, then, again, you never can tell nowadays.
But in this day and age, anything can happen unexpectedly
I think about all the good times we had
I reminisce about the happy moments we shared together
The fun we had together but, now, I guess it′s over
But now, our relationship has come to an end
I'm all torn apart
I am emotionally devastated
It shows you never really can tell what the future will bring
This experience has taught me that the future is always uncertain
So, that′s why I′m never gonna fall in love again,
I have decided to protect myself from future heartbreak by avoiding falling in love
Know how I'm never gonna hurt again, never want to try anymore.
I never want to experience the pain of heartbreak again and have no desire to pursue another relationship.
But every beat of my heart,
However, I cannot forget the person I loved
Will always seem to me the spell out your name.
I can't help but associate the rhythm of my heart with your name
I guess I never really get over this feeling,
I suppose I will never fully recover from the loss
I′ll always be the same
My feelings about you will remain unchanged
I always seem to hear the sound of your name
Your name echoes in my mind constantly
I always pray that you come back once again
I still hold on to the hope that you will return to me
Until you do, I know that I′ll always think of you
Until that happens, I will continue to remember you fondly
Writer(s): Ray Conniff
Contributed by Bentley L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.