He was born to a Lutheran minister, the Rev. Frederick J. Weertz (1891–1980) and a music teacher, Dorothea Bang Weertz (1895–1985), in Omaha, Nebraska. The family moved to Des Moines, Iowa, before his first birthday. He first played the piano at age three. In high school he became interested in boxing, mainly at his father's insistence, and only returned to music after breaking his nose several times and sustaining several other injuries.
He majored in piano at Drake University in Des Moines, but claimed he was expelled for playing "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" in the practice room. Weertz entered the United States Navy and served in World War II. While still in the Navy, he earned a bachelor's degree from Idaho State College (now Idaho State University) in 1950. Afterwards, Weertz re-enrolled at Drake, where he earned his master's degree. He then moved to New York City to attend Juilliard, where he studied jazz piano under Lennie Tristano and Teddy Wilson.
Williams won a talent contest on Dennis James' television program, Chance of a Lifetime. He was heard by David Kapp, founder of Kapp Records. Kapp was so impressed that he signed the pianist, changing his name to "Roger Williams" after the founder of Rhode Island.
In 1955 Williams recorded "Autumn Leaves", the only piano instrumental to reach #1 on Billboard's popular music chart. It sold over two million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. It was the fourth #1 song of the "rock era," which unofficially began with the ascension of "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets into the top spot. In 1966 he had another Top Ten hit with the song "Born Free" from the motion picture soundtrack. His other hits include "Near You", "Till", "The Impossible Dream", "Yellow Bird", "Maria", and "The Theme from Somewhere in Time". Billboard magazine ranks him as the top selling piano recording artist in history with 18 gold and platinum albums to his credit. Williams was known as the "Pianist to the Presidents" having played for nine administrations beginning with Harry S. Truman. His last White House performance was in November 2008 for a luncheon hosted by First Lady Laura Bush.
His interest in the public stems from a boyhood experience in Des Moines, Iowa. After a piano concert by the Polish genius Ignacy Jan Paderewski, young Roger waited for 45 minutes outside in the freezing cold to meet his idol. When the pianist finally appeared it was to rush to a waiting automobile. "I didn't even get near enough to touch him or get an autograph," says Williams. "It was then and there I resolved that if ever I became famous I would never disappoint anyone who wanted to talk to me."
On his 75th birthday, Williams performed his first 12-hour piano marathon. He performed the marathon at Steinway Hall in New York City and the Nixon, Carter and Reagan Presidential Libraries. His Steinway & Sons "Gold Steinway" grand piano was on tour for public display and entertainment during 2007–2008.
In 2010 Roger Williams was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. At that time, "Autumn Leaves" was the best-selling piano solo record of all time and the only one ever to top the Billboard charts.
In March 2011 Williams posted on his website that he had pancreatic cancer and that his doctors had told him they could not remove the tumor until chemotherapy shrunk it to an operable size. Williams said that he did not plan on canceling any upcoming concerts. He wrote: "What does it all mean? It means I'm in just one more fight — the fight for my life.. And this much I know, this old Navy boxing champion is going for broke. Just watch me!"
Williams died on October 8, 2011, one week after his 87th birthday.
The Way We Were
Roger Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Misty water-colored memories of the way we were
Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were
Can it be that it was all so simple then
Or has time rewritten every line
If we had the chance to do it all again
Could we?
Memories may be beautiful and yet
What's too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So it's the laughter we will remember
Whenever we remember
The way we were
The way we were
"The Way We Were" is a classic love song that was written by Marvin Hamlisch and Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman. The lyrics express the longing to recapture a past love, harking back to misty memories of days gone by. The lyrics are steeped in nostalgia, reminiscing about the smiles that they gave and the way things used to be. The opening lines, "Memories light the corners of my mind, Misty water-colored memories of the way we were," set the tone for the rest of the song. The phrase ‘Memories light the corners of my mind' speaks to how memories can appear and reappear in unexpected ways.
The song talks about how memories can be beautiful, yet painful. It questions whether time has rewritten every line, hinting at how memories can often be unreliable or incomplete. The lyrics express the bittersweet nature of recollection, how each memory is imbued with meaning, but how time changes and shapes that meaning. The lyrics ask the question, "If we had the chance to do it all again, Tell me, would we? Could we?"- a question that speaks to the underlying desire to go back in time and recapture something that was once perfect. The song ends with an emphasis on laughter, highlighting how the beauty of the past lies not just in the specific moments but also in the feelings that those moments gave us.
Line by Line Meaning
Memories light the corners of my mind
The recollection of past events is present but is not vividly remembered
Misty water-colored memories of the way we were
The mental images of past events are blurred and difficult to recall in exact detail
Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind
There are random snapshots of moments where we were once happy and carefree
Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were
We had smiles that were rooted in the circumstances we found ourselves in back then
Can it be that it was all so simple then
Is it possible that the situations we found ourselves in back then were so easy to navigate
Or has time rewritten every line
Time may have distorted the details and recollection of the past events
If we had the chance to do it all again
If the opportunity to relive past experiences was presented to us
Tell me, would we?
Ask me if we would do things the same way if given the chance
Could we?
Question whether or not we could repeat the same experiences
Memories may be beautiful and yet
Although memories are often pleasing to look back on
What's too painful to remember
Memories that bring up feelings of hurt or pain
We simply choose to forget
We decide not to actively recall events that may cause us emotional pain
So it's the laughter we will remember
We will recall the happy and joyous memories that brought us smiles and laughter
Whenever we remember
When we think back on the past and the moments shared with others
The way we were
The way we interacted with each other and experienced life together during that period of time
The way we were
Reiteration of the central idea of the song: focused on the memories of the past and the way things were
Lyrics © Tratore, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Marvin Hamlisch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind