They are best known for their instrumental "Sleep Walk", which became a regional hit and eventually reached the top of the Billboard pop chart when it was released nationally in 1959.
At present, Santo is semi-retired and Johnny tours and records new material with his own band. Johnny is also the president of Aniraf, Inc., an international record company based in New York.
Santo and Johnny Farina were born in Brooklyn, New York; Santo on October 24, 1937 and Johnny on April 30, 1941. Their father was drafted into the Army while they were children and was stationed for some time in Oklahoma. After hearing a steel guitar on the radio, he wrote to his wife, "I'd like the boys to learn to play this instrument".
Upon returning from World War II, the boys' father found a music teacher who gave the boys steel guitar lessons. When Santo was a teenager, he was able to get a local music store to modify an acoustic guitar, allowing him to play it like a steel guitar.
Within two years, Santo was performing in amateur shows on a new Gibson six-string steel guitar and had started receiving lessons from a steel guitar teacher who had studied in Hawaii. By the age of fourteen, Santo was composing songs, and formed an instrumental trio with a guitarist and drummer. This trio appeared at local dances and parties, performing both original compositions and some Hawaiian standards. With money Santo made from these performances, he bought a Fender steel guitar, one with three necks, each with eight strings. This allowed him to experiment even further, and he tried different tunings until he found ones that appealed to him.
When Johnny reached the age of twelve, he began to play accompaniment to Santo on a standard electric guitar. The brothers soon formed a duo and became rather popular in school, eventually performing at events in the New York boroughs. They recorded a demo which they circulated to local New York record companies.
In 1958, Mike Dee & The Mello Tones (Santo Farina, steel guitar; Johnny Farina, guitar and their uncle Mike Dee, drums) recorded a self-penned instrumental which they called "Deep Sleep". Loosely inspired by the song "Softly, As In The Morning Sunrise" (Sigmund Romberg, 1929), it had the same chord progression but a simpler melody line.
"Deep Sleep" became "Sleep Walk" and in September 1959 it topped the American charts.
The brothers eventually came to the attention of a music publishing company and signed a song writer's contract and eventually a contract with Canadian-American Records. Their first release, "Sleep Walk", was composed by the two brothers. (The original single credits three Farinas, including an "A. Farina" for the composition. It's sometimes reported that their mother or sister helped, but this is apparently false.) It was recorded at Trinity Records in Manhattan. "Sleep Walk" entered Billboard's 'Top 40' on August 17, 1959. It rose to the No. 1 position for two weeks in September (the 21st and the 28th) and remained in the 'Top 40' list until November 9. It was the last instrumental to hit #1 in the 1950s and earned Santo & Johnny a gold record. The follow-up song "Tear Drop" was also a hit, though their LP Santo & Johnny was less successful in the United States.
After touring Europe, Mexico, and Australia, Santo & Johnny signed to an Italian record label and had several hits in Europe that included "Sleep Walk", "Love Story", "Maria Elena", "Ebb Tide", "Love is Blue", "Enchanted Sea", and others.[citation needed] In 1964, they released an album of The Beatles covers; "And I Love Her" hit #1 in Mexico and held the spot for 21 weeks. In 1973, Santo & Johnny recorded the theme to the movie The Godfather, which went to #1 in Italy and stayed at that spot for 21 weeks. They received a gold record in Italy and were inducted into the Italian Music Hall of Fame.
Johnny Farina currently operates the official Santo And Johnny worldwide website, which includes current tour dates, discography, biography, trivia and new merchandise Farina also currently operates the official Johnny MySpace page, which includes current tour dates, discography, biography, and audio samples from his new solo albums.
"Sleep Walk" continues to be popular due to consistent radio airplay as well as its usage in commercials, television shows, and movies. One of the first covers was by Betsy Brye (stage name of Bette Anne Steele) in 1959. While Santo & Johnny wrote lyrics for "Sleep Walk", they never recorded a lyrical version, but Betsy Brye's version included these lyrics. It has been also covered by The Shadows, Stray Cats, The Ventures, Jake Shimabukuro, Amos Garrett, Kenny Vance and the Planotones, Larry Carlton, Deftones, Chet Atkins, Danny Gatton, Leo Kottke, The Sir Douglas Quintet, Jonathan Richman, Larry Berwald, and Joe Satriani. Indie group Modest Mouse also covered the song with lyrics and entitled their version "Sleepwalkin'". A version by Brian Setzer received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance of 1998. "Sleep Walk" was used throughout the 1992 Stephen King film, Sleepwalkers. "Sleep Walk" also plays a role in the 1995 Terry Gilliam sci-fi film, 12 Monkeys. It is also played in the end scene of "La Bamba" after protagonist Ritchie Valens dies. The song can also be heard in "Eddie and the Cruisers" as well as in the film "Hearts in Atlantis" starring Anthony Hopkins. Tim Kring's 'Heroes' which aired on NBC also featured "Sleep Walk" playing on a record in a diner, from the episode '1961'.
Santo & Johnny were inducted into The Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2002.
A Hard Day's Night
Santo & Johnny Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright
You know I work all day to get you money to buy you things
And it's worth it just to hear you say you're going to give me everything
So why on earth should I moan, 'cause when I get you alone
When I'm home everything seems to be right
When I'm home feeling you holding me tight, tight
It's been a hard day's night, and I been working like a dog
It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright, ow
So why on earth should I moan, 'cause when I get you alone
You know I feel OK
When I'm home everything seems to be right
When I'm home feeling you holding me tight, tight
It's been a hard day's night, and I been working like a dog
It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright
You know I feel alright
You know I feel alright
Santo & Johnny's cover of the Beatles song "A Hard Day's Night" is a love song with an upbeat tempo. The lyrics talk about the hardships of work, but finding solace in love. The opening line, "It's been a hard day's night, and I been working like a dog," sets the tone for the entire song. The singer is exhausted and should be sleeping, but instead, he is finding comfort in his lover's arms. The line "But when I get home to you I find the things that you do Will make me feel alright" highlights the power of love as a source of comfort and strength even in hard times.
As the song progresses, the singer acknowledges the effort he puts into his work to provide for his lover. "You know I work all day to get you money to buy you things, And it's worth it just to hear you say you're going to give me everything." Even with the hardships and the exhaustion, the singer doesn't complain because when he is with his lover, everything feels right. The final line, "You know I feel alright," is repeated to conclude the song, emphasizing the message of finding joy and peace through love.
Overall, "A Hard Day's Night" by Santo & Johnny is a love song that emphasizes the importance of finding solace in love during tough times. It’s message is strongly emphasized by the upbeat tempo of the song, demonstrating how love can uplift and support individuals even in moments of tribulation.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been a hard day's night, and I been working like a dog
Today has been long and tiring, I have been working hard all day
It's been a hard day's night, I should be sleeping like a log
After such a tough day, I should be sleeping deeply and soundly
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright
When I come home to you and experience your love and care, all my weariness goes away
You know I work all day to get you money to buy you things
I work hard every day to provide for you and buy you the things you want and need
And it's worth it just to hear you say you're going to give me everything
I find it worthwhile to work hard just to hear you promise to give me everything I want
So why on earth should I moan, 'cause when I get you alone
You know I feel OK
I have no reason to complain because when I'm with you, I feel happy and content
When I'm home everything seems to be right
When I'm home feeling you holding me tight, tight
Being at home with you makes everything feel perfect, especially when I am in your loving embrace
It's been a hard day's night, and I been working like a dog
Today has been long and tiring, I have been working hard all day
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright, ow
When I come home to you and experience your love and care, all my weariness goes away
So why on earth should I moan, 'cause when I get you alone
You know I feel OK
I have no reason to complain because when I'm with you, I feel happy and content
When I'm home everything seems to be right
When I'm home feeling you holding me tight, tight
Being at home with you makes everything feel perfect, especially when I am in your loving embrace
It's been a hard day's night, and I been working like a dog
Today has been long and tiring, I have been working hard all day
But when I get home to you I find the things that you do
Will make me feel alright
When I come home to you and experience your love and care, all my weariness goes away
You know I feel alright
Thanks to your love and care, I feel happy and content
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind