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.
I'll Remember
Santo & Johnny Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Holding all these memories, hanging on so tight
Writing you this song and I've got to get it right
That's the way I'll remember you
The way your smile shone right through your eyes
The way you taught me how much music really buys
The way your love would sometimes take me by surprise
That's the way I'll remember you
And both our mouths and hearts would open wide
I was the driver, you were my guide
I thought that you would always be by my side
How we'd sing together all afternoon
Then stay up all night howlin' at the moon
I never thought that you'd be gone so soon
You know, it makes me crazy as a loon
Each time I hear a rock 'n roll band
Every time I think about what it means to be a man
With a guitar in my arm and a glass in my hand
That's the way I'll remember you
Oh, that's the way I'll remember you
Oh, that's the way I'll remember you
In Santo & Johnny's song I'll Remember, the singer is reminiscing about a past love and the memories they shared together. The lyrics, "This sure has been one long lonely night, holding all these memories, hanging on so tight" convey the singer's feeling of loneliness and the struggle to let go of the memories they have with their lover. The singer then expresses their desire to write a song about their love, "Writing you this song and I've got to get it right", implying that music is a therapeutic outlet for them to express their feelings.
The lyrics, "That's the way I'll remember you, the way your smile shone right through your eyes, the way you taught me how much music really buys, the way your love would sometimes take me by surprise" highlights the characteristics of their lover that they will cherish and remember forever. The reference to "music" in the lyrics suggests that music had a significant role in their relationship and was a shared passion between them. The lyrics also reminisce about the times they spent together making music, "When we'd sing together on a long ride...How we'd sing together all afternoon".
However, the lyrics take a sorrowful turn when the singer realizes that their lover is gone and they will never be able to share those moments together again. The lyrics, "I thought that you would always be by my side...I never thought that you'd be gone so soon" convey the singer's sorrow and feeling of loss. The reference to "rock 'n roll band" and "a guitar in my arm and a glass in my hand" suggests that music is still a reminder of their lover and it is the way they will always remember them.
Line by Line Meaning
This sure has been one long lonely night
I have been feeling lonely and afraid for a long time.
Holding all these memories, hanging on so tight
I am holding on to the memories of us and trying to keep them close.
Writing you this song and I've got to get it right
I am writing this song for you and want it to be perfect to honor our memories.
That's the way I'll remember you
I want to remember you in a certain way, so I will always think of you that way.
The way your smile shone right through your eyes
I will always remember how your smile lit up your whole face.
The way you taught me how much music really buys
I will never forget how you showed me the power of music in our lives.
The way your love would sometimes take me by surprise
I will cherish the moments when your love for me caught me off guard.
When we'd sing together on a long ride
I loved the times when we would sing together on road trips.
And both our mouths and hearts would open wide
Our love for music connected us and made us feel free and alive.
I was the driver, you were my guide
I would drive while you navigated us through life together.
I thought that you would always be by my side
I never imagined a life without you and thought we would always be together.
How we'd sing together all afternoon
I cherished the times we spent singing together for hours on end.
Then stay up all night howlin' at the moon
We would stay up all night having fun and expressing our love for life.
I never thought that you'd be gone so soon
I cannot believe that you left me so unexpectedly and so soon.
You know, it makes me crazy as a loon
It drives me insane to think about life without you.
Each time I hear a rock 'n roll band
Hearing a rock 'n roll band reminds me of the times we shared together listening to music.
Every time I think about what it means to be a man
Thinking about what it means to be a man makes me remember the lessons you taught me.
With a guitar in my arm and a glass in my hand
Playing guitar and drinking reminds me of the times we spent together doing just that.
That's the way I'll remember you
I will always remember you through the music and memories that we shared together.
Oh, that's the way I'll remember you
I want to remember you in a specific way, so I will never forget the moments we shared together.
Oh, that's the way I'll remember you
This is how I will always remember you, with love and gratitude in my heart.
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: John Musacchio
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind