Hunter was born in New York City, New York to immigrants from Germany. His father, Charles Kelm, was Jewish and his mother, Gertrude Gelien, a Lutheran who later converted to Judaism. Within a few years of his birth, his parents divorced and his mother moved with her two sons to California. She reassumed her maiden surname, Gelien, and changed the sons' name to that as well. Hunter's older brother, Walter, a medic, was killed in Vietnam. As a teenager, Hunter was a figure skater, competing in both singles and pairs.
Hunter was signed to a contract at Warner Bros. and re-named "Tab Hunter" by his first agent, Henry Willson. His good looks got him pegged as a teen idol. He landed a role in the film Island of Desire opposite Linda Darnell. Although he believed that he had a mediocre singing voice, he had a 1957 hit record with a cover of the Sonny James song, "Young Love," which was #1 for Hunter for over a month. Hunter's success led Warner Bros. to form Warner Bros. Records.
Hunter was perhaps best known for his starring role in the 1958 musical movie, Damn Yankees. In the movie, Hunter plays Joe Hardy of Washington D.C's American League baseball club. (The movie had originally been a broadway show, but Hunter was only in the movie version. The show was based on the 1954 best-selling book, "The Year The Yankees Lost the Pennant" by Douglass Wallop).
While doing The Tab Hunter Show (1960-1961) on television, he was one of the finalists for the lead in the movie version of West Side Story, but did not get the part, because the producers felt he was "too old" at 29. On July 9, 1960, he was arrested by Glendale, California police for beating his dog. He was acquitted by a jury, but the incident dealt a severe blow to his squeaky-clean image.
For a short time in the late 1960s, Hunter settled in the south of France, where he acted in "spaghetti westerns". His career was revived in the 1980s, when he starred opposite transvestite actor Divine in John Waters' Polyester (1981) and Paul Bartel's Lust in the Dust (1985). He is particularly remembered by later audiences as Mr. Stewart, the substitute teacher in "Grease 2," when he sang "Reproduction." He also wrote and starred in Dark Horse (1992).
Personal life
In his autobiography, Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star, he acknowledged his homosexuality, confirming rumors that had circulated since the height of his fame. The book became a best-seller, though the news of his relationship with Paramount star Anthony Perkins was first explored in the book Anthony Perkins: Split Image (Alyson Books).
Hunter lived in Montecito, California, near Santa Barbara with his partner of 23 years, film producer Allan Glaser. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6320 Hollywood Blvd.
Hunter's homosexuality contrasted sharply with his image as a "ladies man." His agent planted stories in teen and gossip magazines that Hunter was involved with many famous young starlets of the day, and, for a long time, Hunter was linked as Natalie Wood's "boyfriend." At a party the two attended, a female songwriter in attendance quipped openly, "Natalie Wood, but Tab wouldn't."
His agent and later his studio would go so far as to have Hunter appear at red carpet events and at night clubs with the starlet he was linked to.
Ninety-Nine Ways
Tab Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of losin' the blues
That i got from lovin' you.
Oh ninety-nine ways
But none of them do.
There must be ninety-nine ways
To do without you
I'm feelin' so bad
And nothin' is right.
Oh baby i'm missin'
Your huggin and your kissin'
I'm lonely as can be.
Well i've tried all the others
But none of the others
Can do what you're doin' to me.
There must be ninety-nine ways
Of losin' the blues
That i got from lovin' you.
Mmm ninety-nine ways
But i still love you.
Instrumental
There must be ninety-nine ways
Of losin' the blues
That i got from lovin' you.
Mmm ninety-nine ways
But i still love you.
Yes i do,
Yes ninety-nine ways
But i still love you
The song "Ninety-Nine Ways" by Tab Hunter speaks about the pain of a lost love and the many ways the singer has tried to move on but has been unable to escape her memory. The lyrics suggest that there are many ways to overcome the heartbreak caused by a lost love, but the singer has been unable to find any of them effective. He expresses his loneliness and pain, missing the hugging and kissing of his lover. The singer has tried all the other ways, but none have helped him, and he still loves her even though she is not with him.
The lyrics of the song express the universal theme of heartbreak and lost love, which anyone who has experienced such a feeling can relate to. The singer's vulnerability and emotional emptiness are widely present, making this song timeless and appealing to anyone who has suffered from a broken heart. The lyrics' simplicity makes them memorable and easy to understand, but they are also deep and can be interpreted in many ways, depending on the listener's personal experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
There must be ninety-nine ways
There are numerous possibilities or approaches to move on from the sadness caused by the end of the relationship.
Of losin' the blues
To overcome sadness, disappointment or anxiety.
That I got from lovin' you.
The sadness comes from the fact of loving someone who's not there anymore.
Oh ninety-nine ways
Despite the many potential solutions to his sadness, none of them have worked for the singer thus far.
But none of them do.
None of the available ways have helped him get over the object of his affection.
To do without you
To get past the singer's need for his partner.
But I can't find one tonight.
Nothing the singer has tried to date has helped him overcome the longing for his partner, even though he's been searching for ways to forget.
I'm feelin' so bad
The singer is in a state of great emotional pain.
And nothin' is right.
The singer cannot find peace or contentment in the things he used to enjoy previously.
Oh baby I'm missin'
The singer is yearning for the physical and emotional connection that the partner used to provide.
Your huggin' and your kissin'
The physical intimacy and tenderness that the singer misses.
I'm lonely as can be.
The singer feels extremely alone and disconnected.
Well I've tried all the others
The singer has attempted every solution that he can think of to try to move on.
But none of the others
Nothing has matched up to the relief he got from being intimate with this endearing person.
Can do what you're doin' to me.
The author realizes the profound and unique influence his partner had in his life, which he cannot replace.
But I still love you.
Despite this, the singer still profusely loves the individual who triggered the heartaches.
Mmm ninety-nine ways
The singer realizes that even with many possible solutions, none of them have helped him overcome his loneliness.
Instrumental
This part of the song has no lyrics and is performed instrumentally.
Yes I do,
The singer confirms that he still loves his partner.
Yes ninety-nine ways
There are 99 different approaches the singer could try to forget, but none of them is helping him at this moment or in the past.
But I still love you
Regardless of every effort, the singer still loves his partner deeply.
Writer(s): Philip Gould, Michael David Lindup, Rowland Charles Gould, Mark King
Contributed by Claire W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1957 {April 11th} "Ninety-Nine Ways" by Tab Hunter peaked at #11* {for 1 week} on Billboard's 'Top 100' chart, thus just missing making the Top 10 chart...
The very same week "Ninety-Nine Ways" was peaking at #11, Tab Hunter's former #1 record, "Young Love", was still on the Top 100 at position #21...
Between 1957 and 1959 Tab Hunter had seven records on the Top 100 chart, one made the Top 10, "Young Love", it peaked at #1 for six weeks on January 31st, 1957...
Tab Hunter, born Arthur Andrew Gelien, passed away at the age of 86 on July 8th, 2918...
May he R.I.P.
* From the 'For What It's Worth' department, the ten records that kept "Ninety-Nine Ways" out of the Top 10 were:
At #1. "All Shook Up" by Elvis Presley
#2. "Little Darlin'" by The Diamonds
#3. "Round and Round" by Perry Como
#4. "Party Doll" by Buddy Knox with the Rhythm Orchids
#5. "Gone" by Ferlin Husky
#6. "Butterfly" by Andy Williams
#7. "I'm Walkin'" by Fats Domino
#8. "Why Baby Why" by Pat Boone
#9. "Butterfly" by Charlie Gracie {the record's B-side was Mr. Gracie's version of "Ninety-Nine Ways"}
#10. "Come Go With Me" by The Dell-Vikings
Colin Mennie
Loved this . No. 5 in England in 1957. A great follow up to his massive No.1 Young Love . No. For 7 weeks . ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Christian jesen
Is this your favorite song too I love this music
Roy Orbison's Sunglasses
Such a lovely voice
Christian jesen
Is this your favorite song?
Tytyw7
i'm only 16 but i'm into records and found this song and fell in love immediately
Sharon S.
Good For you. You have great taste. :)
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1957 {April 11th} "Ninety-Nine Ways" by Tab Hunter peaked at #11* {for 1 week} on Billboard's 'Top 100' chart, thus just missing making the Top 10 chart...
The very same week "Ninety-Nine Ways" was peaking at #11, Tab Hunter's former #1 record, "Young Love", was still on the Top 100 at position #21...
Between 1957 and 1959 Tab Hunter had seven records on the Top 100 chart, one made the Top 10, "Young Love", it peaked at #1 for six weeks on January 31st, 1957...
Tab Hunter, born Arthur Andrew Gelien, passed away at the age of 86 on July 8th, 2918...
May he R.I.P.
* From the 'For What It's Worth' department, the ten records that kept "Ninety-Nine Ways" out of the Top 10 were:
At #1. "All Shook Up" by Elvis Presley
#2. "Little Darlin'" by The Diamonds
#3. "Round and Round" by Perry Como
#4. "Party Doll" by Buddy Knox with the Rhythm Orchids
#5. "Gone" by Ferlin Husky
#6. "Butterfly" by Andy Williams
#7. "I'm Walkin'" by Fats Domino
#8. "Why Baby Why" by Pat Boone
#9. "Butterfly" by Charlie Gracie {the record's B-side was Mr. Gracie's version of "Ninety-Nine Ways"}
#10. "Come Go With Me" by The Dell-Vikings
Christian jesen
Is this your favorite song too
Colin Mennie
Another Interesting tidbit is that Charlie Gracie’s version was the b-side of his number one hit butterfly but Tab released HIS version as an a-side and scored his second top 5 hit in England . So many great songs around in the late 50’s even the b-sides were big hits . ❤
Puget Sound Pete
Great song. RIP, Tab Hunter.