All of the original members were Italian Americans from the borough of Queens in New York, United States. Started by first tenor Mike Mincieli, the original group coalesced in 1958 – also including Nick Santo (Santmaria) lead baritone, second tenor Frank Reina, baritone Vinnie Narcardo, and bass John Cassese. Their name was taken from the Lincoln Capri. In 1959, they recorded two songs for Planet Records, "Indian Girl," and "There's a Moon Out Tonight." When the record sold badly, they disbanded and went their separate ways. Frederick Allen, a late night radio disc jockey continued to play their song, piquing the interest of Jerry Greene, an employee of the Times Square Record Store. Greene purchased the master and re-issued the record on Lost Nite Records. WINS 1010's disc jockey Murray the K played the song often, and it sold well. Realizing that their manufacturing and distribution capacity could not meet the demands of a hit record, Greene and Lost Nite sold their interest to Old Town Records, which had the capacity meet the needs of the 1961 number three national hit.
Santo's favorite singer was Clyde McPhatter, along with James Shepherd of Shep and the Limelights. The Capris patterned their sound on African-American vocal groups, rather than fellow Italian-Americans such as Dion DiMucci.
For a time, the Capris toured and performed in major venues all over the United States, but none of their follow up records sold well, and by 1963, members of the original group started to leave the ensemble. Some continued to perform locally as the Capris, but with no national profile.
Nick Santo, who left the group in 1962 and joined the New York City Police Department in 1965, continued to write songs.
In 1982, Santo, Mike Mincieli, and Frank Reina – joined at the time by Tommy Ferrara of The Del-Satins and Tony Danno, recorded "There's a Moon Out Again," an album of 12 songs, including nine compositions by Santo. "The Morse Code of Love," one of Santo's songs, quickly became a requested number on Oldies radio, with many disc jockeys and audience members believing it to be an unreleased song by the original Capris. In 1984, The Manhattan Transfer recorded "The Morse Code of Love" as "Baby Come Back to Me" for their Bop Doo-Wopp album and released it as a single. It reached number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 14 on the Adult Contemporary Chart.
Santo, Mincieli, and Reina, with other singers, continued to perform as the Capris until at least 2002.
Santo died as a result of cancer on December 30, 2010.
A version of the Capris including Frank Reina, is active in 2015.
Mike Mincieli (born Michael Mincieli; their original first tenor) died on March 15, 2015.
Wayne Smith, their most recent lead singer, died on March 12, 2016.
Girl In My Dreams
The Capris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Years full of tears and regret;
I've been alone broken hearted,
Trying so hard to forget:
Girl of my dreams I love you, honest I do,
You are so sweet,
If I could just hold your charms again in my arms,
Since you've been gone dear, life don't seem the same,
Please come back again.
And after all's said and done, there's only one,
Girl of my dreams, it's you.
It's strange how life deals you sorrow,
Sunshine and joy always nigh;
We live and learn for tomorrow,
But sometimes the learning comes high:
Girl of my dreams I love you, honest I do,
You are so sweet,
If I could just hold your charms again in my arms,
Then life would be complete;
Since you've been gone dear, life don't seem the same,
Please come back again.
And after all's said and done, there's only one,
Girl of my dreams, it's you.
Girl of my dreams I love you, honest I do,
You are so sweet,
If I could just hold your charms again in my arms,
Then life would be complete;
Since you've been gone dear, life don't seem the same,
Please come back again.
And after all's said and done, there's only one,
Girl of my dreams, it's you.
The Capris' song "Girl in My Dreams" is a soulful ode to lost love and the longing to have that love renewed. The lyrics are deeply emotive, expressing the singer's despair at having lost the girl of his dreams and his yearning to be reunited with her. The song's opening lines set the tone for the rest of the ballad, with the singer lamenting the years that have passed since he and his love parted ways, and the heartache that has followed in their wake. The lyrics speak to the universal experience of heartbreak, with their poignant depiction of a man who is struggling to come to terms with his loss.
Throughout the song, the singer begs his former love to return to him, telling her that life hasn't been the same since she left. He speaks of her as the girl of his dreams, and confesses that he loves her, despite the sorrow that their separation has caused him. The song's repeated refrain, "Girl of my dreams, it's you", reinforces the singer's fixation on his lost love, and the impossibility of finding anyone else who could take her place.
Overall, "Girl in My Dreams" is a hauntingly beautiful song that captures the pain of lost love with remarkable emotional depth. Its simple yet elegant melody, coupled with the evocative lyrics, makes the song a timeless classic that continues to resonate with listeners today.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear, it seems years since we parted,
It feels like an eternity since we last saw each other.
Years full of tears and regret;
The time that has passed since we last met has been filled with sadness and remorse.
I've been alone broken hearted,
Since we parted, I have been alone and my heart has been shattered.
Trying so hard to forget:
I have been doing everything possible to erase the memories of us from my mind.
Girl of my dreams I love you, honest I do,
I truly love you, the girl of my dreams.
You are so sweet,
You are kind and gentle, with a lovely personality.
If I could just hold your charms again in my arms,
If I could only embrace your wonderful qualities once again.
Then life would be complete;
My life would be fulfilled, and I would be content.
Since you've been gone dear, life don't seem the same,
My life has been different and unfulfilling without you here.
Please come back again.
I am begging you to return to my life.
And after all's said and done, there's only one,
Despite everything that has happened, there is only one person for me.
Girl of my dreams, it's you.
That person is you, the girl of my dreams.
It's strange how life deals you sorrow,
Life can be unpredictable and sometimes brings sadness and pain.
Sunshine and joy always nigh;
But there is also happiness and delight constantly around us.
We live and learn for tomorrow,
We strive to learn from our experiences and grow for the future.
But sometimes the learning comes high:
Sometimes the lessons life teaches us are costly and difficult to bear.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SUNNY CLAPP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@johnthrussell1377
Great song by a great group
@missbritt288
the capris lead has such a distinct style , his inflections are always exaggerated and fun to listen to ... great vocalist - true artist
@DooWopFanatic
OMG M1, you have Capris songs, too! You rock! There's a Moon Out Tonight is one of my all time favorites. Nick is phenomenal.
@ronmossman8136
Fabulous and wonderful !!
@milagroszervos2275
Beautiful song. Love it.
@bluenote824jones7
Great lead singer
@GregoryOrme
Thank you for uploading this one. Sounds great!
@Brisadelsur21
So lovely!
@ringo244
Great song never heard it before
@iris.fuentescastellano9145
Lovely song