The group was formed in late 1950s by Mike Barnett, Dick Stewart and Tony Butala. They auditioned for Jackie Barnett, chief comedy writer for the Jimmy Durante TV show. They landed the part to impersonate The Rhythm Boys, the vocal group that traveled with Paul Whiteman and his orchestra in the late 1920s, and gave Bing Crosby his initial fame. The "Newcomers of 1928" review opened on 28 February 1958 at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas, Nevada. This review also starred Paul Whiteman, Buster Keaton, Rudy Vallée, Harry Richmond and Fifi D'Orsay. They played to sell-out audiences and were held over for many weeks. This review also played a six week review at the Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, with Butala being the only consistent Letterman. Barnett and Russell were replaced by Gary Clarke and Jerry Paul. When the review ended, Butala landed a job as singer/bass player in a lounge group, "Bill Norvas and the Upstarts", with Gary Clarke. After a few months, Clarke left the group and was replaced by Jim Pike. Pike and Butala decided to leave the Upstarts and resume the Lettermen although they had not yet decided to use the Lettermen name. Pike envisioned a group where each member was an excellent soloist as well as a competent group singer. Pike recommended the third Letterman should be Bob Engemann, a singer that Pike had met when he attended Brigham Young University a few years earlier. Both had come to Los Angeles, California, and sang together in different combinations until Engemann had go into the National Guard for 6 months. At that point, Pike joined Bill Norvis and met Butala. This combination first recorded in late 1959.
They secured a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records through Bob Engemann's older brother, Karl Engemann, who was a record producer there, and for whom Pike had released a record earlier called "Lucy D", which was not successful. Pike, Butala and Engemann as "The Lettermen" released two singles in 1960. The A-sides were "Two Hearts" and "There Hearts Were Full Of Spring". They were not successful. Karl Engemann moved on to Capitol Records as President of A&R. He got them out of their contract at Warner Bros., and made an appointment with Nick Venet, a producer at Capitol and they were signed.
There was another "Lettermen" group in the late 1950s and early 1960s that recorded for Liberty Records, (which was a major label at the time). They were an R&B group with five members, and their single was called "Hey Big Brain". But the "Lettermen" of Pike, Engemann and Butala had the first hit record, so they were entitled to exclusively use the "Lettermen" name. There was also a group in the mid 1950s called The Lettermen Trio, but had no record success.
The Lettermen were unknown until they signed with Capitol Records in 1961. Their first single for Capitol, "The Way You Look Tonight," succeeded on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, and their next, "When I Fall in Love," reached the Top 10 in late 1962. They had several other Top 10 hits, such as the 1965's, "Theme From A Summer Place". In late 1967 Bob Engemann resigned, and was replaced by Jim Pike's younger brother, Gary Pike. The hits continued with the 1968 medley "Goin' Out of My Head"/"Can't Take My Eyes Off You", and in 1968 with "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", plus 1969's "Hurt So Bad", which reached number 12. The last successful single was in 1972, "Love" a solo by Pike.
The Lettermen have had 32 consecutive Billboard Magazine chart albums, 11 gold records, five Grammy nominations, an Andy Award, and a Cleo Award. In 1976, Jim Pike left the group and sold the Lettermen name to Butala.
In 1981 Gary Pike left the Lettermen, and today Jim and Gary Pike, along with Ric de Azevedo, sing The Lettermen hits, billed as Reunion.
In 1961, The Lettermen started performing live concerts doing over 100 shows a year, an unbroken string that continues to the present now amounting to 46 years.
Over the decades, the group has had various line-ups, replacing members who left for various reasons with new people to maintain a trio. Tony Butala, who (as of 2007) is still a member, has stated that the group ethos is that of three strong soloists that harmonize, and that the group encourages individual singing and songwriting.
They pride themselves in welcoming audience member photographs during the show, unlike many recording acts.
Lover
The Lettermen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A dream lover will come my way
A girl to hold in my arms
And know the magic of her charms
'Cause I want
A girl
To call
My own
So I don't have to dream alone
Dream lover, where are you
With a love, oh, so true
And the hand that I can hold
To feel you near as I grow old
'Cause I want
A girl
To call
My own
I want a dream lover
So I don't have to dream alone
Someday, I don't know how
I hope she'll hear my plea
Some way, I don't know how
She'll bring her love to me
Dream lover, until then
I'll go to sleep and dream again
That's the only thing to do
Till all my lover's dreams come true
'Cause I want
A girl
To call
My own
I want a dream lover
So I don't have to dream alone
Dream lover, until then
I'll go to sleep and dream again
That's the only thing to do
Till all my lover's dreams come true
'Cause I want
A girl
To call
My own
I want a dream lover
So I don't have to dream alone
Please don't make me dream alone
I beg you don't make me dream alone
No, I don't wanna dream
The Lettermen's song "Lover" is a classic love ballad about a man who longs for a dream girl to love and hold. The lyrics express his hope that a dream lover will come his way so that he doesn't have to spend his nights alone. The song presents a vision of a perfect love that is fulfilling, magical, and everlasting. The singer suggests that his dream girl should be someone he can hold in his arms, feel her nearness as he grows old, and have a hand he can hold.
The song also conveys the singer's desire to find a girl to call his own. He longs for a consistent love that is with him through thick and thin. The lyrics are sentimental and convey the hope and anticipation that come along with love. The song suggests that even though the singer doesn't know how he will find his dream girl, he will continue to hope and dream until she comes to him.
Overall, "Lover" by The Lettermen is a classic love ballad that speaks to the timeless desire for a fulfilling and everlasting love. It conveys the sentimentality and hopefulness that are so often associated with love.
Line by Line Meaning
Every night I hope and pray
Each night, I have a wish and a prayer
A dream lover will come my way
That a lover will come to me in my dreams
A girl to hold in my arms
Someone to embrace
And know the magic of her charms
To experience the enchantment of her personality
'Cause I want
Because I desire
A girl
A female partner
To call
To claim or have as my own
My own
As my personal possession
I want a dream lover
I desire a lover from my dream
So I don't have to dream alone
So that I won't be alone in my dreams
Dream lover, where are you
My dream lover, where are you
With a love, oh, so true
Who genuinely loves me
And the hand that I can hold
And to whom I could hold hands
To feel you near as I grow old
To be with you until we're old
Someday, I don't know how
One day, I don't know how
I hope she'll hear my plea
May she hear me asking for her
Some way, I don't know how
In some way, I don't know how
She'll bring her love to me
She'll give me her love
Dream lover, until then
My dream lover, until that time
I'll go to sleep and dream again
I'll sleep and dream once more
That's the only thing to do
It's the only thing I could do
Till all my lover's dreams come true
Until all the things I hope for in my love life come true
'Cause I want
Because I desire
A girl
A female partner
To call
To claim or have as my own
My own
As my personal possession
I want a dream lover
I desire a partner I met in my dream
So I don't have to dream alone
So that I won't be alone in my dreams
Please don't make me dream alone
I beg you not to let me keep dreaming alone
I beg you don't make me dream alone
I plead that you not let me dream alone
No, I don't wanna dream
I really don't want to dream
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bobby Darin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
derekec
I'd heard this version when I was about 12-13 and so was just a vague dreamy sound in my head. Back when the music was still mostly a soundtrack to my life I'd always thought it was John and so attributed the "Ah ah" fills to him. Always loved it..and the song of course.
KittYbooBoo64
Beautiful ❤ gave me goosebumps
Edson Gyaraki
Linda música...só mesmo o "John Lennon" para compor algo
tão "profundo"...
Tommy L. Day and the Runaways
This song was written by John Lennon in 1970 and released on the Plastic Ono Band’s first album of the same year. The Lettermen’s cover was released very soon afterwards.
Paul Rooks
Did a decent job on this song. Props.
ataricio
One of the very rare cases where a cover version is better than the original...
Johnnralph
Rip : Jim Pike (1937 - 9 June 2019). A cover of John Lennons song, he sang lead & this was thier last hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 at No 41 in 1971
Fred Pickett
Good Good song from a good good group/ Good harmony.
심재만-천지한약방 대표
추억을 더듬게 하네요 감사합니다.
degarmome
This was the A side when released and was a hit here in the US and a bigger hit in Japan...