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.
The End Of The World
The Lettermen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why does the sea rush to shore?
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
'Cause you don't love me any more
Why do the birds go on singing?
Why do the stars glow above?
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
I wake up in the morning and I wonder
Why everything's the same as it was
I can't understand, no, I can't understand
How life goes on the way it does
Why does my heart go on beating?
Why do these eyes of mine cry?
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
It ended when you said goodbye
Why does my heart go on beating?
Why do these eyes of mine cry?
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
It ended when you said goodbye
The Lettermen's song "The End of the World" speaks to the feeling of heartbreak and how it can make the world seem like a desolate place. The lyrics question why things like the sun shining or the birds singing continue on when love has been lost. The song reflects the general sentiment of hopelessness and despair that people feel after losing love.
The first verse of the song questions why the world continues on as if nothing has changed when the singer's heart has been shattered due to a love lost. The second verse speaks of the confusion and inability to understand how life goes on despite the pain felt. The chorus repeats the sentiment of the world ending when love was lost, and that the singer's heart continues to beat and cry even though love is no longer there.
Through the questioning of the world going on and not stopping despite the loss of love, The Lettermen's song beautifully captures the longing and yearning for love to return. The lyrics express a sentiment that is all too relatable for anyone who has been through heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Why does the sun go on shining?
Why does the world keep turning when my heart has stopped?
Why does the sea rush to shore?
Why does the world still move forward when everything feels wrong?
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
Doesn't the world realize that my heart is broken and everything has changed?
'Cause you don't love me any more
My heart is shattered because you no longer love me.
Why do the birds go on singing?
Why does the world continue as if nothing has changed when everything has?
Why do the stars glow above?
Why do the stars shine when my world has grown so dark?
It ended when I lost your love
The world as I knew it came to an end when you stopped loving me.
I wake up in the morning and I wonder
Every morning, I wake up and wonder how the world still exists without your love.
Why everything's the same as it was
Why does everything remain the same when everything about my life has changed?
I can't understand, no, I can't understand
I am unable to comprehend how life can move on without you.
Why does my heart go on beating?
Why does my heart keep beating even though it feels so broken?
Why do these eyes of mine cry?
Why do I continue to cry even though I know you're gone?
It ended when you said goodbye
My world fell apart when you said goodbye.
Writer(s): Arthur Kent, Sylvia Dee
Contributed by Kaylee E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.