The Lettermen are an American pop music vocal group. The Lettermen's tradem… Read Full Bio ↴The Lettermen are an American pop music vocal group. The Lettermen's trademark is close-harmony pop songs with light arrangements. They were popular mainly with adult audiences during the 1960s.

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 party
The Lettermen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The party's over, it's time to call it a day
They've burst your pretty balloon
And taken the moon away
It's time to wind up the masquerade
Just make your mind up
The piper must be paid

The party's over, the candles flicker and dim

You danced and dreamed through the night
It seemed to be right just being with him
Now you must wake up, all dreams must end
Take off your makeup, the party's over
It's all over, my friend

The party's over, it's time to call it a day
They've burst your pretty balloon
And taken the moon away
Now you must wake up, all dreams must end
Take off your makeup, the party's over
It's all over, my friend

It's all over, my friend

Overall Meaning

The Lettermen’s song “The Party” is a melancholic tune about the end of a party, and the realization that it’s time to leave, and face reality. The lyrics describe how the “pretty balloon” that represents the excitement of the party has been burst, and the moon (symbolizing the romantic illusions of the night) has been taken away. It’s time to “wind up the masquerade” and pay the piper, meaning that it’s time to end the fun and face the consequences of one’s actions. The candles flicker and dim, signaling that the night is coming to an end, and the dream of being with someone is over. The song ends with the phrase “It’s all over, my friend” which can be interpreted as a way to say goodbye to the person they were with, the night itself, or to the entire phase of their lives that the party represented.

The song was released in 1963 by The Lettermen, an American vocal trio, and became one of their biggest hits. It was written by Jule Styne, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green, who were well-known musical composers in the 1950s and 60s. Interestingly, the song was originally written for the Broadway musical “Bells Are Ringing” in 1956, but it was later recorded by numerous artists, including Nat King Cole, Judy Holliday, and Shirley Bassey.

Line by Line Meaning

The party's over, it's time to call it a day
The festivities have come to a close, it's time to bring it to an end.

They've burst your pretty balloon and taken the moon away
Your hopes and dreams have been shattered and happiness seems lost.

It's time to wind up the masquerade
It's time to stop pretending and be honest about the reality of the situation.

Just make your mind up, the piper must be paid
Make a decision because there are consequences to every action.

The candles flicker and dim, you danced and dreamed through the night
The light fades and the dancing and dreaming of the night is coming to an end.

It seemed to be right just being with him
It felt like the right thing to do, being with someone special.

Now you must wake up, all dreams must end
It's time to face reality, and come out of the dream-like state.

Take off your makeup, the party's over
Wipe away the pretense and facades, because the fun is over.

It's all over, my friend
Accept the truth, as it's all done and over with now.

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ADOLPH GREEN, BETTY COMDEN, JULE STYNE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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