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.

Up Where We Belong
The Lettermen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Who knows what tomorrow brings
In a world where few hearts survive
All I know is the way I feel
When it's real
I keep it alive

The road is long
There are mountains in the way

But we climb a step every day

[Chorus]
Love lift us up where we belong
Where the eagles cry
On a mountain high
Love lift us up where we belong
Far from the world we know
Up where the clear winds blow

Some hang on to used to be
Live their lives looking behind
When all we have is here and now
All our lives
Out there to find

The road is long
There are mountains in the way
But we climb a step every day

[Chorus]

Time goes by
No time to cry
Life's you and I
Alive, today

[Chorus :x2]

Overall Meaning

The Lettermen's "Up Where We Belong" is a song that speaks about love and the ways in which it can lift us up when we feel down. The lyrics start by acknowledging the uncertain nature of the world, highlighting how few hearts survive in the face of an unknown tomorrow. However, the singer moves on to express how they feel when love is real, and how they keep that feeling alive.

The chorus introduces the idea that love can lift us up to a place where the eagles cry, on a mountain high, and where the wind is clear. The imagery used in this song is significant as it alludes to a place where we feel free, safe, and alive. The singer acknowledges that the road to this place is long and challenging, as there are mountains in the way. Nevertheless, the only thing we can do is climb a step every day.

The second verse of the song speaks to the idea that some people hang on to the past, live their lives looking behind, and never fully embrace the present. But all we have is the here and now, and all of our lives are out there to find. This passage reminds listeners that we should appreciate life every day, live for the present and embrace the love that surrounds us every day. Love can uplift us, and it is in this realization that we find peace and happiness.

Line by Line Meaning

Who knows what tomorrow brings
No one can predict the future

In a world where few hearts survive
Living in a world where love is hard to find

All I know is the way I feel
The singer is confident in their emotions

When it's real
Genuine emotions are powerful

I keep it alive
The singer actively maintains their love

The road is long
The journey of love can be difficult

There are mountains in the way
There are obstacles to overcome

But we climb a step every day
There is progress every day

Love lift us up where we belong
Love is a powerful force

Where the eagles cry
Atop the highest peaks

On a mountain high
High above everything else