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.
When I Fall in Love
The Lettermen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or I'll never fall in love
In a restless world like this is
Love is ended before it's begun
And too many moonlight kisses
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
When I give my heart it will be completely
And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too
Is when I fall in love with you.
And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too
Is when I fall in love with you.
The Lettermen's song "When I Fall in Love" is a classic love song that speaks to the deep desire for lasting love and the fear of being hurt. The song imparts a message of hope that love can last forever while it draws attention to the fact that love is fragile and can easily end in the face of the trials of the world.
The opening lines of the song suggest that the singer is selective with love and won't enter into it lightly. The promise to never fall in love is made if love does not last forever. This suggests that the singer is afraid of getting heartbroken and would rather avoid love entirely than experience that kind of pain.
The next line of the song says, "In a restless world like this is, love is ended before it's begun." Here, the song speaks to the transience of relationships in modern times. In today's world, people are constantly on the go, and relationships don't seem to last. The singer seems to be speaking from a place of experience, implying that they've seen those around them get hurt and they aren't looking to make that same mistake.
The fourth and fifth lines of the song are a nod to the fact that people can be fickle. Moonlight kisses that seem so sincere can easily lose their power in the light of day. This highlights the idea that people can say and do things in the moment that they don't necessarily mean.
Moving on to the second verse, the singer sings, "When I give my heart, it will be completely or I'll never give my heart." Here, the singer is expressing a lack of trust in people. If they are to give their heart fully, their trust must be completely earned. If they don't feel that they can trust someone completely, they won't give their heart to them.
The final lines of the song are the most hopeful. The singer sings of the moment when they know their love is returned, the moment when they can "feel that you feel that way too." It is at this point that they can "fall in love with you." This reinforces the idea that the singer is selective with their love, and only when they are sure that their feelings are reciprocated will they let themselves fall in love.
Line by Line Meaning
When I fall in love it will be forever
When I finally experience love, it will be a never-ending feeling
Or I'll never fall in love
If I can't find true love, then I won't force myself to fall in love
In a restless world like this is
In a world where people are always on the move, searching for something or someone better
Love is ended before it's begun
Love can end before it even starts, due to uncertainty and lack of commitment
And too many moonlight kisses
And too many romantic moments are forgotten when faced with the harsh reality of daylight
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
Those romantic moments seem to fade away when faced with the harsh reality of everyday life
When I give my heart it will be completely
When I decide to love, I will give my all, without holding anything back
Or I'll never give my heart
If I can't give my all, then I won't pretend to love
And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too
The moment I realize you love me as much as I love you
Is when I fall in love with you.
Is the moment I truly fall in love with you
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: ANTHONY DAVID MCPARTLIN, DECLAN JOSEPH DONNELLY, PETER JEREMY DAVIS, RICHARD FREDERICK STANNARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind