In the Arms of Love (album)

Last updated
In the Arms of Love
Williams-Arms-2.jpg
Studio album by
Andy Williams
ReleasedDecember 19, 1966 [1]
Recorded1966
Genre
Length31:13
Label Columbia
Producer Robert Mersey [3]
Andy Williams chronology
The Shadow of Your Smile
(1966)		In the Arms of Love
(1966)		 Born Free
(1967)

In the Arms of Love is the nineteenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released on December 19, 1966, by Columbia Records [1] and was the last of twelve consecutive Williams studio LPs produced by Robert Mersey. [3]

Contents

The album made its first appearance on Billboard magazine's Top LP's chart in the issue dated January 21, 1967, and remained on the album chart for 22 weeks, peaking at number 21. [4] it also debuted on the Cashbox albums chart in the issue dated January 7, 1967, and remained on the chart for 21 weeks, peaking at number 15 [5]

The title song from the album was released as a single in July 1966, one month before the release of the film What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? , the soundtrack of which is performed by the song's composer, Henry Mancini, and includes instrumental and vocal versions of the song. [6] The film opened on August 31, 1966, and Williams' version of "In the Arms of Love" first appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 in the issue of the magazine dated August 27, eventually reaching number 49 over the course of eight weeks. [7] The song performed even better on the Easy Listening chart after debuting in the issue dated July 30 and spending two weeks at number one during a 17-week stay. [8] It began its chart run in the UK shortly thereafter, on September 24, and stayed around for seven weeks, peaking at number 33. [9]

The album was released on compact disc as one of two albums on one CD by Collectables Records on January 16, 2001, along with Williams's 1963 Columbia album, Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests . [10] It was also released as one of two albums on one CD by Sony Music Distribution on May 14, 2001, paired this time with Williams's 1967 Columbia album, Born Free . [11] In the Arms of Love was included in a box set entitled Classic Album Collection, Vol. 1, which contains 17 of his studio albums and three compilations and was released on June 26, 2001. [12]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
New Record Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]

Writing for AllMusic, critic William Ruhlmann theorized as to the why this album ended the string of "six consecutive Gold-selling Top Ten albums (not counting reissues and compilations" or Christmas LPs) that Williams was enjoying upon its release, offering that it "may just be a question of marketing. The album, with its austere black cover, was released late in the holiday season after Williams's summer single 'In the Arms of Love,' belatedly topped the Easy Listening chart in October. The song was written by Henry Mancini, who had meant dollar signs for Williams with such previous movie themes as 'Moon River,' 'Days of Wine and Roses,' and 'Dear Heart.' But this hit, which only made it halfway up the pop charts, came from an unsuccessful film, What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?, and mid-December was no time to start selling a new, non-seasonal release." As to the quality of the album itself, he wrote, "Much of it is even calmer than usual for him, and the focus on foreign material makes you wish he'd just gone ahead and recorded a samba album or one made up entirely of international songs, since those tunes mix oddly with the choices from the Great American Songbook and recent film themes. Williams had indicated his interest in overseas material on his last album, The Shadow of Your Smile, but this one went even further, though without the quality of songs to sustain the direction." [2]

Billboard described the album as "one of [Williams] best albums." [15]

Cashbox gave a positive review, saying the album "devoted exlusively [sic] to love ballads" [16]

Variety noted that He does exceptionally well on "The Very Thought of You" and "All Through The Night" [17]

New Record Mirror described the album as "a very gentle album" [14]

Track listing

Side one

  1. "The Very Thought of You" (Ray Noble) – 2:42
  2. "If I Love Again" (Jack Murray, Ben Oakland) – 2:33
  3. "Theme from The Sand Pebbles (And We Were Lovers)" from The Sand Pebbles (Leslie Bricusse, Jerry Goldsmith) – 2:50
  4. "Remember" (Irving Berlin) – 2:48
  5. "Here's That Rainy Day" from Carnival in Flanders (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 2:43
  6. "In the Arms of Love" from What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston, Henry Mancini) – 2:56

Side two

  1. "The Face I Love" (Ray Gilbert, Carlos Pingarilho, Marcos Valle, Paulo Sérgio Valle) – 2:03
  2. "Sand and Sea" (Gilbert Bécaud, Mack David, Mike Vidalin) – 2:48
  3. "So Nice (Summer Samba) " (Norman Gimbel, Marcos Valle, Paulo Sérgio Valle) – 2:37
  4. "Pretty Butterfly" (Mario Albanese, Loryn Deane, Ciro Pereira, Sunny Skylar) – 2:16
  5. "A Man and a Woman" from A Man and a Woman (Pierre Barouh, Jerry Keller, Francis Lai) – 2:50
  6. "All Through the Night" from Anything Goes (Cole Porter) – 2:09

Song information

Three different versions of "Remember" charted between May 1925 and February 1926: Jean Goldkette & His Orchestra featuring Seymour Simons on vocal reached number six, [18] an instrumental recording by Isham Jones & His Orchestra spent a week at number one, [19] and Cliff Edwards got as high as number 10. [20] Ray Noble & His Orchestra spent five weeks at number one in 1934 with their recording of "The Very Thought of You" with Al Bowlly on vocal. [21] That same year Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra went to number 16 with "If I Love Again" and number eight doing "All Through the Night" with Bob Lawrence on vocal. [22] "Here's That Rainy Day" was first heard in the Broadway musical Carnival in Flanders in 1953, [23] and that same year The Mills Brothers reached number 21 with "Pretty Butterfly". [24]

Organist Walter Wanderley had the most successful recording of "So Nice (Summer Samba)", peaking at number three Easy Listening [25] and number 26 pop [26] after debuting in August 1966. Later that year the title song from A Man and a Woman by Tamiko Jones and Herbie Mann made it to number nine Easy Listening [27] and number 88 on the Hot 100, [28] and Frank Sinatra recorded "Sand and Sea" for his album That's Life . [29] Another recording that practically coincides with the one on this album comes from Tony Martin, who reached number 22 Easy Listening with the "Theme from The Sand Pebbles (And We Were Lovers)" after it debuted in February 1967. [30]

Personnel

From the liner notes for the original album: [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Lonely Street</i> (Andy Williams album) 1959 studio album by Andy Williams

Lonely Street is the fifth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in late 1959 through Cadence Records. This, his fifth LP of new material for the label, is described by William Ruhlmann on AllMusic.com as "an album full of songs of lost love and loneliness that found Williams using more of the Mel Tormé-like foggy lower register of his voice." The liner notes on the back of the album jacket read, "The selections in Lonely Street, Andy confides, are those for which he feels a special affection. Every vocalist has a few personal favorites... and it is quite clear to the listener that this collection presents songs which Andy Williams believes, feels -- and loves."

<i>Andy Williams Greatest Hits</i> 1970 compilation album by Andy Williams

Andy Williams' Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released in early 1970 by Columbia Records. It was not, however, as its title might suggest, strictly a hit singles compilation, although some of his biggest songs since joining Columbia were included. A couple of selections were never released as singles by Williams, and his signature song, "Moon River", was released in the 7-inch single format but only for jukeboxes. His six Cadence singles that made the Top 10 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 are passed over for the inclusion of his number 11 hit from that label, "The Hawaiian Wedding Song", and 17 of his Columbia recordings that made the Hot 100 up until 1970 are left out here in favor of "Charade", which spent its one week on the chart at number 100.

<i>Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes</i> 1962 studio album by Andy Williams

Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes is the ninth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams. It was released on March 26, 1962, by Columbia Records and covered film songs that were mostly from the previous decade.

<i>Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests</i> 1963 studio album by Andy Williams

Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests is the eleventh studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in April 1963 by Columbia Records following his first season as host of his variety series, The Andy Williams Show. The LP has a studio recording of the closing theme from the show, "May Each Day", and continues the format of his previous Columbia releases by including songs from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

<i>The Academy Award-Winning "Call Me Irresponsible" and Other Hit Songs from the Movies</i> 1964 studio album by Andy Williams

The Academy Award-Winning "Call Me Irresponsible" and Other Hit Songs from the Movies is the fourteenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in the spring of 1964 by Columbia Records. Williams had already had great success with his albums named after Henry Mancini's Oscar winners from 1961 and 1962, "Moon River" and "Days of Wine and Roses", and was asked to sing Mancini and Johnny Mercer's title song collaboration from the 1963 film Charade at the Academy Awards on April 13, 1964, after it was nominated for Best Original Song, but the winner that year was the other song that Williams performed at the ceremony, "Call Me Irresponsible".

<i>The Great Songs from "My Fair Lady" and Other Broadway Hits</i> 1964 studio album by Andy Williams

The Great Songs from "My Fair Lady" and Other Broadway Hits is the fifteenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in September 1964 by Columbia Records, one month before the premiere of the film version of My Fair Lady starring Audrey Hepburn.

<i>Andy Williams Dear Heart</i> 1965 studio album by Andy Williams

Andy Williams' Dear Heart is the sixteenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in the spring of 1965 by Columbia Records and was the last of his Columbia releases that remained exclusively within the realm of traditional pop. After covering two Beatles hits on his next non-holiday studio album, The Shadow of Your Smile, he would try out samba music on In the Arms of Love, aim for a much younger crowd with "Music to Watch Girls By" on Born Free, and focus more on contemporary material on subsequent albums.

<i>Born Free</i> (Andy Williams album) 1967 studio album by Andy Williams

Born Free is the twentieth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released on April 10, 1967, by Columbia Records and includes half a dozen songs associated with movies or musicals. Two of these tracks, however, originated in the scores of the films indicated on the album jacket but had lyrics added later: the melody for "Strangers in the Night" was written for A Man Could Get Killed, and "Somewhere My Love" began as "Lara's Theme" from Doctor Zhivago.

<i>Love, Andy</i> 1967 studio album by Andy Williams

Love, Andy is the twenty-first studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released on October 16, 1967, by Columbia Records to coincide with the NBC special of the same name, which aired on November 6. The LP had a mix of covers of old and recent hits that included two songs from the 1940s that also had chart success in 1966 via Chris Montez: "The More I See You" and "There Will Never Be Another You".

<i>Love Story</i> (Andy Williams studio album) 1971 studio album by Andy Williams

Love Story is the twenty-seventh studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released on February 3, 1971, by Columbia Records. This was another in his series of cover albums, but the title track, subtitled "Where Do I Begin", was the one song included that he originated.

<i>Love Theme from "The Godfather"</i> (album) 1972 studio album by Andy Williams

Love Theme from "The Godfather" is the twenty-ninth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released on March 21, 1972, by Columbia Records. The two new songs on what was otherwise another LP of covers of hits by other artists were the title track and "Music from Across the Way", which came from the songwriters behind his recent hits "Happy Heart" and "(Where Do I Begin) Love Story".

<i>Solitaire</i> (Andy Williams album) 1973 studio album by Andy Williams

Solitaire is the thirty-first studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in the fall of 1973 by Columbia Records and was an attempt to move away from his formulaic series of recent releases that relied heavily on songs that other artists had made popular.

<i>You Lay So Easy on My Mind</i> 1974 studio album by Andy Williams

You Lay So Easy on My Mind is the thirty-fourth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in November 1974 by Columbia Records. The idea for this LP was mentioned in an interview with Williams in the November 3, 1973, issue of Billboard magazine that emphasized his desire to move away from recording albums of Easy Listening covers of hits by other artists, noting that he was "planning an album to be cut in Nashville with Columbia's high-flying country-pop producer, Billy Sherrill." The article coincided with the release of his first attempt to shift directions, Solitaire, which performed poorly. A return to the Easy Listening hits formula, The Way We Were, followed in the spring of 1974 but failed to even chart, so this next attempt to eschew soft rock songs leaned heavily on Country hits.

<i>Lets Love While We Can</i> 1980 studio album by Andy Williams

Let's Love While We Can is the thirty-seventh studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in the U.K. in 1980 by CBS Records. For this project Williams eschews covering well-known pop hits and standards and relies mostly on original or lesser-known country songs.

<i>Two Time Winners</i> 1959 studio album by Andy Williams

Two Time Winners is the third studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in the spring of 1959 by Cadence Records. This, his third LP for the label, is composed of songs that had been successful on two previous occasions or in two different ways.

<i>To You Sweetheart, Aloha</i> 1959 studio album by Andy Williams

To You Sweetheart, Aloha is the fourth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released late in the summer of 1959 by Cadence Records. This, his fourth LP for the label, has a Hawaiian theme that coincides with the admission of the 50th of the United States.

<i>Andy Williams Best</i> 1961 compilation album by Andy Williams

Andy Williams' Best is a compilation album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released late in 1961 by Cadence Records. This second album to compile the singer's material features 10 songs that made the Billboard Hot 100 along with two of their corresponding B-sides.

<i>Million Seller Songs</i> 1962 compilation album by Andy Williams

Million Seller Songs is a compilation album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released in the fall of 1962 by Cadence Records. This third album to compile the singer's material features some of the most successful songs Williams had recorded to date.

<i>Andy Williams Greatest Hits Vol. 2</i> (American album) 1973 compilation album by Andy Williams

Andy Williams' Greatest Hits Vol. 2 is a compilation album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released in June 1973 by Columbia Records. This collection follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, Andy Williams' Greatest Hits, in that it is not limited to his biggest and most recent hit singles, although his final two US Top 40 entries were included. It also has an album track not released as a single, a couple of hits from his time with Cadence Records, two other singles that could have been included on the first volume, and two Easy Listening chart entries that never made the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>16 Most Requested Songs: Encore!</i> 1995 compilation album by Andy Williams

16 Most Requested Songs: Encore! is a compilation album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released by Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings on May 16, 1995.

References

  1. 1 2 (2009) Moon River: The Very Best of Andy Williams by Andy Williams [CD booklet]. New York: Sony Music Entertainment 88697 59112 2
  2. 1 2 3 "In the Arms of Love". AllMusic . Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 (1966) In the Arms of Love by Andy Williams [album jacket]. New York: Columbia Records CS 9333.
  4. ↑ Whitburn 2010 , p. 844.
  5. ↑ Hoffmann, Frank W (1988). The Cash box album charts, 1955-1974. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. p. 406. ISBN   0-8108-2005-6.
  6. ↑ "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? [Original Soundtrack]". allmusic.com. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  7. ↑ Whitburn 1999 , p. 702.
  8. ↑ Whitburn 1993 , p. 256.
  9. ↑ "Andy Williams". Official Charts. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  10. ↑ "Days of Wine and Roses/In the Arms of Love". allmusic.com. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  11. ↑ "In the Arms of Love/Born Free". allmusic.com. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  12. ↑ "Classic Album Collection, Vol. 1 - Andy Williams". allmusic.com. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
  13. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1498. ISBN   9781846098567 . Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  14. 1 2 Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (February 25, 1967). "new albums reviewed by Norman Joplin and Peter Jones new albums reviewed by Norman Joplin, NEW U.S. SOUNDS INCLUDE, Soul (Joe Tex & Aretha), Cool (Andy Williams), Beat (Shangri-Las, Love), Jazz (Mose Allison)" (PDF). New Record Mirror . No. 311. p. 8. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  15. ↑ "Billboard Spotlight Pick: In The Arms of Love" (PDF). Billboard . January 14, 1967. p. 72.
  16. ↑ "Cashbox Pop Picks Album Reviews: In The Arms of Love". Cash Box . Vol. 28, no. 24. January 14, 1967. p. 34.
  17. ↑ "Variety Record Reviews: The Monkees, Andy Williams, Petula Clark, The Controversy, Youngbloods, Love Top New LPs". Variety . Vol. 245, no. 9. November 8, 1967. p. 56.
  18. ↑ Whitburn 1986 , p. 176.
  19. ↑ Whitburn 1986 , p. 240.
  20. ↑ Whitburn 1986 , p. 145.
  21. ↑ Whitburn 1986 , p. 337.
  22. ↑ Whitburn 1986 , p. 453.
  23. ↑ "Production Songs". ibdb.com. The Broadway League. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  24. ↑ Whitburn 1986 , p. 316.
  25. ↑ Whitburn 1993 , p. 250.
  26. ↑ Whitburn 1999 , p. 688.
  27. ↑ Whitburn 1993 , p. 125.
  28. ↑ Whitburn 1999 , p. 338.
  29. ↑ "That's Life". allmusic.com. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  30. ↑ Whitburn 1993 , p. 152.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.