ANDY WILLIAMS - A SUMMER PLACE

A SUMMER PLACE

ANDY WILLIAMS

SONGWRITER: MAX STEINER

COUNTRY: U.S.A.

ALBUM: MOON RIVER AND OTHER GREAT MOVIE THEMES

LABEL: COLUMBIA RECORDS

GENRE: EASY LISTENING

YEAR: 1962

"Theme from A Summer Place" is a song with lyrics by Mack Discant and music by Max Steiner, written for the 1959 film A Summer Place, which starred Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue. It was recorded for the film as an instrumental by Hugo Winterhalter. Originally known as the "Molly and Johnny Theme", the piece is not the main title theme of the film, but a secondary love theme for the characters played by Dee and Donahue.

Following its initial film appearance, the theme has been recorded by many artists in both instrumental and vocal versions, and has also appeared in a number of subsequent films and television programs. The best-known cover version of the theme is an instrumental version by Percy Faith and his orchestra that was a Number One hit for nine weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1960.

Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold-certified and 3 platinum-certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a television variety show, from 1962 to 1971, and numerous TV specials. The Andy Williams Show won three Emmy awards. The Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri, is named after the song for which he is best known—Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini's "Moon River". He sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including more than 10 million certified units in the United States.

Williams was active in the music industry for 74 years until his death in 2012.

Building on his experience with Allen and some short-term variety shows in the 1950s, he became the star of his own weekly television variety show in the fall of 1962. Though canceled after 1963 due to low ratings, the show was then sponsored to make 12 weekly specials in the 1963–1964 season. This series, The Andy Williams Show, won three Emmy Awards for outstanding variety program. Among his series regulars were the Osmond Brothers. He gave up the variety show in 1971 while it was still popular, continuing with three specials per year. His Christmas specials, which appeared regularly until 1974 and intermittently from 1982 into the 1990s, were among the most popular of the genre. Williams recorded eight Christmas albums over the years and was known as "Mr. Christmas", due to his perennial Christmas specials and the success of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year".

Williams hosted the most Grammy telecasts—seven consecutive shows—from the 13th Annual Grammy Awards in 1971 through to the 19th Awards in 1977. He returned to television with a syndicated half-hour series in 1976–77.

In the early 1970s, when the Nixon Administration attempted to deport John Lennon, Williams was an outspoken defender of the former Beatle's right to stay in the United States.

Williams is included in the montage of caricatures on the cover of Ringo Starr's 1973 album, Ringo.

Williams performed during the halftime show of Super Bowl VII in January 1973, held at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

There's a summer place

Where it may rain or storm

Yet I'm safe and warm

For within that summer place

Your arms reach out to me

And my heart is free from all care

For it knows

There are no gloomy skies

When seen through the eyes

Of those who are blessed with love

And the sweet secret of

A summer place

Is that it's anywhere

When two people share

All their hopes

All their dreams

All their love

There's a summer place

Where it may rain or storm

Yet I'm safe and warm

In your arms, in your arms

In your arms, in your arms.