''Johnny'' is an

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on July 15, 1963, by Columbia Records and later described on

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

as "a nice blend of standards, show tunes and then-new compositions." The LP debuted on '' Billboard'' magazine's album chart in the issue dated August 24, 1963, and remained there for 27 weeks, during which time it got as high as number 20. One song from the album, "No Man Can Stand Alone", had been released on May 7 of that year as the B-side of "Every Step of the Way". This album was "remixed and mastered from the original session tapes in 20-bit Super Bit Mapping" for its first release on compact disc on May 7, 1996.

Reception

Cub Koda of

described this Mathis outing as "one of his best… with Costa's arrangements fitting like a glove around Mathis's pipes." He also mentions some standout performances. "Everything on here works just fine, but pay special attention to ' The Most Beautiful Girl in the World', 'I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me', Cole Porter's ' I Love You', and Duke Ellington's 'Jump for Joy'." The reviewer concludes, "No big hits on here, maybe, but a more solid track-by-track Johnny Mathis album you'd be hard pressed to find." Upon its release, the review in ''Billboard'' was more focused upon his switch from Columbia to

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...

. "Mathis has departed the label, but his memory (in terms of sales and dollars and cents) is likely to linger on with this latest grouping, done up to

Don Costa Dominick P. "Don" Costa (June 10, 1925 – January 19, 1983) was an American conductor and record producer. He discovered singer Paul Anka and worked on several hit albums by Frank Sinatra, including ''Sinatra and Strings'' and '' My Way''. ...

's slick arrangements."

Track listing

Side one

#"Easy Does It" (Kenny Jacobson, Rhoda Roberts) – 2:08 #" The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" from ''

Jumbo Jumbo (about December 25, 1860 – September 15, 1885), also known as Jumbo the Elephant and Jumbo the Circus Elephant, was a 19th-century male African bush elephant born in Sudan. Jumbo was exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, and t ...

'' ( Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 3:45 #"Miracles" (

Bart Howard Bart Howard (born Howard Joseph Gustafson, June 1, 1915 – February 21, 2004) was an American composer and songwriter, most notably of the jazz standard " Fly Me to the Moon", which has been performed by Kaye Ballard, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, ...

) – 2:51 #" (Ah, the Apple Trees) When the World Was Young" (M. Phillippe-Gérard, Johnny Mercer) – 3:47 #"Never Never Land" from ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

'' (

Betty Comden Betty Comden (May 3, 1917 - November 23, 2006) was an American lyricist, playwright, and screenwriter who contributed to numerous Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century. Her writing partnership with Adolph Green spanned ...

Adolph Green Adolph Green (December 2, 1914 – October 23, 2002) was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved film musicals, particularly as part of Ar ...

, Jule Styne) – 4:01 #"

Poor Butterfly "Poor Butterfly" is a popular song. It was inspired by Giacomo Puccini's opera '' Madame Butterfly'' and contains a brief musical quote from the Act two duet ''Tutti i fior'' in the verse. The music was written by Raymond Hubbell, the lyrics ...

" from the musical ''The Big Show'' (

John Golden John Lionel Golden (June 27, 1874 – June 17, 1955) was an American actor, songwriter, author, and theatrical producer. As a songwriter, he is best-known as lyricist for " Poor Butterfly" (1916). He produced many Broadway shows and four films. ...

Raymond Hubbell John Raymond Hubbell (June 1, 1879 – December 13, 1954) was an American writer, composer and lyricist. He is best known for the popular song, " Poor Butterfly". Life and career Hubbell was born in Urbana, Ohio. He attended schools in Urba ...

) – 4:15

Side two

#"Jump for Joy" ( Duke Ellington, Sid Kuller, Paul Francis Webster) – 2:15 #"Joey, Joey, Joey" from ''

The Most Happy Fella ''The Most Happy Fella'' is a 1956 musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Frank Loesser. The story, about a romance between an older man and younger woman, is based on the 1924 play '' They Knew What They Wanted'' by Sidney Howard. The show i ...

'' (

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...

) – 3:56 #"

I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me" is a 1926 popular song composed by Jimmy McHugh, with lyrics by Clarence Gaskill. More than 20 recordings were made of "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me" in the 16 years following its publica ...

" (

Clarence Gaskill Clarence Gaskill (February 2, 1892 – April 29, 1948) was an American composer and lyricist active during the 1920s to early 1930s. His most well-known songs include, ''Doo-Wacka-Doo'' (1921). '' I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me'' (192 ...

Jimmy McHugh James Francis McHugh (July 10, 1894 – May 23, 1969) was an American composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he is credited with over 500 songs. His songs were recorded by many artists, including Chet Baker, Ju ...

) – 3:00 #" I Love You" from ''

Mexican Hayride ''Mexican Hayride'' is a 1948 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. The film is based on Cole Porter's Broadway musical '' Mexican Hayride'' starring Bobby Clark. No songs from the stage musical were used in the film. Plot Joe ...

'' ( Cole Porter) – 3:27 #"Weaver of Dreams" ( Jack Elliott,

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...

) – 3:13 #"No Man Can Stand Alone" ( Jack Segal,

Paul Vance Joseph Paul Florio (November 4, 1929 – May 30, 2022), known professionally as Paul Vance, was an American songwriter and record producer, primarily from the 1950s until the 1970s. His most successful song compositions, all written with Lee Po ...

) – 2:35

Recording dates

From the liner notes for '' The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection'': *January 3, 1963 – "I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me", "I Love You", "Miracles", "Poor Butterfly" *January 7, 1963 – "(Ah, the Apple Trees) When the World Was Young", "Joey, Joey, Joey", "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World", "No Man Can Stand Alone", "Weaver of Dreams" *January 8, 1963 – "Easy Does It", "Jump for Joy", "Never Never Land"

Personnel

Original album

*Johnny Mathis – vocals *Ernie Altschuler – producer *

– arranger and conductor *Ted Brosman – recording engineer *Frank Laico – recording engineer *Robert Waller – recording engineer *Ralph Cowan – cover painting

1996 CD reissue

*Didier C. Deutsch – producer; liner notes *Thomas Ruff – remixing, mastering *Adam Block – project director *Joy Gilbert – product manager *Lisa Sparagano – design *Hope Chasin – packaging manager *Sony Music Photo Library – photos *Remixed and mastered at

Sony Music Studios Sony Music Studios was an American music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The five-story building was a music and broadcasting complex located at 460 W. 54th Street, at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan ...

, New York

References

Bibliography

* {{Authority control 1963 albums Johnny Mathis albums Columbia Records albums Albums conducted by Don Costa Albums arranged by Don Costa Albums recorded at CBS 30th Street Studio