''Romantically'' 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 November 18, 1963, by Columbia Records and was also the final original studio album recorded by Mathis for the label prior to his moving 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 had recorded exclusively for Columbia from 1956 to 1963. After a brief stint with Mercury, he returned to Columbia in 1967. His first Mercury project, '' Sounds of Christmas'', was actually released six weeks before this one, on October 4.(2014) ''The Complete Global Albums Collection'' by Johnny Mathis D booklet New York: Sony Music Entertainment 88843091432. ''Romantically'' made its first appearance on '' Billboard'' magazine's album chart in the issue dated December 28, 1963, and peaked at number 23 over the course of 27 weeks. The first compact disc release of the album came on June 9, 2009, when it was issued as disc two of a two-CD set that also included his 1962 LP '' Rapture''.

Reception

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 ...

's Joe Viglione notes something aside from the label change about the place of this release in the Mathis catalog. "This album was recorded during the classic phase of the icon's career, his Top 40 hits coming to a halt around this time. There would be a 15-year gap before he would see that kind of attention again. And while all his releases throughout the 1970s have precision and value, there's something very special about the forces at play here.". He also mentions that the singer's voice "works very effectively on '

Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo "Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo" is a popular song with music by Bronislau Kaper, and lyrics by Helen Deutsch. The song was published in 1952. The song was featured in the film, '' Lili'', starring Leslie Caron. Recorded versions *Dinah Shore with Frank De Vo ...

', ' Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)', and ' Autumn in New York'." Although he gives side two a mixed review, he does describe "In Wisconsin" as "perfect for any 'bachelor pad' compilation" and sums up side one as "just a lovely slice of orchestrated treasures." ''Billboard'' offered a prediction. "Johnny Mathis fans will find this LP irresistible, as will the lovers of romantic ballads." They especially liked the selections here. "Each of the 12 songs are standard blockbusters—perfectly suited for Mathis."

Track listing

Side one

#" Getting to Know You" from ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the chil ...

'' ( Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) – 3:11 #" Moonlight in Vermont" ( John Blackburn,

Karl Suessdorf Karl A. Suessdorf (April 28, 1911 – February 25, 1982) was an American songwriter. Biography The son of Henry F. Suessdorf, he was born in Valdez, Alaska, United States, where his father operated from 1907 to 1917 the Copper Block Buffet, a ...

) – 3:40 #"

" from ''

Lili ''Lili'' is a 1953 American film released by MGM. It stars Leslie Caron as a touchingly naïve French girl whose emotional relationship with a carnival puppeteer is conducted through the medium of four puppets. The film won the Academy Award for ...

'' (

Helen Deutsch Helen Deutsch (21 March 1906 – 15 March 1992) was an American screenwriter, journalist, and songwriter. Biography Deutsch was born in New York City and graduated from Barnard College. She began her career by managing the Provincetown Player ...

, Bronislaw Kaper)– 3:30 #" Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)" from '' Friendly Persuasion'' (

Dimitri Tiomkin Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin (, ; May 10, 1894 – November 11, 1979) was a Russian-born American film composer and conductor. Classically trained in St. Petersburg, Russia before the Bolshevik Revolution, he moved to Berlin and then New York City ...

, Paul Francis Webster) – 3:51 #" Autumn in New York" from '' Thumbs Up!'' (

Vernon Duke Vernon Duke ( 16 January 1969) was a Russian-born American composer/songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for " Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I Can' ...

) – 4:50 #"In Wisconsin" (Calvin Bostick) – 3:15

Side two

#"All That Is Missing" (

Eddie Snyder Edward Abraham Snyder (February 22, 1919 – March 10, 2011) was an American composer and songwriter. Snyder is credited with co-writing the English language lyrics and music for Frank Sinatra's 1966 hit, " Strangers in the Night". Snyder was bo ...

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 ...

) – 2:58 #"

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...

" from ''

'' ( Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) – 3:22 #" Theme from "Carnival!"" from '' Carnival!'' (

Bob Merrill Henry Robert Merrill Levan (May 17, 1921 – February 17, 1998) was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter. He was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1950s on the US and UK single charts. He wrote ...

) – 2:33 #"Too Young to Go Steady" from the musical ''Strip for Action''(1956) "Too Young to Go Steady/Never Let Me Go" by

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

ide A label Los Angeles: Capitol Records F3390. (

Harold Adamson Harold Campbell Adamson (December 10, 1906 – August 17, 1980) was an American lyricist during the 1930s and 1940s. Early life Adamson, the son of building contractor Harold Adamson and Marion "Minnie" Campbell Adamson, was born and raised in ...

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 ...

) – 3:42 #"

It's Only a Paper Moon "It's Only a Paper Moon" is a popular song published in 1933 with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Yip Harburg and Billy Rose. Background It was originally titled "If You Believed in Me", but later went by the more popular title "It's On ...

" from ''The Great Magoo'' ( Harold Arlen, E. Y. Harburg, Billy Rose) – 3:53 #"

September Song "September Song" is an American standard popular song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson. It was introduced by Walter Huston in the 1938 Broadway musical production ''Knickerbocker Holiday.'' The song has been recorded by num ...

" from '' Knickerbocker Holiday'' (

Maxwell Anderson James Maxwell Anderson (December 15, 1888 – February 28, 1959) was an American playwright, author, poet, journalist, and lyricist. Background Anderson was born on December 15, 1888, in Atlantic, Pennsylvania, the second of eight children to ...

, Kurt Weill) – 4:07

Recording dates

From the liner notes for '' The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection'': *February 26, 1963 – "Autumn in New York", "Getting to Know You", "It's Only a Paper Moon", "September Song" *February 27, 1963 – "Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo", "Moonlight in Vermont", "The Sound of Music", "Theme from "Carnival!"" *February 28, 1963 – "All That Is Missing", "Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)", "In Wisconsin", "Too Young to Go Steady"

Personnel

*Johnny Mathis – vocals *Ernie Altschuler – producer *

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''. ...

– arranger and conductor *

Tom Palumbo Tomas Palumbo (January 25, 1921 – October 13, 2008) was an Italian-born American photographer and theatre director. Biography Palumbo was born in Molfetta, Italy, in 1921. His family moved to New York City when he was about twelve years old. A ...

– cover photo

References

Bibliography

* {{Authority control 1963 albums Johnny Mathis albums Columbia Records albums Albums conducted by Don Costa Albums arranged by Don Costa