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Johnny Mathis discography

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Johnny Mathis discography
Mathis in 2006
Studio albums73
Live albums3
Compilation albums30
Singles113
Video albums3

Johnny Mathis has recorded 73 studio albums, 10 of which achieved sales of 500,000 units and were awarded Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.[1] Six of his compilation albums also accomplished this, and of these 16 Gold albums, six eventually went Platinum by reaching sales of one million copies.[1] In 1999, sales figures totaled five million for his first holiday LP, Merry Christmas, and three million for Johnny's Greatest Hits,[2] a 1958 collection that has been described as the "original greatest-hits package"[3] and once held the record for most weeks on Billboard magazine's album chart with a total of 490[4] (three of which were spent at number one).[1] His second longest album chart run was the 295 weeks belonging to his Platinum 1959 album Heavenly, which gave him five weeks in the top spot.[1] In a ranking of the top album artists of the last half of the 1950s in terms of Billboard chart performance, he comes in at number two, for the 1960s, number 10,[5] and for the period from 1955 to 2009 he is at number six.[6]

The recurring appearance of Mathis holiday releases on the various album charts in Billboard began with 1958's Merry Christmas, which peaked at number three during the four weeks it spent that holiday season on the magazine's biggest album chart (now known as the Billboard 200) and returned to place at various positions within the top 40 slots there for the next four years.[7] When the magazine first had a separate chart for Christmas albums from 1963 to 1973, Merry Christmas ranked somewhere in the top 10 on it for another seven years, and on the Top Pop Catalog chart that was created for older titles, it had eight return appearances during the 1990s.[7] His Sounds of Christmas LP spent two weeks at number two on the Christmas Albums chart upon its 1963 release and re-charted for the next five years, and 1969's Give Me Your Love for Christmas reached number one there during its first of several annual chart showings before achieving Platinum certification.[7] Other notable holiday projects include Home for Christmas, a 1990 home video special that went platinum,[2] and Sending You a Little Christmas, a 2013 release that earned him a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.[8]

Mathis also recorded 43 songs that reached Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart in the United States and another nine that "bubbled under" the Hot 100.[9] Six of these 52 recordings made the top 10, including 1957's "Chances Are" and the 1978 Deniece Williams duet, "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late", which each spent a week at number one,[9] and 32 of them are also on the list of 50 entries that Mathis had on the magazine's Easy Listening chart,[10] which was started in 1961.[11] 19 of those 50 songs made the top 10 on that list, and two of them ("I'm Coming Home" and "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late") went on to number one.[12] The Williams duet also spent four weeks at number one on the magazine's R&B chart[13] and was certified Gold after selling one million copies.[9]

In the UK Mathis spent three weeks at number one on the singles chart in 1976 with "When a Child Is Born" and had two compilations reached the top spot on the albums chart: 1977's The Mathis Collection and 1980's Tears and Laughter.[14] "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" and "When a Child Is Born" both achieved Silver certification for singles by the British Phonographic Industry for sales of 250,000 units in the UK, and the latter eventually reached the 500,000 mark to earn Gold certification.[15] 16 of his LPs met the 60,000 album sales mark in the UK to be certified Silver, with eight of those going on to sell 100,000 copies for Gold certification and one of those eight (The Johnny Mathis Collection, 1976) making it to the 300,000 total necessary for the Platinum award.[2]

The first Columbia phase

[edit]

Mathis's self-titled 1956 debut album was produced by George Avakian,[16] who was then the head of the Popular department at Columbia Records[17] and signed Mathis to the label after seeing him perform in San Francisco.[16] For the liner notes on the back cover of the album he wrote, "Johnny's singing is thoroughly jazz-oriented, so naturally arrangers were chosen who had a thorough command of the jazz idiom, as well as the ability to write imaginatively for a pop vocalist."[16] Although the album received good reviews from jazz critics,[17] it did not make any chart appearances in Billboard magazine.[1]

The young performer's presence at Columbia then gained the attention of another executive, the chief of the popular music division, Mitch Miller, who presented Mathis with a stack of demonstration recordings and sheet music when they met so that the singer could choose what he wanted to record.[17] The resulting session on September 21, 1956, produced his first two pop chart entries, "Wonderful! Wonderful!", which peaked at number 14, and "It's Not for Me to Say", which got as high as number five.[9] Avakian helmed a second LP, Wonderful, Wonderful, in March 1957,[17] and another session with Miller on June 16 of that year[17] produced his next two hits: the number one recording "Chances Are" and its flip side, "The Twelfth of Never", which made it to number nine.[9] Both the sophomore effort and the double-sided single made their respective album and pop chart debuts in September of that year, with the Wonderful, Wonderful album reaching number four without having the song that it was named for or any of his past or present hits included on it.[1]

Despite the fact that Mathis did not have another song make the top 10 on the pop chart until 1962,[9] his next 11 LPs, including Johnny's Greatest Hits, Merry Christmas, and Heavenly, all reached the top 10 on the album chart, and several of them were awarded certification for their healthy sales figures.[1] The number of weeks these albums were able to maintain a chart position is especially impressive when considering the fact that Billboard only ranked anywhere between 15 and 50 LPs until 1961 when their chart for mono albums expanded to 150 positions.[18] Heavenly's 1960 follow-up Faithfully lasted 75 weeks and was followed by Johnny's Mood, which entered the chart in the issue dated August 29, 1960, and remained there for 65 weeks.[1] His next release was his last in the string of top-tens, The Rhythms and Ballads of Broadway, a double album that debuted just five weeks later in the issue dated October 3 and made it as high as number six but only charted for 27 weeks, dropping off the list 33 weeks before its predecessor did.[1] After that he returned to single LPs with I'll Buy You a Star, which had its first chart appearance in the May 15, 1961, issue on the newly expanded list but only got as high as number 38 during its 23 weeks there.[1] The rest of his album output during this first era at Columbia fell short of the performance in terms of sales, peak chart positions, and number of weeks charted that the earlier records achieved.[1]

The Mercury years

[edit]

When Mercury Records invited him to join their label in 1963, they offered him what he described as "an awful lot of money" in addition to total control over his recording activities and ownership of the recording masters.[19] He said, "I was the product of a very strong, determined woman named Helen Noga who did all my business transactions. She was the one who was adamant about me getting more money for my work. I had no idea that I was going to go to Mercury until it really happened."[19] Since the new surroundings came with the option to produce his own albums, he took advantage of the opportunity to expand his duties, starting with his first release of 1964, Tender Is the Night, and continuing on through several LPs.[19] "But I wasn't a producer," he admitted, " and I didn't really realize until then how important producers were and how much they assisted me in my work."[20] While his first three projects as producer all made the top half of the album chart, his 1964 album of Latin American recordings, Olé, did not appear there at all.[1]

In the fall of 1964 he recorded what he thought would be his next release, a collection of songs that came to be known as Broadway because of their inclusion in musicals,[1] but it was shelved by Mercury and not available until 2012, when most of the masters he owned from this period were issued on compact disc for the first time.[21] In his review for AllMusic, Al Campbell writes, "At the time, Mercury felt the album was too upbeat and not the type of romantic material Mathis had been so successful with during his previous tenure with Columbia."[21] For his next three projects, Love Is Everything, The Sweetheart Tree, and The Shadow of Your Smile, the role of producer was filled by someone else. The album jacket for Love Is Everything supplied a credit reading, "Produced by Global Records, Inc.,"[22] which was his production company, but in the liner notes for The Complete Global Albums Collection, the album's credits list Al Ham as the producer.[20] Norman Newell is acknowledged in the box set as the one taking on those duties for The Sweetheart Tree, and for The Shadow of Your Smile the credit goes to Don Rieber.[20]

Mathis produced the two final albums in his contract and was ready for a change. In the liner notes for the compact disc release of those two albums, So Nice and Johnny Mathis Sings, he is quoted as saying, "'The only time I was not secure in what I was doing was during the three years I was with Mercury.'"[23] Having started out with the clear guidance he received in the early years that he recorded made the absence of it at Mercury unpleasant. "'It just didn't work as well as it did at Columbia.'"[23]

The second Columbia phase

[edit]

Steve Ritz describes how the music industry had changed by the time Mathis returned to Columbia in the late 60s: "Pop singers, if they were to continue to be viable, were expected to record what became known in the industry as 'cover' albums, collections whereby a certain artist would 'cover' -- or record his/her own version of -- recent tunes that had been successful for other performers."[24] His first album upon returning was named after the biggest hit song that he was covering on it, "Up, Up and Away", which The 5th Dimension took to number seven on the pop chart just months earlier.[25] Several more cover albums named after other people's hit songs made the album charts throughout the 1970s, his most successful one being You Light Up My Life from 1978, which had the original number one hit song "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" to help it reach number nine on the album chart and Platinum certification.[1] He tried more duets and new songs on subsequent releases but was unable to re-create this sort of magic with the lightweight pop he was used to offering.

Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards were the production team behind their own band Chic's number ones "Le Freak" and "Good Times as well as the Sister Sledge hits "He's the Greatest Dancer" and "We Are Family". In February 1981 Mathis entered the studio to record songs that the duo had written and were producing as his next album, which was given the same name as one of the tracks, I Love My Lady.[26] The project was completed, but "nobody said anything over at Columbia, and a best-of album [The First 25 Years – The Silver Anniversary Album] came out instead."[27] When asked in a 2011 radio interview as to why the album had never been released, Mathis gave a brief chuckle as he replied, "Probably because the record company is almighty when you're making music to sell. They have their likes and dislikes....I guess because they didn't think it would sell."[28] The singer pressed on through the early 1980s with more albums of new material that had unimpressive sales, as was the case with Right from the Heart, which became only his third out of 55 studio releases that did not make one of the album charts in Billboard.[1]

In 1983 Linda Ronstadt took a break from recording contemporary music in order to make an album of standards with conductor Nelson Riddle, and their collaboration, What's New went triple Platinum.[29] Barbra Streisand's 1985 release The Broadway Album reached number one and went on to quadruple Platinum certification, so a renewed interest in what came to be known as traditional pop was evident.[30] Mathis had not tried a studio album without current hits or new songs since the ill-fated Broadway project in 1965, so his choice to collaborate with Henry Mancini in 1986 for The Hollywood Musicals, which had a lineup of classics that were mostly from the 1940s, was quite a change of pace. And while he has done some albums of contemporary pop songs since then, the category in which he has received four Grammy nominations since 1992 has been Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album,[31] and the industry has recognized his past work as well. Three of his recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame ("Chances Are" in 1998, "Misty" in 2002, and "It's Not for Me to Say" in 2008),[32] and in 2003 he was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[33]

Albums

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
Columbia albums (1956-1963)
Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications
US[1] UK[14] Billboard Christmas Albums[7]
1956 Johnny Mathis
  • Released: July 16, 1956
1957 Wonderful, Wonderful
  • Released: July 8, 1957
4
Warm
  • Released: November 11, 1957
2 6 RIAA: Gold[2]
1958 Good Night, Dear Lord
  • Released: March 3, 1958
10
Swing Softly
  • Released: July 28, 1958
6 10 RIAA: Gold[2]
Merry Christmas
  • Released: October 6, 1958
3 2[a] RIAA: 5× Platinum[2]
1959 Open Fire, Two Guitars
  • Released: January 5, 1959
4 RIAA: Gold[2]
Heavenly
  • Released: August 10, 1959
1 10 RIAA: Platinum[2]
Faithfully
  • Released: December 21, 1959
2 RIAA: Gold[2]
1960 Johnny's Mood
  • Released: July 18, 1960
4
The Rhythms and Ballads of Broadway
  • Released: September 1960
6 6
1961 I'll Buy You a Star
  • Released: February 27, 1961
38 18
1962 Live It Up!
  • Released: December 11, 1961
14
Rapture
  • Released: September 17, 1962
12
1963 Johnny
  • Released: July 15, 1963
20
Romantically
  • Released: November 18, 1963
23
"—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Mercury albums
Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications
US[1] UK[14] Billboard Christmas Albums[7]
1963 Sounds of Christmas
  • Released: October 4, 1963
2
1964 Tender Is the Night
  • Released: January 23, 1964
13
The Wonderful World of Make Believe
  • Released: July 10, 1964
75
This Is Love
  • Released: September 18, 1964
40
Olé
  • Released: November 1964
Broadway
  • Released: August 28, 2012
1965 Love Is Everything
  • Released: March 5, 1965
52
The Sweetheart Tree
  • Released: September 30, 1965
71
1966 The Shadow of Your Smile
  • Released: March 1966
9
So Nice
  • Released: September 16, 1966
50
1967 Johnny Mathis Sings
  • Released: March 10, 1967
103
"—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
Columbia albums (1967–present)
Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications
US[1] AUS[34] UK[14] Billboard Christmas Albums[7] R&B[35]
1967 Up, Up and Away
  • Released: October 23, 1967
60 19
1968 Love Is Blue
  • Released: March 6, 1968
26 44
Those Were the Days
  • Released: November 6, 1968
60 48[b]
1969 Love Theme from "Romeo And Juliet" (A Time for Us)
  • Released: July 30, 1969
52
Give Me Your Love for Christmas
  • Released: October 13, 1969
1 RIAA: Platinum[2]
1970 Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head
  • Released: February 25, 1970
38 23
Close to You
  • Released: August 19, 1970
61
Johnny Mathis Sings the Music of Bacharach & Kaempfert
  • Released: Autumn 1970
169
1971 Love Story
  • Released: February 10, 1971
47 27
You've Got a Friend
  • Released: August 11, 1971
80
1972 The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)
  • Released: May 10, 1972
71 40
Song Sung Blue
  • Released: September 13, 1972
83 49
1973 Me and Mrs. Jones
  • Released: January 1973
83
Killing Me Softly with Her Song
  • Released: May 25, 1973
120
I'm Coming Home
  • Released: September 21, 1973
115 73 18 BPI: Silver[15]
1974 The Heart of a Woman
  • Released: November 25, 1974
139 39
1975 When Will I See You Again
  • Released: March 1975
99 13 BPI: Silver[15]
Feelings
  • Released: October 20, 1975
97 RIAA: Gold[2]
BPI: Silver[15]
1976 I Only Have Eyes for You
  • Released: May 10, 1976
79 14 BPI: Gold[15]
1977 Mathis Is...
  • Released: February 21, 1977
139
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me
  • Released: August 15, 1977
201 55 BPI: Silver[15]
1978 You Light Up My Life
  • Released: March 13, 1978
9 42 3 4 RIAA: Platinum[2]
BPI: Gold[15]
That's What Friends Are For
  • Released: July 1978
19 16 14 RIAA: Gold[2]
BPI: Gold[15]
1979 The Best Days of My Life
  • Released: January 29, 1979
122 38
Mathis Magic
  • Released: September 17, 1979
59 68 BPI: Silver[15]
1980 Different Kinda Different
  • Released: June 16, 1980
164 20
1981 I Love My Lady
  • Released: December 8, 2017
1982 Friends in Love
  • Released: April 5, 1982
147 34 61
1984 A Special Part of Me
  • Released: January 22, 1984
157 45 60
1985 Right from the Heart
  • Released: March 18, 1985
1986 Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis
  • Released: September 23, 1986
29
The Hollywood Musicals
  • Released: October 17, 1986
197 46 BPI: Silver[15]
1988 Once in a While
  • Released: May 23, 1988
1989 In the Still of the Night
  • Released: August 8, 1989
The Island
  • Released: December 8, 2017
1990 In a Sentimental Mood: Mathis Sings Ellington
  • Released: October 9, 1990
1993 How Do You Keep the Music Playing?
  • Released: May 4, 1993
1996 All About Love
  • Released: May 3, 1996
119
1998 Because You Loved Me: The Songs of Diane Warren
  • Released: October 20, 1998
2000 Mathis on Broadway
  • Released: April 25, 2000
2002 The Christmas Album
  • Released: October 22, 2002
143 2
2005 Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album
  • Released: February 1, 2005
2008 A Night to Remember
  • Released: April 29, 2008
29
2010 Let It Be Me: Mathis in Nashville
  • Released: September 21, 2010
2013 Sending You a Little Christmas
  • Released: October 29, 2013
53 13
2017 Johnny Mathis Sings the Great New American Songbook
  • Released: September 29, 2017
2023 Christmas Time Is Here
  • Released: October 13, 2023
"—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Album reissues

[edit]

Many of the albums that Mathis recorded were originally available in the vinyl LP, 8-track tape, Reel-to-reel, and audio cassette formats but were later reissued on compact disc. With close to 80 minutes of space available on each disc, it was possible to combine two albums on one CD, and several Mathis albums have been paired up and reissued in this format, as shown in the collapsed table below:

Compilation albums

[edit]
Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[1]
AUS
[34][37]
UK
[14]
US
Christmas
[7]
1958 Johnny's Greatest Hits
  • Label: Columbia
1 RIAA: 3× Platinum[2]
1959 More Johnny's Greatest Hits
  • Label: Columbia
2 RIAA: Gold[2]
1961 Portrait of Johnny
  • Label: Columbia
2
1963 Johnny's Newest Hits
  • Label: Columbia
6
1964 I'll Search My Heart and Other Great Hits
  • Label: Columbia
35
The Great Years
  • Label: Columbia
88
1969 The Impossible Dream
  • Label: Columbia
163
People
  • Label: Columbia
192
1972 Johnny Mathis' All-Time Greatest Hits
  • Label: Columbia
141 RIAA: Platinum[2]
BPI: Gold[15]
1974 Johnny Mathis Sings the Great Songs BPI: Silver[15]
1976 The Johnny Mathis Collection/The Best of Johnny Mathis 21 BPI: Platinum[15]
1977 The Mathis Collection
  • Label: CBS
1
1980 Tears and Laughter
  • Label: CBS
1 BPI: Gold[15]
The Best of Johnny Mathis 1975–1980
  • Label: Columbia
140 20 RIAA: Gold[2]
1981 The First 25 Years – The Silver Anniversary Album
  • Label: Columbia
173 88
Celebration – The Anniversary Album
  • Label: Columbia
9 BPI: Gold[15]
1986 16 Most Requested Songs
  • Label: Columbia
RIAA: Gold[2]
1990 The Very Best of Nat King Cole & Johnny Mathis
  • Label: J&B Records
33
1991 Better Together: The Duet Album
  • Label: Columbia
189
1993 The Christmas Music of Johnny Mathis: A Personal Collection
  • Label: Columbia
162 29 RIAA: Gold[2]
1994 20 Greatest Hits
  • Label: Columbia
56
1995 The Hits of Johnny Mathis
  • Label: Columbia
BPI: Gold[15]
1998 The Ultimate Hits Collection
  • Label: Columbia
2004 The Essential Johnny Mathis
  • Label: Columbia
2006 The Very Best of Johnny Mathis 15 6
Gold: A 50th Anniversary Christmas Celebration
  • Label: Columbia
104 11
Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration
  • Label: Columbia
171
2011 The Ultimate Collection 17
2014 The Classic Christmas Album
  • Label: Columbia
2020 Gold
  • Label: Crimson
70
"—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Live albums

[edit]
Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications
US[1] UK[14]
1972 Johnny Mathis in Person: Recorded Live at Las Vegas
  • Label: Columbia
128
1983 Unforgettable – A Musical Tribute to Nat King Cole 5 BPI: Gold[15]
1984 Live
  • Label: Columbia
"—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

[edit]
Year Single (A-side, B-side)
Both sides from same album except where indicated
Chart positions Album
US CB US
AC
US
R&B
UK[38]
1956 "Wonderful! Wonderful!"
b/w "When Sunny Gets Blue"
14 12 Johnny's Greatest Hits
1957 "It's Not for Me to Say"
b/w "Warm and Tender"
5 2
"Chances Are"[39] / 1 1 12
"The Twelfth of Never" 9 38
"No Love (But Your Love)" / 21 26
"Wild Is the Wind" 22 20
1958 "Come to Me"
b/w "When I Am with You"
22 23
"All the Time" / 21 35
"Teacher, Teacher" 21 20 27 More Johnny's Greatest Hits
"A Certain Smile"
b/w "Let It Rain"
14 15 4
"Call Me"
b/w "Stairway to the Sea (Scalinatella)"
21 14
"Winter Wonderland"
b/w "Sleigh Ride"
17 Merry Christmas (single released outside the U.S.)
1959 "Let's Love" / 44 40 More Johnny's Greatest Hits
"You Are Beautiful" 60 60 38
"Someone" / 35 33 6
"Very Much in Love" 88
"Small World" / 20 19
"You Are Everything to Me" 109
"Misty / 12 14 10 12 Heavenly
"The Story of Our Love" 93 104 Portrait of Johnny
"The Best of Everything"
b/w "Cherie" (from Portrait of Johnny)
62 67 30 I'll Search My Heart and Other Great Hits
1960 "Starbright" / 25 24 47 Portrait of Johnny
"All Is Well" 106
"Maria"
b/w "Hey Love" (from Portrait of Johnny)
78 50 Faithfully
"My Love for You"
b/w "Oh That Feeling"
47 35 9 Portrait of Johnny
"How to Handle a Woman"
b/w "While You're Young"
64 83
1961 "You Set My Heart to Music" / 107 95
"Jenny" 118 tag
"Laurie My Love"
b/w "Should I Wait (or Should I Run to Her)" (from Portrait of Johnny)
Non-album track
"Wasn't the Summer Short?"
b/w "There You Are"
89 117 Johnny's Newest Hits
"Christmas Eve"
b/w "My Kind of Christmas"
Non-album tracks
1962 "Sweet Thursday"
b/w "One Look"
99 75 Johnny's Newest Hits
"That's the Way It Is" / 135
"I'll Never Be Lonely Again" tag
"Marianna"
b/w "Unaccustomed As I Am"
86 113
"Gina"
b/w "I Love Her That's Why"
6 8 2
1963 "What Will Mary Say"
b/w "Quiet Girl"
9 9 3 21 49
"Every Step of the Way"
b/w "No Man Can Stand Alone" (from Johnny)
30 40 10 I'll Search My Heart and Other Great Hits
"Sooner or Later"
b/w "In Wisconsin" (from Romantically)
84 105
"Come Back" / 61 50 Non-album tracks
"Your Teenage Dreams" 68 69 19
"I'll Search My Heart"
b/w "All the Sad Young Men"
90 111 I'll Search My Heart and Other Great Hits
"The Little Drummer Boy"
b/w "Have Reindeer Will Travel"
108 The Sounds of Christmas
1964 "Bye Bye Barbara"
b/w "A Great Night for Crying"
53 55 17 Non-album tracks
"The Fall of Love"
b/w "No More"
120 114
"Taste of Tears"
b/w "White Roses from a Blue Valentine"
87 125
"Listen Lonely Girl"
b/w "All I Wanted"
62 64 11
1965 "Take the Time"
b/w "Dianacita"
104 98 32
"Sweetheart Tree"
b/w "Mirage"
108 75 21 The Sweetheart Tree
"On a Clear Day You Can See Forever"
b/w "Come Back to Me"
98 6 The Shadow of Your Smile
1966 "Moment to Moment"
b/w "Glass Mountain" (Non-album track)
"The Shadow of Your Smile"
b/w "The Sweetheart Tree" (from The Sweetheart Tree)
"So Nice (Samba de Verao)"
b/w "The Impossible Dream"
17 So Nice
1967 "Two Tickets and a Candy Heart"
b/w "Saturday Sunshine" (from Johnny Mathis Sings)
38 Non-album tracks
"Don't Talk to Me" / 21
"Misty Roses" 40 Up, Up and Away
"Among the First to Know"
b/w "Long Winter Nights"
Non-album tracks
1968 "Venus"
b/w "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart"
111 97 23 Love Is Blue
"You Make Me Think About You"
b/w "Night Dreams" (Non-album track)
35 Those Were the Days
1969 "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)"
b/w "The End of the World"
39
"I'll Never Fall in Love Again"
b/w "Whoever You Are, I Love You" (Non-album track)
122 35 Love Theme from "Romeo and Juliet" (A Time for Us)
"Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet (A Time For Us)"
b/w "The World I Threw Away"
96 100 8
"Midnight Cowboy"
b/w "We" (from Love Theme from "Romeo and Juliet" (A Time for Us))
20 Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head
"Give Me Your Love for Christmas"
b/w "Calypso Noel"
Give Me Your Love for Christmas
1970 "Odds and Ends"
b/w "For All We Know" (Non-album track)
30 Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head
"Wherefore and Why"
b/w "The Last Time I Saw Her"
128 17 Non-album tracks
"Pieces of Dreams"
b/w "Darling Lili" (Non-album track)
129 9 Close to You
"Evil Ways"
b/w "Until It's Time for You to Go"
118 30
"Christmas Is"
b/w "Sign of the Dove"
Non-album tracks
1971 "Ten Times Forever More"
b/w "I Was There"
32 Love Story
"Evie"
b/w "Think About Things"
Non-album tracks
"Long Ago and Far Away"
b/w "For All We Know"
You've Got a Friend
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?"
b/w "If We Only Have Love"
1972 "If We Only Have Love"
b/w "This Way Mary" (Non-album track)
"Make It Easy on Yourself"
b/w "Sometimes" (Non-album track)
103 16 Song Sung Blue
"Soul and Inspiration/Just Once in My Life"
b/w "I" (Non-album track)
37 Me and Mrs. Jones
1973 "Take Good Care of Her"
b/w "Walking Tall"
40 Non-album tracks
"Show and Tell"
b/w "Happy (Love Theme from Lady Sings the Blues)" (from Me and Mrs. Jones)
36 Killing Me Softly with Her Song
"I'm Coming Home"
b/w "Stop Look and Listen to Your Heart"
75 72 1 92 I'm Coming Home
"Life Is a Song Worth Singing"
b/w "I Just Wanted to Be Me"
54 64 8 65
1974 "Sweet Child"
b/w "I'm Stone in Love with You"
117 35
1975 "Sail on White Moon"
b/w "The Heart of a Woman"
39 The Heart of a Woman
"I'm Stone in Love with You"
b/w "Foolish"
16 10 I'm Coming Home
"Stardust"
b/w "What I Did for Love"
4 Feelings
1976 "One Day in Your Life"
b/w "Midnight Blue"
36
"Yellow Roses on Her Gown"
b/w "Every Time You Touch Me (I Get High)"
44 I Only Have Eyes for You
"Do Me Wrong, But Do Me"
b/w "Send in the Clowns"
25
"When a Child Is Born"
b/w "Turn the Lights Down" (Non-album track)
1
1977 "Loving You-Losing You"
b/w "World of Laughter"
29 Mathis Is...
"Arianne"
b/w "99 Miles from L.A." (from Feelings)
24 Killing Me Softly with Her Song
1978 "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" *
b/w "Emotion" *
1 2 1 1 3 You Light Up My Life
"You're All I Need to Get By" *
b/w "You're a Special Part of My Life" *
47 67 16 10 45 That's What Friends Are For
Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams
"That's What Friends Are For" *
b/w "I Just Can't Get Over You" *
1979 "The Last Time I Felt Like This" **
b/w "As Time Goes By"
15 The Best Days of My Life
"Begin the Beguine" / 37
"Gone, Gone, Gone" 15
"No One Else but the One You Love" ***
b/w "To the Ends of the Earth"
Mathis Magic
"Christmas in the City of the Angels"
b/w "The Very First Christmas Day"
Non-album tracks
1980 "Different Kinda Different" ****
b/w "The Lights of Rio" ****
81 Different Kinda Different
"When a Child Is Born" #
b/w "The Lord's Prayer" #
Non-album tracks
1981 "Nothing Between Us but Love"
b/w "Deep Purple " (from Different Kinda Different)
1982 "When the Lovin' Goes Out of the Lovin'"
b/w "Warm"
Friends in Love
"Friends in Love" ##
b/w "What Is This" (by Dionne Warwick, non-album track)
38 48 5 22
1984 "Love Won't Let Me Wait" *
b/w "Lead Me to Your Love" *
106 14 32 A Special Part of Me
"Simple"
b/w "Lead Me to Your Love"
81 6 43
1985 "Right from the Heart"
b/w "Hold On"
38 Right from the Heart
"Just One Touch"
b/w "I Need You (The Journey)"
1986 "Where Can I Find Christmas"
b/w "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"
Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis
1988 "I'm on the Outside Looking In "
b/w "Just Like You"
27 Once in a While
"Daydreamin'"
b/w "Love Brought Us Here Tonight"
90
1992 "Better Together" ###
CD single
68 Better Together - The Duet Album
2003 "Frosty the Snowman"
CD single
29 The Christmas Album
2013 "Sending You a Little Christmas" 4 Sending You a Little Christmas

Duet partners:
* Deniece Williams
** Jane Olivor
*** Stephanie Lawrence
**** Paulette
# Gladys Knight
## Dionne Warwick
### Regina Belle

Holiday 100 chart entries

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Since many radio stations in the US adopt a format change to Christmas music each December, many holiday hits have an annual spike in popularity during the last few weeks of the year and are retired once the season is over.[40] In December 2011, Billboard began a Holiday Songs chart with 50 positions that monitors the last five weeks of each year to "rank the top holiday hits of all eras using the same methodology as the Hot 100, blending streaming, airplay, and sales data",[41] and in 2013 the number of positions on the chart was doubled, resulting in the Holiday 100.[42] A handful of Mathis recordings have made appearances on the Holiday 100 and are noted below according to the holiday season in which they charted there.

Title Holiday season peak chart positions Album
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" 27[43] 17[44] 17[45] 22[46] 18[47] 15[48] 15[49] 37[50] 38[51] 46[52] 43[53] 48[54] 55[55] 55[56] Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis
"Sleigh Ride" 48[44] 93[47] 59[49] 86[57] 96[51] 100[55] Merry Christmas
"Winter Wonderland" 38[58] 73[59] 72[47] 80[60] 75[49]
"O Holy Night" 75[61]
"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" 83[45] 76[46] 77[48] Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis
"We Need a Little Christmas" 86[48] 86[49] 84[62] 82[63] 76[64]

Box sets

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Video releases

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Notes

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  1. ^ Peak position from 1963 when the Christmas Albums chart began
  2. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top R&B Albums, 1965-1998 lists Those Were the Days as having peaked on the Best Selling Rhythm & Blues LP's chart at number two for two weeks out of the four that it spent there.[35] The four corresponding weekly issues of Billboard, which is their source for this information, however, indicate that it only made it to number 48.[36]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Whitburn 2010, pp. 503–504.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "RIAA Gold Platinum Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Johnny's Greatest Hits". allmusic.com. All Media Network. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  4. ^ Whitburn 2010, p. 969.
  5. ^ Whitburn 2010, p. 959.
  6. ^ Whitburn 2010, p. 951.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Whitburn 2004c, p. 167.
  8. ^ "Grammy Nominations: Sam Smith, Beyonce Lead The Pack". Variety. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Whitburn 2009, pp. 627–628.
  10. ^ Whitburn 2007, pp. 178–179.
  11. ^ Whitburn 2007, p. vi.
  12. ^ Whitburn 2007, p. 179.
  13. ^ Whitburn 2004, p. 383.
  14. ^ a b c d e f "Johnny Mathis". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "BPI search results". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  16. ^ a b c (1956) Johnny Mathis by Johnny Mathis [album jacket]. New York: Columbia Records CL 887.
  17. ^ a b c d e (1993) The Music of Johnny Mathis: A Personal Collection by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Columbia Records C4K-48932.
  18. ^ Whitburn 2010, p. 10.
  19. ^ a b c (2012) Tender Is the Night/The Wonderful World of Make Believe by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Sony Music Entertainment RGM-0083.
  20. ^ a b c (2014) The Complete Global Albums Collection by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Sony Music Entertainment 88843091432.
  21. ^ a b "Love Is Everything/Broadway - Johnny Mathis". allmusic.com. All Media Network. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  22. ^ (1965) Love Is Everything by Johnny Mathis [album jacket]. New York: Mercury Records SR 60991.
  23. ^ a b (2012) So Nice/Johnny Mathis Sings by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Sony Music Entertainment RGM-0108.
  24. ^ (2012) Up, Up and Away/Love Is Blue by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. Irvine: Collectors' Choice Music CCM - 2018.
  25. ^ Whitburn 2009, p. 342.
  26. ^ "Johnny Mathis - I Love My Lady (1981)". CHICtribute.com. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  27. ^ "EMP Pop Conference 2009 – Sunday presentations". WordPress.com. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  28. ^ Presenter: John Wilson (2011-10-04). "Johnny Mathis and David Bailey". Front Row. London, England. 8:20 minutes in. BBC. BBC Radio 4.
  29. ^ Whitburn 2010, p. 667.
  30. ^ Whitburn 2010, p. 751.
  31. ^ "Grammy Awards: Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance". Rock on the Net.com. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  32. ^ "Grammy Hall of Fame". Grammy.org. The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on 22 January 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  33. ^ "Lifetime Achievement Award". Grammy.org. The Recording Academy. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  34. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 194. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  35. ^ a b Whitburn 1999, p. 132.
  36. ^ "Best Selling Rhythm & Blues LP's". Billboard. 1969-01-11. p. 37.
  37. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 179.
  38. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 355. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  39. ^ Johnny Mathis discography interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
  40. ^ Judkis, Maura (2015-12-22). "Jingle bell rock: Why lots of radio stations go all-Christmas in December". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  41. ^ "Andy Williams Hits New High, The Ronettes 'Ride' Back After 52 Years & More Hot 100 Chart Moves". billboard.com. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  42. ^ "Carey Brings Back 'Christmas'". Billboard. 2013-12-14. p. 115.
  43. ^ "Holiday 100: The week of December 10, 2011". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2019-02-04. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  44. ^ a b "Holiday 100: The week of December 8, 2012". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  45. ^ a b "Holiday 100: The week of December 14, 2013". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  46. ^ a b "Holiday 100: The week of December 13, 2014". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  47. ^ a b c "Holiday 100: The week of December 12, 2015". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  48. ^ a b c "Holiday 100: The week of December 10, 2016". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  49. ^ a b c d "Holiday 100: The week of December 9, 2017". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  50. ^ "Holiday 100: The week of December 8, 2018". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2019-02-23. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  51. ^ a b "Holiday 100: The week of December 7, 2019". billboard.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  52. ^ "Holiday 100: The week of December 5, 2020". billboard.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  53. ^ "Holiday 100 (Week of December 4, 2021)". Billboard. December 4, 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  54. ^ "Holiday 100 (Week of December 10, 2022)". Billboard. December 10, 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  55. ^ a b "Holiday 100 (Week of December 2, 2023)". Billboard. December 2, 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  56. ^ "Holiday 100 (Week of December 7, 2024)". Billboard. December 7, 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  57. ^ "Holiday 100: The week of December 29, 2018". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2019-02-23. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  58. ^ "Holiday 100: The week of December 21, 2013". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  59. ^ "Holiday 100: The week of December 20, 2014". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  60. ^ "Holiday 100: The week of December 17, 2016". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  61. ^ "Holiday 100: The week of January 11, 2014". billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2018-04-07. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  62. ^ "Holiday 100 (Week of January 1, 2022)". Billboard. January 1, 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  63. ^ "Holiday 100 (Week of January 7, 2023)". Billboard. January 7, 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  64. ^ "Holiday 100 (Week of January 6, 2024)". Billboard. January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.

Bibliography

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