Moon River
"Moon River" | |
---|---|
RCA Victor | |
Composer(s) | Henry Mancini |
Lyricist(s) | Johnny Mercer |
Producer(s) | Dick Peirce, Joe Reisman |
Audio sample | |
"Moon River" is a song composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song.[1] The song also won the 1962 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.[2] In 1999, Mancini's recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[3]
The song has been recorded by many other artists.[4] It became the theme song for Andy Williams, who first recorded it in 1962 (and performed it at the Academy Awards ceremony that year). He sang the first eight bars of the song at the beginning of each episode of his eponymous television show and named his production company and venue in Branson, Missouri, after it; his autobiography is called "Moon River" and Me. Williams' version was never released as a single, but it charted as an LP track that he recorded for Columbia on a hit album of 1962, Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes.[5] In 2022, Williams' rendition of the song was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress.[6]
The song's success was responsible for relaunching Mercer's career as a songwriter, which had stalled in the mid-1950s because
Versions
Original
Mercer and Mancini wrote the song for Audrey Hepburn to sing in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's. The lyrics, written by Mercer, are reminiscent of his childhood in Savannah, Georgia, including its waterways. As a child, he had picked huckleberries in summer, and he connected them with a carefree childhood and Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. Although an instrumental version is played over the film's opening titles, the lyrics are first heard in a scene where Paul "Fred" Varjak (George Peppard) discovers Holly Golightly (Hepburn) singing the song, accompanying herself on the guitar while sitting on the fire escape outside their apartments.[4][8]
There was an eruption of behind-the-scenes consternation when a Paramount Pictures executive, Martin Rackin, suggested removing the song from the film after a tepid Los Angeles preview. Hepburn's reaction was described by Mancini and others in degrees varying from her saying, "Over my dead body!" to her using more colorful language to make the same point.[10]
An album version was recorded by Mancini and his orchestra and chorus (without Hepburn's vocal) on December 8, 1960.[11] It was released as a single in 1961 and became a number 11 hit in December of that year.[12] Due to unpublished charts in Billboard, Joel Whitburn's Top Adult (Contemporary) Songs variously reported the song as a number 3 or number 1 easy listening hit. Mancini's original version was also featured in the film Born on the Fourth of July (1989). In 1993, following Hepburn's death, her version was released on an album titled Music from the Films of Audrey Hepburn. In 2004, Hepburn's version finished at number 4 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.
Early recordings
"Moon River" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Jerry Butler | ||||
from the album Moon River | ||||
A-side | "Aware of Love" | |||
Released | 1961 | |||
Recorded | 1961 | |||
Studio | Universal (Chicago)[13] | |||
Genre | Pop, R&B | |||
Length | 2:45 | |||
Label | Vee-Jay | |||
Composer(s) | Henry Mancini | |||
Lyricist(s) | Johnny Mercer | |||
Producer(s) | Riley C. Hampton | |||
Jerry Butler singles chronology | ||||
|
"Moon River" was a hit single for
Although
Chart history
- Henry Mancini & Orchestra
Chart (1961–62) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada (CHUM Hit Parade)[20] | 14 |
UK Singles Chart[1]
|
46 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[21] | 11 |
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening
|
3 |
U.S. Cash Box Top 100[22]
|
5 |
- Jerry Butler
Chart (1961–62) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada (CHUM Hit Parade)[20] | 14 |
New Zealand (Listener)[23] | 1 |
UK Singles Chart[1]
|
1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[21] | 11 |
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening
|
3 |
U.S. Cash Box Top 100[22]
|
5 |
- Danny Williams
Chart (1961–62) | Peak position |
---|
Later versions
Hundreds of versions of the song have been recorded and it has been featured in many media.
See also
- "Charade" (1963 song)
- The Sweetheart Tree
- "Days of Wine and Roses" (song)
- Moon River radio program
- List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1960s
References
- ^ ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Moon River by Henry Mancini". songfacts.com.
- ^ a b "Grammy Hall of Fame Award", Recording Academy. Retrieved October 30, 2022
- ^ a b c d Cryer, Max. "The story behind the song: Moon River", The Telegraph, October 7, 2008, accessed January 6, 2016
- ^ Thomas, Bob; Salter, Jim (September 26, 2012). "'Moon River' Crooner Andy Williams Dies at Age 84". Associated Press. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- ^ Ulaby, Neda (April 13, 2022). "The Library of Congress is preserving these major historical recordings for posterity". NPR.
- ^ JSTOR 1422730.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ a b Holden, Stephen (March 30, 1997). "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of Mercer's Lyrics". The New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
- The Atlantic Monthly, September 27, 2012, accessed January 6, 2016
- ISBN 978-0-09-948704-3.
- ^ "Henry Mancini – Breakfast At Tiffany's (Music From The Motion Picture Score)". Discogs. March 9, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
- ^ "Hot 100 for Week Ending December 31". Billboard Music Week. 78 (51). December 25, 1961. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- ISBN 82-996756-1-8.
- ^ "Hot 100 for Week Ending December 17". Billboard Music Week. 78 (49). December 11, 1961.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 37.
- ^ "American certifications – Moon River _ Other Great Movie Themes". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
- ISSN 0006-2510. [Special Issue titled A Billboard Spotlight: Andy Williams]
- ^ Boedeker, Hal (May 7, 2002). "TV Reviews". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
- ^ "National Recording Registry Inducts Music from Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Journey and More in 2022". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ^ a b CHUM Hit Parade, October 30, 1961
- ^ ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ a b Cash Box Top 100 Singles, December 9, 1961
- ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 28 December 1961
- ^ Testa, Jessica. "13 'Moon River' Covers, In Memory of Andy Williams", BuzzFeed, September 26, 2012, accessed January 6, 2016
- ^ Mercer, Johnny. My Huckleberry Friend, Pye NSPL18432 (1974) ASIN: B008K7RPIK
- ^ Soergel, Brian (May 24, 2007). "Dave Koz's Secret Symphony Gig". SmoothVibes.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
- ^ Ware, Elizabeth (October 3, 2007). "Dave Koz - At The Movies". SmoothViews.com.
- AllMusic
- ^ Shedden, Iain (November 16, 2013). "Goin' Your Way (Neil Finn and Paul Kelly)". The Australian. News Corp Australia. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ^ "Neil Finn/Paul Kelly Australian Tour – Latest Dates". Neil Finn Official Website. January 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ^ "Watch Paul Kelly & Neil Finn Concert". Paul Kelly Official Website. March 20, 2013. Archived from the original on March 23, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ McArthur, Rachael (November 11, 2013). "Neil Finn and Paul Kelly – Goin' Your Way". Renowned for Sound (Brendon Veevers, Robert Lee). Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ "Season Finale Review: Mad Men: "In Care Of" (Both Sides Now)". Hitfix: What's Alan Watching?. June 2013. Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Pattison, Michael. "Weighing Up the Pros and Cons of the New Amy Winehouse Documentary", Vice.com, July 1, 2015
- ^ Fly Me to the Moon: The Great American Songbook, Vol. 5, Allmusic.com, accessed January 8, 2015
- ISBN 142990853X
- ^ "Barbra Streisand", RIAA, accessed January 8, 2016
- ^ "Moon River - Single by Frank Ocean". Apple Music. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ "Frank Ocean's 'Moon River' Cover Debuts in Top 10 on Hot R&B Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- Diffuser.fm, September 2012, accessed January 6, 2016
- ^ "Grammy Awards Winners & Nominees for Best Instrumental Arrangement". Grammy Awards. 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
External links
- "Lyrics to "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's". 1961 Paramount Music Corporation, ASCAP. Reel Classics.
- Janovitz, Bill. "Moon River - Henry Mancini, Henry Mancini & His Orchestra: Song Review". AllMusic.