Wikipedia

Moon River

This article is about the song. For other uses, seeMoon River (disambiguation).

"Moon River"is a song composed byHenry Manciniwith lyrics byJohnny Mercer.It was originally performed byAudrey Hepburnin the 1961 filmBreakfast at Tiffany's,winning anAcademy Award for Best Original Song.[1]The song also won the 1962Grammy AwardsforRecord of the YearandSong of the Year.[2]In 1999, Mancini's recording was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame.[3]

"Moon River"
SinglebyHenry Mancini& Orchestra
from the albumBreakfast at Tiffany's: Music from the Motion Picture
B-side"Breakfast at Tiffany's"
ReleasedOctober 1961(1961)
Recorded1960
StudioRCA Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California
GenreTraditional pop
Length2:41
LabelRCA Victor
Composer(s)Henry Mancini
Lyricist(s)Johnny Mercer
Producer(s)Dick Peirce,Joe Reisman
Audio sample

The song has been recorded by many other artists.[4]It became the theme song forAndy Williams,who first recorded it in 1962 (and performed it at theAcademy Awardsceremony that year). He sang the first eight bars of the song at the beginning of each episode ofhis eponymous television showand named his production company and venue inBranson, 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 becauserock and rollhad replacedjazz standardsas thepopular musicof the time. The song's popularity is such that it has been used as a test sample in a study on people's memories of popular songs.[7]Comments about the lyrics have noted that they are particularly reminiscent of Mercer's youth in thesouthern United Statesand his longing to expand his horizons.[8]Robert Wrightwrote inThe Atlantic Monthly,"This is a love sung [sic] to wanderlust. Or a romantic song in which the romantic partner is the idea of romance. "[9]An inlet nearSavannah, Georgia,Johnny Mercer's hometown, was named Moon River in honor of him and this song.[7]

Versions

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Original

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Mercer and Mancini wrote the song forAudrey Hepburnto sing in the filmBreakfast at Tiffany's.The lyrics, written by Mercer, are reminiscent of his childhood inSavannah, Georgia,including its waterways. As a child, he had pickedhuckleberriesin summer, and he connected them with a carefree childhood and Mark Twain'sHuckleberry Finn.[4]Mercer's original title for the song was "Blue River", reflecting the color of huckleberries.[10]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 aParamount Picturesexecutive, 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.[11]

Analbum versionwas recorded by Mancini and his orchestra and chorus (without Hepburn's vocal) on December 8, 1960.[12]It was released as a single in 1961 and became a number 11 hit in December of that year.[13]Due to unpublished charts inBillboard,Joel Whitburn'sTop Adult (Contemporary) Songsvariously reported the song as a number 3 or number 1easy listeninghit. Mancini's original version was also featured in the filmBorn on the Fourth of July(1989). In 1993, following Hepburn's death, her version was released on an album titledMusic from the Films of Audrey Hepburn.In 2004, Hepburn's version finished at number 4 onAFI's 100 Years...100 Songssurvey of top tunes in American cinema.

Early recordings

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"Moon River"
SinglebyJerry Butler
from the albumMoon River
A-side"Aware of Love"
Released1961(1961)
Recorded1961
StudioUniversal(Chicago)[14]
GenrePop,R&B
Length2:45
LabelVee-Jay
Composer(s)Henry Mancini
Lyricist(s)Johnny Mercer
Producer(s)Riley C. Hampton
Jerry Butlersingles chronology
"I'm a Telling You"
(1961) 		"Moon River"
(1961) 		"Aware of Love"
(1961)

"Moon River" was a hit single forJerry Butlerin late 1961. Released simultaneously with Mancini's, it reached number 11 on theBillboardHot 100chart[15]and number 3Easy Listening[16]in December, two weeks before Mancini's recording reached the same chart ranking. British singerDanny Williamshad a hit version of the song that reached number one in the UK in the final week of 1961.[1]

AlthoughAndy Williamsnever released the song as a single, his LPMoon River and Other Great Movie Themes(1962), wascertified goldin 1963 for selling one million units.[17]The album reached number 3 on theBillboardTop 200,eventually selling more than two million copies by 1967.[18]In 2002, a 74-year-old Andy Williams sang the song at the conclusion of the liveNBCspecial telecast celebrating the network's 75th anniversary.[19]In 2018, Andy Williams' version onColumbia Recordswas inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[3]In 2022, Andy Williams' recording of the song was selected by theLibrary of Congressfor preservation in theNational Recording Registry.[20]

Chart history

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Henry Mancini & Orchestra
Chart (1961–62) Peak
position
Canada (CHUMHit Parade)[21] 14
UK Singles Chart[1] 46
U.S.BillboardHot 100[22] 11
U.S.BillboardEasy Listening 3
U.S.Cash BoxTop 100[23] 5
Jerry Butler
Chart (1961–62) Peak
position
Canada (CHUMHit Parade)[21] 14
New Zealand (Listener)[24] 1
U.S.BillboardHot 100[22] 11
U.S.BillboardEasy Listening 3
U.S.Cash BoxTop 100[23] 5
Danny Williams
Chart (1961–62) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[1] 1

Later versions

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Hundreds of versions of the song have been recorded and it has been featured in many media.[4][25]Mercer recorded the song in 1974 for his albumMy Huckleberry Friend.[26]In 2007, saxophonistDave Kozrecorded a version from his standards music album,At the Movies,sung byBarry Manilow.[27][28][29]In 2013,Neil FinnandPaul Kellyperformed the song on their Goin' Your Way Tour,[30][31]during which their performance at theSydney Opera House Concert Hallwas recorded for the live album,Goin' Your Way,released the same year.[32]The title of the album comes from a phrase in the song's chorus: "Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way".[33]Lawrence Welk's 1961 instrumental version was featured inMad Menseason 6,episode 13, "In Care Of" (2013).[34]A version of the song was featured inAsif Kapadia'sdocumentary film,Amy(2015), aboutAmy Winehouse.Winehouse's version, sung at age 16 with theNational Youth Jazz Orchestrain 2000, is the opening song in the film.[35]

The Telegraphlisted, among prominent covers of the song, those byFrank Sinatra,Judy Garland,Sarah Vaughan,Louis Armstrong,Sarah BrightmanandChevy Chase(in the comedy filmFletch).[4]Other stars who have covered the song includeRod StewartinFly Me to the Moon... The Great American Songbook Volume V(2010), which charted at No. 4 on theBillboard200,[36]Barbra StreisandinThe Movie Album(2003), a Grammy-nominated[37]gold album,[38]andFrank Ocean,who released a cover on Valentine's Day 2018[39]that debuted in the Top 10 of theBillboardHot R&B chart.[40]Diffuser.fmnamed these the "Top 5 Alt-Rock" versions of the song:Morrissey,Glasvegas,R.E.M.,The KillersandJosh Ritter.[41]Jacob Collier'sa capellacover won the 2020Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella.[42]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdRoberts, David (2006).British Hit Singles & Albums(19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 135.ISBN1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^"Moon River by Henry Mancini".songfacts.
  3. ^ab"Grammy Hall of Fame Award",Recording Academy. Retrieved October 30, 2022
  4. ^abcdeCryer, Max."The story behind the song: Moon River",The Telegraph,October 7, 2008, accessed January 6, 2016
  5. ^Thomas, Bob; Salter, Jim (September 26, 2012)."'Moon River' Crooner Andy Williams Dies at Age 84 ".Associated Press.RetrievedMay 10,2015.
  6. ^Ulaby, Neda (April 13, 2022)."The Library of Congress is preserving these major historical recordings for posterity".NPR.
  7. ^abBartlett, James C., and Snelus, Paul; Snelus, Paul (September 1980). "Lifespan Memory for Popular Songs".The American Journal of Psychology.93(3). University of Illinois Press: 551–560.doi:10.2307/1422730.JSTOR1422730.{{cite journal}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^abHolden, Stephen (March 30, 1997)."In the Cool, Cool, Cool of Mercer's Lyrics".The New York Times.RetrievedAugust 5,2012.
  9. ^Wright, Robert."Andy Williams's Moon River – Decoded and Vindicated at Last!",The Atlantic Monthly,September 27, 2012, accessed January 6, 2016
  10. ^Furia, Philip and Laurie J. Patterson. "Midnight Sun: Johnny Mercer", chapter 13, inThe Poets of Tinpan Alley,Oxford University Press (2022)ISBN978-0190906467
  11. ^Spoto, Donald (2007).Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn.Arrow Books.p. 159.ISBN978-0-09-948704-3.
  12. ^"Henry Mancini – Breakfast At Tiffany's (Music From The Motion Picture Score)".Discogs.March 9, 2012.RetrievedFebruary 25,2017.
  13. ^"Hot 100 for Week Ending December 31".Billboard Music Week.78(51). December 25, 1961.RetrievedMay 10,2015.
  14. ^Swedien, Bruce (2003).Make Mine Music.Norway: MIA Musikk. p. 80.ISBN82-996756-1-8.
  15. ^"Hot 100 for Week Ending December 17".Billboard Music Week.78(49). December 11, 1961.
  16. ^Whitburn, Joel(1993).Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993.Record Research. p. 37.
  17. ^"American certifications – Moon River _ Other Great Movie Themes".Recording Industry Association of America.RetrievedJune 24,2011.
  18. ^Clive Davis(November 11, 1967)."Columbia's View: Market Potential".Billboard.p. 26.ISSN0006-2510.[Special Issue titledA Billboard Spotlight: Andy Williams]
  19. ^Boedeker, Hal (May 7, 2002)."TV Reviews".Orlando Sentinel.RetrievedMay 10,2015.
  20. ^"National Recording Registry Inducts Music from Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Journey and More in 2022".Library of Congress.RetrievedApril 13,2022.
  21. ^abCHUM Hit Parade, October 30, 1961
  22. ^abJoel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990-ISBN0-89820-089-X
  23. ^abCash Box Top 100 Singles, December 9, 1961
  24. ^Flavour of New Zealand, 28 December 1961
  25. ^Testa, Jessica."13 'Moon River' Covers, In Memory of Andy Williams",BuzzFeed,September 26, 2012, accessed January 6, 2016
  26. ^Mercer, Johnny.My Huckleberry Friend,Pye NSPL18432 (1974) ASIN: B008K7RPIK
  27. ^Soergel, Brian (May 24, 2007)."Dave Koz's Secret Symphony Gig".SmoothVibes. Archived fromthe originalon March 3, 2016.RetrievedJuly 14,2010.
  28. ^Ware, Elizabeth (October 3, 2007)."Dave Koz - At The Movies".SmoothViews.
  29. ^Moon RiveratAllMusic
  30. ^Shedden, Iain (November 16, 2013)."Goin' Your Way(Neil Finn and Paul Kelly) ".The Australian.News Corp Australia.RetrievedDecember 16,2013.
  31. ^"Neil Finn/Paul Kelly Australian Tour – Latest Dates".Neil Finn Official Website.January 2013. Archived fromthe originalon December 19, 2013.RetrievedDecember 16,2013.
  32. ^"Watch Paul Kelly & Neil Finn Concert".Paul Kelly Official Website.March 20, 2013. Archived fromthe originalon March 23, 2013.RetrievedDecember 18,2013.
  33. ^McArthur, Rachael (November 11, 2013)."Neil Finn and Paul Kelly –Goin' Your Way".Renowned for Sound (Brendon Veevers, Robert Lee).RetrievedDecember 18,2013.
  34. ^"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.RetrievedAugust 30,2023.{{cite news}}:CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  35. ^Pattison, Michael."Weighing Up the Pros and Cons of the New Amy Winehouse Documentary",Vice, July 1, 2015
  36. ^Fly Me to the Moon: The Great American Songbook, Vol. 5,Allmusic, accessed January 8, 2015
  37. ^Santopietro, Tom.The Importance of Being Barbra,Macmillan (2007)ISBN142990853X
  38. ^"Barbra Streisand",RIAA, accessed January 8, 2016
  39. ^"Moon River - Single by Frank Ocean".Apple Music.RetrievedDecember 2,2020.
  40. ^"Frank Ocean's 'Moon River' Cover Debuts in Top 10 on Hot R&B Songs Chart".Billboard.RetrievedDecember 2,2020.
  41. ^Robinson, Joe."Andy Williams Tribute: Top 5 Alt-Rock Versions of 'Moon River'",Diffuser.fm,September 2012, accessed January 6, 2016
  42. ^"Grammy Awards Winners & Nominees for Best Instrumental Arrangement".Grammy Awards.2020.RetrievedJanuary 26,2019.
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