| "Moon River" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single byHenry Mancini & Orchestra | |
| from the albumBreakfast at Tiffany's: Music from the Motion Picture | |
| B-side | "Breakfast at Tiffany's" |
| Released | September 1961[1] |
| Recorded | 1960 |
| Studio | RCA Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California |
| Genre | Traditional pop |
| Length | 2:41 |
| Label | RCA Victor |
| Composer | Henry Mancini |
| Lyricist | Johnny Mercer |
| Producers | Dick Peirce,Joe Reisman |
| Audio sample | |
"Moon River" is a song composed byHenry Mancini with lyrics byJohnny Mercer. It was originally performed byAudrey Hepburn in the 1961 filmBreakfast at Tiffany's, winning anAcademy Award for Best Original Song.[2] The song also won the 1962Grammy Awards forRecord of the Year andSong of the Year.[3] In 1999, Mancini's recording was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame.[4]
The song has been recorded by many other artists.[5] It became the theme song forAndy Williams, who first recorded it in 1962 (and performed it at theAcademy Awards ceremony that year). He sang the first eight bars of the song at the beginning of each episode ofhis eponymous television show and named his production company and venue inBranson, Missouri, after it; his autobiography is called"Moon River" and Me. Williams' version was included in a LP that he recorded for Columbia on a hit album of 1962,Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes.[6] In 2022, Williams' rendition of the song was selected for preservation in theLibrary of Congress.[7]
The song's success was responsible for relaunching Mercer's career as a songwriter, which had stalled in the mid-1950s becauserock and roll had replacedjazz standards as thepopular music of 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.[8] Comments about the lyrics have noted that they are particularly reminiscent of Mercer's youth in theSouthern United States and his longing to expand his horizons.[9]Robert Wright wrote 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."[10] An inlet nearSavannah, Georgia, Johnny Mercer's hometown, was named Moon River in honor of him and this song.[8]
Mercer and Mancini wrote the song forAudrey Hepburn to 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 pickedhuckleberries in summer, and he connected them with a carefree childhood and Mark Twain'sHuckleberry Finn.[5] Mercer's original title for the song was "Blue River", reflecting the color of huckleberries.[11] 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.[5][9]
There was an eruption of behind-the-scenes consternation when aParamount 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.[12]
Analbum version was recorded by Mancini and his orchestra and chorus (without Hepburn's vocal) on December 8, 1960.[13] It was released as a single in 1961 and became a number 11 hit in December of that year.[14] Due to unpublished charts inBillboard, Joel Whitburn'sTop Adult (Contemporary) Songs variously reported the song as a number 3 or number 1easy listening hit. 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 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.
| "Moon River" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byJerry Butler | ||||
| from the album Moon River | ||||
| A-side | "Aware of Love" | |||
| Released | 1961 (1961) | |||
| Recorded | 1961 | |||
| Studio | Universal (Chicago)[15] | |||
| Genre | Pop,R&B | |||
| Length | 2:45 | |||
| Label | Vee-Jay | |||
| Composer | Henry Mancini | |||
| Lyricist | Johnny Mercer | |||
| Producer | Riley C. Hampton | |||
| Jerry Butler singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Moon River" was a hit single forJerry Butler in late 1961. Released simultaneously with Mancini's, it reached number 11 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart[16] and number 3Easy Listening[17] in December, two weeks before Mancini's recording reached the same chart ranking. InCanada the song reached number 14, co-charting with the Mancini version.[18] British singerDanny Williams had a hit version of the song that reached number one in the UK in the final week of 1961.[2]
AlthoughAndy Williams never released the song as a single, his LPMoon River and Other Great Movie Themes (1962), wascertified gold in 1963 for selling one million units.[19] The album reached number 3 on theBillboard Top 200, eventually selling more than two million copies by 1967.[20] In 2002, a 74-year-old Andy Williams sang the song at the conclusion of the liveNBC special telecast celebrating the network's 75th anniversary.[21] In 2018, Andy Williams' version onColumbia Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[4] In 2022, Andy Williams' recording of the song was selected by theLibrary of Congress for preservation in theNational Recording Registry.[22]
| Chart (1961–62) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (CHUM Hit Parade)[18] | 14 |
| UK Singles Chart[2] | 46 |
| U.S.BillboardHot 100[23] | 11 |
| U.S.BillboardEasy Listening | 3 |
| U.S.Cash Box Top 100[24] | 5 |
| Chart (1961–62) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (CHUM Hit Parade)[18] | 14 |
| New Zealand (Listener)[25] | 1 |
| U.S.BillboardHot 100[23] | 11 |
| U.S.BillboardEasy Listening | 3 |
| U.S.Cash Box Top 100[24] | 5 |
| Chart (1961–62) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[2] | 1 |
Hundreds of versions of the song have been recorded and it has been featured in many media.[5][26] Mercer recorded the song in 1974 for his albumMy Huckleberry Friend.[27] In 2007, saxophonistDave Koz recorded a version from his standards music album,At the Movies, sung byBarry Manilow.[28][29][30] In 2013,Neil Finn andPaul Kelly performed the song on their Goin' Your Way Tour,[31][32] during which their performance at theSydney Opera House Concert Hall was recorded for the live album,Goin' Your Way, released the same year.[33] The title of the album comes from a phrase in the song's chorus: "Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way".[34]Lawrence Welk's 1961 instrumental version was featured inMad Men season 6, episode 13, "In Care Of" (2013).[35] 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 Orchestra in 2000, is the opening song in the film.[36]
The Telegraph listed, among prominent covers of the song, those byFrank Sinatra,Judy Garland,Sarah Vaughan,Louis Armstrong,Sarah Brightman andChevy Chase (in the comedy filmFletch).[5] Other stars who have covered the song includeRod Stewart inFly Me to the Moon... The Great American Songbook Volume V (2010), which charted at No. 4 on theBillboard 200,[37]Barbra Streisand inThe Movie Album (2003), a Grammy-nominated[38] gold album,[39] andFrank Ocean, who released a cover on Valentine's Day 2018[40] that debuted in the Top 10 of theBillboard Hot R&B chart.[41]Diffuser.fm named these the "Top 5 Alt-Rock" versions of the song:Morrissey,Glasvegas,R.E.M.,The Killers andJosh Ritter.[42]Jacob Collier'sa capella cover won the 2020Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella.[43]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[44] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| Albums |
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| Collaboration albums |
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