"Love Makes the World Go 'Round" is a popular

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

written by

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

for the

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

Broadway

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

Carnival! ''Carnival'' is a musical theatre, musical, originally produced by David Merrick on Broadway in 1961, with the book by Michael Stewart (playwright), Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The musical is based on the 1953 film ''Lil ...

''. The song is also known as "Theme From Carnival".

Background

''Carnival!s equivalent of "

Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo "Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo" is a popular music, popular song with music by Bronislaw Kaper, and lyrics by Helen Deutsch. The song was published in 1952. The song was featured in the 1953 film ''Lili (1953 film), Lili'', starring Leslie Caron. Recorded vers ...

", the signature song from the musical's parent film '' Lili'', "Love Makes the World Go 'Round" is played on a

concertina A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front. The ...

at the play's opening and is later sung by the characters Lili and Paul Berthalet, with the latter being concealed while his

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...

s apparently sing. In scoring ''Carnival!'', Bob Merrill had hoped to utilize French folk music as his touchstone, eschewing the conventional

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of History of music publishing, music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the American popular music, popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Originally ...

style of song predominant in Broadway shows. During the development phase of ''Carnival!'',

Gower Champion Gower Carlyle Champion (June 22, 1919 – August 25, 1980) was an American actor, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer. Early years Champion was born on June 22, 1919, in Geneva, Illinois, as the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice Ca ...

and Michael Stewart – respectively set to direct the musical and write its book – would visit Merrill's apartment every morning and leave each afternoon disappointed by the lack of any evident hit song in the proposed score Merrill had played for them. When seeing out Champion and Stewart one afternoon, Merrill became irate at his visitors' attitude, telling them: "While you're waiting for this f**king elevator I can write the song I know you want" and improvising a tune reminiscent of

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their musical ...

's "

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

Waltz". Whether or not Merrill was making a serious song pitch, Champion and Stewart's response to Merrill's impromptu composition was so positive as to demand its development into a full show tune for ''Carnival!'', the result being "Love Makes the World Go 'Round".

Recordings

Jane Morgan Jane Morgan (born Florence Catherine Currier; May 3, 1924) is an American former singer and recording artist of traditional pop. Morgan initially found success in France and the UK before achieving recognition in the US, receiving six gold re ...

released a single of "Love Makes the World Go 'Round" which served as the title cut of her August 1961 album release on the Kapp label. Jane's version did well in several major markets throughout the United States. *

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close-harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...

recorded the song for their album '' Instant Party!''. *

Al Hirt Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java (instrumental), Java" and the accompanying album ''Honey in the Horn (album ...

released a version on his 1962 album, '' Horn A-Plenty'', and on his 1965 album ''

The Best of Al Hirt ''The Best of Al Hirt'' is a compilation album by Al Hirt released by RCA Victor in 1965. The album peaked at No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' Top LPs chart.Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

recorded the song for his album ''

Bing Crosby's Treasury - The Songs I Love (1968 version) Bing most often refers to: * Bing Crosby (1903–1977), American singer * Microsoft Bing, a web search engine Bing may also refer to: Food and drink * Bing (bread), a Chinese flatbread * Bing (soft drink), a UK brand * Bing cherry, a variety ...

''. *"Love Makes the World Go 'Round" has been recorded by

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born 28 April 1941), credited as Ann-Margret, is a Swedish-American actress and singer with a career spanning seven decades. Her many screen roles include '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' Bye Bye B ...

and

Wayne Newton Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942), also known as Mr. Las Vegas, is an American singer and actor. One of the most popular singers in the United States from the mid-to-late 20th century, Newton remains one of the best-known entertainers in ...

, among others.

References

External links

Song lyric
1961 songs Songs written by Bob Merrill Songs from musicals {{pop-standard-stub