''Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes'' is the ninth
studio album by American pop singer
Andy Williams and was released on March 26, 1962 by
Columbia Records and covered film songs that were mostly from the previous decade.
The album made its first appearance on ''
Billboard'' magazine's
Top LP's chart in the issue dated May 12 of that year and remained there for 176 weeks (the longest chart run of any of his albums), peaking at number 3.
[.]
The album received Gold certification from the
Recording Industry Association of America on October 14, 1963, and thus became Williams's earliest recording to achieve this honor but not, however, the first to do so. His ''
Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests
''Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests'' is the eleventh album, studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in April 1963 by Columbia Records following his first season as host of his variety series, ''The Andy Will ...
'' album, which was released in April 1963, received its Gold certification just one month prior to this one.
[ Type ''Andy Williams'' in the Search box and press ''Enter''.] By 1967, the album had sold more than two million copies.
''Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes'' was released on compact disc for the first time by
Columbia in 1987.
It was also released as one of two albums on one CD by
Sony Music Distribution on May 15, 2001, the other album being Williams's
Columbia album from February 1962,''
Danny Boy and Other Songs I Love to Sing
''Danny Boy and Other Songs I Love to Sing'' is the eighth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released early in 1962 by Columbia Records. This was his first project after leaving Cadence Records, where his albums each had a ...
''.
Album concept
In his autobiography ''Moon River and Me: A Memoir'', Williams describes how
Archie Bleyer
Archibald Martin Bleyer (June 12, 1909 – March 20, 1989) was an American song arranger, bandleader, and record company executive.
Early life
Bleyer was born in the Corona section of the New York City borough of Queens. His father was a well-kn ...
, the head of his former record label,
Cadence Records
Cadence Records was an American record company based in New York City whose labels had a picture of a metronome. It was founded by Archie Bleyer, who had been the musical director and orchestra leader for Arthur Godfrey in 1952. Cadence also lau ...
, had discouraged the singer from recording the song "
Moon River" in 1961, assuming that young people wouldn't understand the line "my huckleberry friend". Williams writes, "He thought it was too abstract and didn't think it would be a hit single, so he turned it down." Williams moved on shortly thereafter to
Columbia Records, where the powers-that-be loved the idea of an entire album of songs from movies, and he wound up recording the rejected song on January 4, 1962. A few months later he was again offered the chance to sing "
Moon River", this time at the
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
s on April 9 because of its nomination for
Best Original Song
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
. The April 28 issue of ''
Billboard'' magazine reported that the album had "racked up orders, according to Columbia Records, of close to 40,000 within two weeks' release. Platter was rushed out by the label to coincide with Williams' performance of the Mancini tune on the Academy Awards Show a fortnight ago."
Reception
William Ruhlmann of
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
felt that Williams did a "masterful version"
[ of the title track and "also does well with the rest of the songs,"][ calling the album "a highlight in the singer's career."][
In 2022, Williams' rendition of Moon River was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress.]
Track listing
Side one
# " Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" from '' Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing'' ( Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster) – 2:55
# " The Theme from ''A Summer Place''" from '' A Summer Place'' (Mack Discant, Max Steiner
Maximilian Raoul Steiner (May 10, 1888 – December 28, 1971) was an Austrian composer and conductor who emigrated to America and went on to become one of Hollywood's greatest musical composers.
Steiner was a child prodigy who conducted ...
) – 2:38
# "Maria
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
* 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
* Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
" from ''West Side Story
''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents.
Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...
'' ( Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim) – 3:43
# "Never on Sunday
''Never on Sunday'' ( el, Ποτέ την Κυριακή, ) is a 1960 Greek romantic comedy film starring, written by and directed by Jules Dassin.
The film tells the story of Ilya, a Greek prostitute (Melina Mercouri), and Homer (Dassin), an Am ...
" from ''Never on Sunday
''Never on Sunday'' ( el, Ποτέ την Κυριακή, ) is a 1960 Greek romantic comedy film starring, written by and directed by Jules Dassin.
The film tells the story of Ilya, a Greek prostitute (Melina Mercouri), and Homer (Dassin), an Am ...
'' (Manos Hadjidakis
Manos may refer to:
Films
* ''The Hands'' (Spanish: ''Las manos''), a 2006 Argentinean-Italian film
* '' Manos: The Hands of Fate'', 1966 horror film
Music
* Manos (band), German Black metal band
* ''Manos'' (album), by The Spinanes
Other use ...
, Billy Towne) – 3:02
# " As Time Goes By" from ''Everybody's Welcome {{italic title
''Everybody's Welcome'' is a musical comedy with a book by Lambert Carroll, lyrics by Irving Kahal, and music by Sammy Fain. The musical has two acts and a prologue. The story is based on ''Up Pops the Devil'' by Frances Goodrich a ...
'' (Herman Hupfeld
Herman Hupfeld (February 1, 1894June 8, 1951) was an American songwriter whose most notable composition was " As Time Goes By". He wrote both the lyrics and music.
Life and career
Hupfeld was born in Montclair, New Jersey, the son of Fredericka ...
) – 3:11
# "The Exodus Song (This Land Is Mine)" from '' Exodus'' (Pat Boone
Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...
, Ernest Gold) – 3:16
Side two
# " Moon River" from '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'' (Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...
, Johnny Mercer) – 2:46
# "Tonight
Tonight may refer to:
Television
* ''Tonight'' (1957 TV programme), a 1957–1965 British current events television programme hosted by Cliff Michelmore that was broadcast on BBC
* ''Tonight'' (1975 TV programme), a 1975–1979 British current ...
" from ''West Side Story'' ( Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim) – 2:37
# " The Second Time Around" from '' High Time'' (Sammy Cahn
Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premi ...
, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 3:23
# "Tender Is the Night" from ''Tender Is the Night
''Tender Is the Night'' is the fourth and final novel completed by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in French Riviera during the twilight of the Jazz Age, the 1934 novel chronicles the rise and fall of Dick Diver, a promising young p ...
'' (Fain, Webster) – 3:05
# "It Might as Well Be Spring
"It Might as Well Be Spring" is a song from the 1945 film ''State Fair''. which features the only original film score by the songwriting team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. "It Might as Well Be Spring" won the Academy Award for Best ...
" from ''State Fair
A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in th ...
'' ( Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) –3:11
# " Three Coins in the Fountain" from '' Three Coins in the Fountain'' (Cahn, Jule Styne) – 2:55
Personnel
From the liner notes for the original album:
*Robert Mersey – arranger, conductor, producer
*Andy Williams - vocals
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
{{Authority control
1962 albums
Andy Williams albums
Columbia Records albums