The Original Soundtrack to the film ''

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

'' was released in 1958. The film was based on the 1949 musical ''

'' by

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 popular ...

. The composers had much say in this recording, with many of the songs performed by accomplished singers rather than the actors in the film.

Mitzi Gaynor Mitzi Gaynor (born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber; September 4, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her notable films include '' We're Not Married!'' (1952), '' There's No Business Like Show Business'' (1954), '' The Birds ...

and

Ray Walston Herman Raymond Walston (November 2, 1914 – January 1, 2001) was an American actor and comedian, well known as the title character on ''My Favorite Martian''. His other major film, television, and stage roles included Luther Billis (''South Paci ...

(who had played Luther Billis in the original national tour and in the original London production) were the only two leading performers who did their own singing in the film (and on the soundtrack album). The roles of Emile DeBecque, Bloody Mary and Joe Cable were sung by

Giorgio Tozzi Giorgio Tozzi (January 8, 1923 – May 30, 2011) was an American operatic bass. He was a mainstay for many years with the Metropolitan Opera, and sang principal bass roles in nearly every major opera house worldwide. Career Tozzi was born Georg ...

, Muriel Smith (who had played the role in the original London production) and Bill Lee, respectively. The album became a major success, reaching No.1 in both the US and UK. In the US, the album stayed at No.1 for seven months - the fourth longest run ever. In the UK, the album remained in the top five for 27 consecutive weeks before reaching No.1 in November 1958. It stayed at the top for a record-breaking 115 weeks (the first 70 of these consecutively—including the whole year of 1959), and remained in the top five for 214 weeks.Official Charts - ''South Pacific'' UK Chart run
/ref> As of 2006, the album has sold 1,803,681 copies in United Kingdom.

Track listing

The songs on the soundtrack LP and CD are arranged in the order that they appear in the Broadway musical, not in the order in which they appear in the film. Side One # "South Pacific Overture" (3:03) # "Dites-moi" (1:19) # "A Cockeyed Optimist" (1:45) # "Twin Soliloquies" / " Some Enchanted Evening" (5:53) # "Bloody Mary" (1:57) # "My Girl Back Home" (1:42) # " There Is Nothin' Like a Dame" (3:50) # "

Bali Ha'i "Bali Ha'i", also spelled "Bali Hai", is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' South Pacific''. The name refers to a mystical island, visible on the horizon but not reachable, and was originally inspired by the sight of Amba ...

" (3:41) Side Two # " I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" (2:56) # "

I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy "A Wonderful Guy" is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical '' South Pacific.'' It was first introduced by Mary Martin in the original Broadway production and sung by Mitzi Gaynor in the 1958 film adaptation. In the show, Nellie ...

" (3:23) # "

Younger Than Springtime "Younger Than Springtime" is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ''South Pacific''. It has been widely recorded as a jazz standard. The song is performed in the first act by Lieutenant Cable when he makes love to his adored ...

" (4:59) # "

Happy Talk Happy talk, also called banter, is the additional and often meaningless commentary interspersed into television news programs by news anchors and others on set. It may consist of simple jokes or simply a modified wording in asking a question ...

" (3:46) # "Honey Bun" (1:48) # " You've Got to Be Carefully Taught" (1:15) # "This Nearly Was Mine" (2:12) # "Finale" (2:58)

Chart positions

Certifications and sales

References

{{Authority control Film scores 1958 albums RCA Records soundtracks * Various artists albums