“Since the world has existed, there has been injustice. But it is one world, the more so as it becomes smaller, more accessible. There is just no question that there is more obligation that those who have should give to those who have nothing.”
― Audrey Hepburn
At least I have somewhat of a reason for being late this week....
My introduction to this week's tune was watching the incomparable (i.e., I've had a crush on her since I first saw her) Audrey Hepburn in the classic movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. My re-introduction to it came because my youngest son was fascinated by outer space when he was young (still is to a degree), and liked me to sing him snippets of songs with planets' (including our moon) names in them as I was tucking him in. I wanted to come up with a couple more lyrics to this week's song to sing to him and came across this version on YouTube. That the version I found was by an artist I loved was just icing on the cake....
If you're familiar with this week's tune, you'll know the definitive version is by Andy Williams. I was all set to use his version until I read his Wikipedia bio and found out that although he campaigned for Robert F. Kennedy and was a companion of his wife Ethel after RFK's assassination, he claimed to be a lifelong Republican, reiterated RWNJ talking points about President Obama, and praised Rush Limbaugh. In short, fuck him. Besides, Bobby Darin's version blows his away. Regular readers (all three of you) may recall that I wrote about Darin in Jukebox CCLXXIX, and as Darin has been playing at The Great Rock and Roll Concert in the Sky since 1973, there isn't anything to add.
"Moon River" was written by Henry Mancini (music) and Johnny Mercer (lyrics) for the aforementioned film. Bobby Darin had recorded it to be used on an album but passed away before it was started. His version was not released until 1999, on the compilation The Unreleased Capitol Sides. Darin's rendition was not released as a single, and near as I can tell, the album did not chart.
Fun Fact(s): "Moon River" won the Academy Award for Best Song in 1961, and Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1962. It was also ranked #4 on AFI's list of the top one hundred songs in American movies.
If ever there was a song written about hope that captures hope better than "Moon River," I've yet to hear it. Mercer has said the song is about the waterways near his boyhood home of Savannah, Georgia, and it certainly grasps the dreams of his youth. The melody is lovely, embodying a lushness that makes the song unforgettable. Darin sings it with a wistfulness that leaves you in wonder and avoids the schmaltziness that mars Williams' version. You'll often hear a song referred to as an American standard, and "Moon River" meets that designation in every conceivable way. Just a beautiful and touching piece of Americana.
[Aside: Regardless of my feelings for her, I would be remiss if I did not note that Audrey Hepburn's version in the movie is a wonder in and of itself and certainly adds to the song's rich history.]
Lyric Sheet: "We're after the same rainbow's end/Waiting 'round the bend/My huckleberry friend/Moon River and me..."
As noted last week, this week's tune also was introduced to me via a sampler of Sentimental Journey: Pop Vocal Classics, Vol. 1-4. Little did I know, though, until just a few weeks ago when I saw My Fair Lady for the first time, that it's actually a song from...well, My Fair Lady. And the poor fellow who sings the song doesn't even get the girl in the end (and what a loss that was, as it was Audrey Hepburn... hubba-hubba).
Vic Damone was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1928 and rose from his humble beginnings to become one of the great crooners of the 50's and 60's. Damone's early career was marked by the releases of numerous singles and playing TV and radio shows that catered to fans of his type of music. Frank Sinatra at one time said that Damone "had the best set of pipes in the business." Damone's career ran from 1947 until 2002 at which time a stroke forced his early retirement (though he did do a one off concert in 2011 in Palm Beach, Florida so that his grandchildren could see him perform for the first--and only--time). Damone scored nine top ten singles in his career, including one number one. Sadly, Damone died in 2018 at the age of eighty-nine from complications from a respiratory illness..
Fun Fact: Damone dropped out of high school to help support his family after his father died. He worked at a theater as an usher, and one evening he spotted Perry Como (a big crooner of the forties and fifties for those not in the know) and stopped his elevator in between floors and sang for Como. Como was so impressed he got him an audition...and the rest is Damone's history. Damone would eventually name his first born son Perry.
"On the Street Where You Live" was released as a single in 1956, and rose all the way to #4 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100. While Damone's version has since appeared on numerous compilations, it was originally released only as a single.
If you've ever fallen in love, you know there's a very special feeling when it first begins to happen and when you come anywhere near your newly beloved it can at times feel like you're walking on clouds. And that is exactly the spirit of love that is captured so brilliantly in "On the Street Where You Live." While the strings and the stand-up bass (I think) add a lush undertone, it's Damone's otherworldly baritone that is the beginning, middle, and end of this classic ballad. I noted last week that Johnny Mathis' voice conjured the singing of angels, and I'm not exaggerating (too much) when I say that Damone's would conjure the Gods themselves. It's a beautiful song from a bygone era when ballads were ballads and an electrician's son could sing a tune that made the Gods of music smile--and smile, I assure you, they did for a long, long while.
Lyric Sheet: "People stop and stare, they don't bother me/For there's nowhere else on earth that I would rather be/Let the time go by, I won't care if I/Can be here on the street where you live..."
Enjoy:
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