Henry Mancini & Johnny Mercer – Moon River

This exquisite ballad was commissioned for the Paramount film Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1961 (Click here to read Filmycks review), and was specifically written to accommodate the limited range of the star that was to sing it, the gorgeous Audrey Hepburn. Master lyricist Johnny Mercer, who had been responsible for many great standards with composer Harold Arlen in the 1940’s, teamed up with director Blake Edward’s favourite composer, Henry Mancini to produce another classic. The film was based on Truman Capote’s novella that traced the ambitions and travails of an “American geisha” in New York, but the tepid and conservative era saw much of the edgy nature of the book watered down in a movie designed for mass consumption. Capote lobbied for the full bodied Marilyn Monroe to play Holly, but she was a contracted Fox star and Paramount opted for their gamine contract player Audrey Hepburn.

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This is an excerpt from Michael’s 33 Great Songs 33 Great Songwriters book available everywhere eBooks are sold.

All the best!
Karl & Michael