"Moon River" is a song composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was originally performed by

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen ...

in the 1961 movie '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'', winning an

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed ...

. The song also won the 1962 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The song has been recorded by many other artists. It became the theme song for Andy Williams, who first recorded it in 1962 (and performed it at the

Academy Awards 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 ...

ceremony that year). He sang the first eight bars of the song at the beginning of each episode of his eponymous television show and named his production company and venue in Branson, Missouri, after it; his autobiography is called ''"Moon River" and Me''. Williams' version was never released as a single, but it charted as an LP track that he recorded for Columbia on a hit album of 1962, ''

Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes ''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 ...

''. In 2022, Williams' rendition of the song was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress. The song's success was responsible for relaunching Mercer's career as a songwriter, which had stalled in the mid-1950s because

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

had replaced

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive li ...

s as the

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...

of the time. The song's popularity is such that it has been used as a test sample in a study on people's memories of popular songs. Comments about the lyrics have noted that they are particularly reminiscent of Mercer's youth in the

southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

and his longing to expand his horizons. Robert Wright wrote in ''

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', "This is a love sung /nowiki>''sic''.html" ;"title="sic.html" ;"title="/nowiki>''sic">/nowiki>''sic''">sic.html" ;"title="/nowiki>''sic">/nowiki>''sic''/nowiki> to wanderlust. Or a romantic song in which the romantic partner is the idea of romance." An inlet near

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

, Johnny Mercer's hometown, was named Moon River in honor of him and this song.

Versions

Original

Mercer and Mancini wrote the song for

to sing in the film '' Breakfast at Tiffany's''. The lyrics, written by Mercer, are reminiscent of his childhood in

, including its waterways. As a child, he had picked huckleberries in summer, and he connected them with a carefree childhood and Mark Twain's '' Huckleberry Finn''. Although an instrumental version is played over the film's opening titles, the lyrics are first heard in a scene where Paul "Fred" Varjak ( George Peppard) discovers Holly Golightly (Hepburn) singing the song, accompanying herself on the guitar while sitting on the fire escape outside their apartments. Cryer, Max
"The story behind the song: Moon River"
''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'', October 7, 2008, accessed January 6, 2016 There was an eruption of behind-the-scenes consternation when a

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

executive, Martin Rackin, suggested removing the song from the film after a tepid Los Angeles preview. Hepburn's reaction was described by Mancini and others in degrees varying from her saying, "Over my dead body!" to her using more colorful language to make the same point. An album version was recorded by Mancini and his orchestra and chorus (without Hepburn's vocal) on December 8, 1960. It was released as a single in 1961 and became a number 11 hit in December of that year. Due to unpublished charts in ''Billboard'', Joel Whitburn's ''Top Adult (Contemporary) Songs'' variously reported the song as a number 3 or number 1

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, ...

hit. Mancini's original version was also featured in the film '' Born on the Fourth of July'' (1989). In 1993, following Hepburn's death, her version was released on an album titled ''Music from the Films of Audrey Hepburn''. In 2004, Hepburn's version finished at number 4 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.

Early recordings

"Moon River" was a hit single for Jerry Butler in late 1961. Released simultaneously with Mancini's, it reached number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and number 3

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, ...

in December, two weeks before Mancini's recording reached the same chart ranking. British singer Danny Williams had a hit version of the song that reached number one in the UK in the final week of 1961. Although Andy Williams never released the song as a single, his LP ''

'' (1962), was certified gold in 1963 for selling one million units. The album reached number 3 on the ''Billboard'' Top 200, eventually selling more than two million copies by 1967. In 2002, a 74-year-old Andy Williams sang the song at the conclusion of the live NBC special telecast celebrating the network's 75th anniversary. In 2022, Andy Williams' recording of the song was selected by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

for preservation in the

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservat ...

Chart history

;Henry Mancini & Orchestra ;Jerry Butler ;Danny Williams

Later versions

Hundreds of versions of the song have been recorded and it has been featured in many media. Mercer recorded the song in 1974 for his album '' My Huckleberry Friend''. In 2007, saxophonist Dave Koz recorded a version from his standards music album, ''At the Movies'', sung by Barry Manilow. In 2013, Neil Finn and Paul Kelly performed the song on their Goin' Your Way Tour, during which their performance at the

Sydney Opera House Concert Hall The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney harbour, Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and ...

was recorded for the live album, '' Goin' Your Way'', released the same year. The title of the album comes from a phrase in the song's chorus: "Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' your way". Lawrence Welk's 1961 instrumental version was featured in ''Mad Men'' season 6, episode 13, "In Care Of" (2013). A version of the song was featured in Asif Kapadia's

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

, ''

Amy Amy is a female given name, sometimes short for Amanda, Amelia, Amélie, or Amita. In French, the name is spelled ''" Aimée"''. People A–E * Amy Acker (born 1976), American actress * Amy Vera Ackman, also known as Mother Giovanni (1886– ...

'' (2015), about Amy Winehouse. Winehouse's version, sung at age 16 with the

National Youth Jazz Orchestra The National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) is a British jazz orchestra founded in 1965 by Bill Ashton. In 2010. Mark Armstrong took over as Music Director of the flagship performing band, and Artistic Director of the organisation; Bill Ashton bec ...

in 2000, is the opening song in the film. ''

'' listed, among prominent covers of the song, those by Frank Sinatra,

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

, Sarah Vaughan, Louis Armstrong, Sarah Brightman and

Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of '' Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...

. Other stars who have covered the song include Rod Stewart in '' Fly Me to the Moon... The Great American Songbook Volume V'' (2010), which charted at No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' 200,

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

in '' The Movie Album'' (2003), a Grammy-nominated gold album, and

Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...

, who released a cover on Valentine's Day 2018 that debuted in the Top 10 of the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B chart. Diffuser.fm named these the "Top 5 Alt-Rock" versions of the song: Morrissey, Glasvegas, R.E.M.,

The Killers The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...

and Josh Ritter.

Jacob Collier Jacob Collier (; né Moriarty; born 2 August 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. His music incorporates a combination of jazz with elements from many other musical genres, and often features extensive use of reha ...

's ''a capella'' cover won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1960s ballads 1960s jazz standards 1961 singles 1961 songs Andy Williams songs Aretha Franklin songs Barbra Streisand songs Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songs Christmas number-one singles in the United Kingdom Danny Williams (singer) songs Film theme songs Frank Sinatra songs Grammy Award for Record of the Year Grammy Award for Song of the Year Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Jerry Butler songs Judy Garland songs Louis Armstrong songs Number-one singles in New Zealand Perry Como songs Pop ballads RCA Victor singles R.E.M. songs Rod Stewart songs Songs about rivers Songs about the Moon Songs about Georgia (U.S. state) Songs with lyrics by Johnny Mercer Songs with music by Henry Mancini Songs written for films The Killers songs UK Singles Chart number-one singles United States National Recording Registry recordings Vee-Jay Records singles Westlife songs