"Charade" is a Parisian waltz with music by

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, ...

and lyrics by

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Wallichs Music Cit ...

performed in the 1963 film of the same name starring

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

and

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

. It was nominated that year for the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for Best Original Song.

Inspiration

Stanley Donen Stanley Donen ( ; April 13, 1924 – February 21, 2019) was an American film director and choreographer. He received the Honorary Academy Award in 70th Academy Awards, 1998, and the Golden Lion#Golden Lion – Honorary Award, Career Golden Lion ...

had heard and been charmed by Henry Mancini's song " Baby Elephant Walk" from the film ''Hatari!'',

had become a friend of

while scoring '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'', and he composed the song for ''Charade'': "Our next film together was ''Charade'' in 1963. Stanley Donen directed Peter Stone's screenplay. There is a scene in the movie where Audrey returns from a happy winter holiday to her Paris flat to find it stripped of everything of value. Bare floors and the walls are all that remain. Her loutish husband had absconded with all of her worldly goods. She enters the dimly-lit apartment with her suitcase and surveys the scene. Her feelings are of sadness, loneliness and vulnerability. To me, it translated into a sad little Parisian waltz. With that image of Audrey in my mind, I went to the piano and within less than an hour 'Charade' was written. I played it for Audrey and Stanley. Both felt it was just right for the movie. Johnny Mercer added his poetry, and the song was nominated for an Oscar that year".

Recordings

Henry Mancini's version reached #15 on the adult contemporary chart and #36 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1963.

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

released a version that reached #100 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

. Sammy Kaye also released a version in 1964 that reached #10 on the adult contemporary chart and #36 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Blossom Dearie's version is found on her album " May I Come In". It was used for the closing credits for the film '' Can You Ever Forgive Me?''. Dame Shirley Bassey recorded the song for EMI which was released in 1968 on the LP entitled " 12 of those songs " Bassey, who is known for her joyous powerful voice, recorded a beautiful melodic version. This song is available via the usual digital platforms

Reactions

As with "

Moon River "Moon River" is a song composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'', winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song also won the 19 ...

" and "

The Days of Wine and Roses ''The Days of Wine and Roses'' is the second record and the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band the Dream Syndicate. It was released in October 1982 through Ruby Records, a division of Slash Records. Produced by Chris D. (o ...

," the song is subjugated, at various places in the film, to the role of source music. Though the Mancini-Mercer team lost the Oscar that year,

said it was his favourite Mancini melody. Donen was impressed with Mancini as a working partner: "just a lovely man to work with" and "elegant, meticulous, very organized".

In popular culture

The song was prominently featured in the 1976 ''

Columbo ''Columbo'' is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Columbo (character), Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originall ...

'' fifth-season episode "Now You See Him..." It is sung twice onscreen by a

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

singer (portrayed by Patrick Culliton) and later plays in an

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

version over the episode's

closing credits Closing credits, aka end credits or end titles, are a list of the cast and crew of a particular motion picture, television show, or video game. While opening credits appear at the beginning of a work, closing credits appear close to or at th ...

. The 1965 Bollywood film '' Gumnaam'' has a recurring song that appropriates the melody of “Charade,” taunting the characters as they are killed one by one.

Composition

Charade is a waltz written in minor chord in the standard form AABA without introduction with the main part (or A part) repeated three times. In the second A part the song is arranged with a chromatic harmony that recalls James Bond's theme.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charade (1963 song) 1963 singles 1964 singles Songs written for films Songs with music by Henry Mancini Songs with lyrics by Johnny Mercer Andy Williams songs 1963 songs RCA Victor singles