It became the theme song for Andy Williams, who first recorded the song in 1961 and performed it at the Academy Awards ceremonies in 1962. He sang the first eight bars of the song at the beginning of his television show; he also named his production company and venue in Branson, Missouri after Moon River. Williams' version was vetoed by Cadence president Archie Bleyer, who believed it had little or no appeal to teenagers. Williams' famous version never charted, except as an LP track, which he recorded for Columbia in a hit album of 1962.
The success of the song was responsible for relaunching Mercer's career as a songwriter, which had stalled in the mid-1950s because rock and roll replaced jazz standards as the popular music of the time. An inlet near Savannah, Georgia, Johnny Mercer's hometown, was named Moon River in honor of him and this song. The popularity of the song is such that it has been used as a test sample in a study on people's memories of popular songs.
The original version
Mercer and Mancini wrote the song for Audrey Hepburn to fit her vocal range. Initially the lyrics started, "I'm Holly, like I want to be / like Holly on a tree back home...", however they were later changed to fit the theme to the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's.
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 them, accompanied by her guitar, on the fire-escape outside their apartments.
There was much behind-the-scenes consternation which erupted when a Paramount Pictures executive suggested deleting the song from the film immediately after a very successful San Francisco preview. Hepburn's reaction has been described by Mancini and others in degrees varying from her saying "over my dead body" to her using somewhat more colorful language to make the same point.
Hepburn's version was not included in the original score album to Breakfast at Tiffany's. Instead, an album version recorded by Mancini and his chorus was released as a single and became a #11 hit. In different versions, Joel Whitburn's "Top Adult (Contemporary) Songs" reported the song as a #3 or #1 easy listening hit, due to unpublished charts in Billboard. Only months after Hepburn's death in 1993, her version was released on an album entitled Music from the Films of Audrey Hepburn.
Other recordings
"Moon River" was released by South African singer Danny Williams, and reached #1 in the UK. Shortly thereafter, Andy Williams recorded the song and made it his theme song. It was a hit for Jerry Butler in 1961, reaching #11 in the Billboard charts. Other artists that have covered the song are The Afghan Whigs, Benny Anderssons Orkester, Paul Anka, Blake, Louis Armstrong, Vince Guaraldi, Beru Revue, Mary Black, Sarah Brightman, Liz Callaway, Perry Como, Ray Conniff, Bobby Darin, Ania Dąbrowska, Dr. John, Dump, Billy Eckstine, The Four Freshmen, Connie Francis, Bill Frisell (instrumental), Emi Fujita, Judy Garland, Karel Gott, Grant Green (instrumental), Patty Griffin, The Innocence Mission (although this version is sometimes incorrectly cited as being performed by Milla Jovovich), Bradley Joseph (instrumental), Kim Yoo-jin, James Last, Joey McIntyre, Johnny Mathis, Brad Mehldau, Jane Monheit, Morrissey, Patsy Ann Noble, Jim Reeves, John Barrowman, R.E.M., Mia Riddle, Andrea Ross, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Sarah Vaughan, Nan Vernon, Kid Koala, Westlife, Victoria Williams, The Divine Comedy, and Tata Young.
Mercer himself recorded the song in 1974 for his album (appropriately named) My Huckleberry Friend.
Moon River
Mantovani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm crossing you in style some day
Oh dream maker, you heart breaker
Wherever you're going I'm going your way
Two drifters off to see the world
There's such a lot of world to see
We're after the same rainbow's end
Moon river and me.
(Moon river, wider than a mile
I'm crossing you in style some day)
Oh dream maker, you heart breaker
Wherever you're going, I'm going your way
Two drifters off to see the world
There's such a lot of world to see
We're after the same rainbow's end
Waitin' 'round the bend, my huckleberry friend
Moon river and me.
"Moon River" is a classic song from the 1961 film, "Breakfast at Tiffany's," composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The song captures the thoughts of someone who is about to embark on a journey and sees themselves crossing the wide expanse of the river in style someday. The song portrays a dreamer's wishes to be with a heartbreaker, with whom they would follow wherever they go.
The lyrics also speak to the idea of going on an adventure with a friend or a partner. The two drifters are off to see the world, and they are both pursuing the same rainbow's end. They are waiting around the bend, and they view the river as a symbol of the journey that they are about to embark on. When the singer calls their companion "huckleberry friend," it implies a close relationship that transcends a mere acquaintance.
Line by Line Meaning
Moon river, wider than a mile
I am admiring the beauty of the wide Moon river, which is more than a mile wide.
I'm crossing you in style some day
I plan to cross this river in a grand and elegant way one day.
Oh dream maker, you heart breaker
I am addressing the person who creates dreams, but also has the power to break hearts.
Wherever you're going I'm going your way
I am telling this dream maker that I will follow them wherever they go.
Two drifters off to see the world
There are two of us, wandering with no set destination to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see
The world is huge and full of many different places to discover.
We're after the same rainbow's end
Both of us are searching for the end of the same rainbow to find what treasure is there.
Waitin' 'round the bend, my huckleberry friend
We are patiently waiting for what lies ahead, my trusted companion, referred to as 'huckleberry friend.'
Moon river and me.
Together, the two of us are exploring this beautiful river, Moon River.
Lyrics © Tratore
Written by: Johnny Mercer, Henry Mancini
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@matthiasladwig9426
EIN GENIE.... Ein Klang verzaubert Millionen. Mantovani 👍
@marybell8124
Ì grew up😢 ĺoving your music.thx
@germanmedicis625
Un sonido ya clásico el de Mantovani en esta versión de Moon River. Esas cuerdas son mágicas bajo su batuta.
@itswagon
No more beautiful presentation of this composition than Mantovani's.
@markherron1407
Happy Birthday to Mantovani REST IN POWER Blessings and Hugs 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
@Ian-vd4mt
名曲の名演。このオーケストラ独特のカスケイディング演奏による、弦楽器の音は、素晴らしい。
@giuseppeabbate5816
H. Mancini e Mantovani.. :un eccellente duo musicale che merita primi posti in tutte le classifiche del mondo. Pino d'Akragas Maggio2021
@enzoconsoli2774
AN INCREDIBLE ROMANTIC AND NOSTALGIC MUSIC...IT TOUCHES MY HEART AND REMINDS ME OF NEW YORK
@lilianlagos1675
MANTOVANI.... GENIAL. !!! MOON RIVER PRECIOSA VERSIÓN. !!! MARAVILLOSA LINDA MÚSICA PARA DISFRUTARLA. !!!... 🌹🌷😘💜❤💋💘💕
@daleschneider7689
Mantovani's cascading strings in this song are really wonderful. Lawrence Welk's harpsichord prominently displayed in his cover is equally great. They both give
me goosebumps after all these years of listening pleasure.