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Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (song)

"Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" is a popular song with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster.[1] The song appeared first in the movie Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955), and it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1956.[1] From 1967 to 1973, it was also used as the theme song to Love is a Many Splendored Thing, the soap opera based on the movie.

Sheet music cover from 1955, with poster artwork from film of the same name featuring its two stars.

Many versions of the song have been released. The best-selling version was recorded by The Four Aces, whose recording reached number two in the UK Singles Chart,[1] and number one on both the Billboard and Cash Box charts in 1955.[2]

Background

The music was commissioned for the movie Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing and included in the film's Oscar-winning score, composed and conducted by Alfred Newman. It was initially only composed as background music for the film, lyrics were subsequently added to make it eligible for the Best Original Song category of the Academy Awards. The original lyrics were rejected by the studio so new ones were written.[3]

The song has been noted for its similarity to the aria Un bel dì vedremo from Giacomo Puccini’s opera, Madama Butterfly in its downward moving thirds.[4]

An orchestral version of "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" is played at the title sequence of the film, with a vocal version performed by a chorus at the end. Don Cornell and The Four Aces quickly recorded the song before the film was released.[5] Before the Four Aces had a hit with their version, several artists, including Doris Day, disliked the song.[citation needed]

Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster won an Oscar for Best Original Song at the 28th Academy Awards, their second Oscar after winning the award for "Secret Love" in 1953.[6] The background score for the film that was built around the melody of the song also won an Oscar for Best Original Score for Alfred Newman.[7]

This song is noted for its memorable lines: "In the morning mist, two lovers kissed, and the world stood still".

Four Aces version

"Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing"
 
Single by The Four Aces
from the album Hits From Hollywood
B-side"Shine On, Harvest Moon"
ReleasedJuly 22, 1955
Recorded1955
GenreTraditional pop
Length2:56
LabelDecca
Songwriter(s)Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster
The Four Aces singles chronology
"Sluefoot"
(1955)
"Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing"
(1955)
"A Woman in Love"
(1955)

The song was covered by The Four Aces featuring Al Roberts backed by the Jack Pleis Orchestra and issued by Decca Records as catalog number 29625. It was released backed with Shine On, Harvest Moon in July 1955,[8] and reached No. 1 on Billboard's first ever Top 100 chart in November 1955.[9][10] It was ranked No. 8 on Billboard's 1955's Top Tune.[11]

The recording by The Four Aces is featured in the film Cookie (1989). It became a gold record.[citation needed]

Charts

Chart (1955) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 6
UK Singles (OCC)[13] 2
US The Top 100 (Billboard)[9] 1
US Cash Box[14] 1

Other versions

Don Cornell recorded a version around at the same time as the Four Aces. It was issued by Coral Records (catalog number 61467) backed with "The Bible Tells Me So". The song reached No. 26 on Billboard' Top 100 chart.[15] A number of orchestral versions were also released in the same year and reached the Top 100 chart; David Rose and His Orchestra reached No 54,[16] while Woody Herman and His Orchestra reached No. 79.[17]

Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1955[18] for use on his radio show and it was subsequently included in the box set The Bing Crosby CBS Radio Recordings (1954-56) issued by Mosaic Records (catalog MD7-245) in 2009.[19] The song has also been recorded by Ringo Starr (on his album Sentimental Journey),[20] Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, Shirley Bassey, Nat King Cole and Barry Manilow. Neil Sedaka recorded the song in Italian as "L'Amore E' Una Cosa Meravigliosa".

Connie Francis recorded the song in Italian in 1960 during the work for her album More Italian Favorites, although this version remains unreleased to this day. Francis also recorded the original English lyrics in 1961 for her album Connie Francis Sings 'Never on Sunday' and Other Title Songs from Motion Pictures. The instrumental playback of this 1961 recording was also used when Francis cut a German-language version, "Sag, weißt du denn, was Liebe ist", in 1966.[citation needed]

The song was also performed by Fairuz in Arabian language ("Zar Bisukun Al Lail"). French-Malaysian singer Shake recorded a French version of the song in 1977 titled "Rien n'est plus beau que l'amour".[21] A Disco version was recorded by Tina Charles in 1980. Jeff Lynne recorded his version for his nostalgic cover album Long Wave in 2012.

Barry Manilow recorded a version which reached No. 32 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 2006.[22]

This song has been a staple of Engelbert Humperdinck's live show since 1995.

In popular culture

This song can be heard in the movies Grease, Circle of Friends, Private Parts, St. Trinian's, St. Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold, and The Nutty Professor 2.[citation needed] The song, among others, was referenced in Moulin Rouge! when Christian says, "Love is like oxygen - love is a many splendored thing - love lifts us up where we belong! All you need is love!."[citation needed]

It has been also heard in the series Bones, in the 14th episode of the third season sung by Dr. Zack Addy (Eric Millegan).[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 135. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940-1955. Record Research.
  3. ^ Epstein, Edward Z. (1995). Portrait of Jennifer Jones. Simon & Schuster. p. 322. ISBN 9780671740566.
  4. ^ Paymer, Marvin E. (1993). Facts Behind the Songs: A Handbook of American Popular Music from the Nineties to the '90s. Garland. p. 56. ISBN 9780786429462.
  5. ^ "Cover Activities High on New Tune Crop". Billboard. July 16, 1955. p. 12.
  6. ^ Tyler, Don (2008). Music of the postwar era. Greenwood Press. p. 190. ISBN 9780313341915.
  7. ^ MacDonald, Laurence E. (2013). The Invisible Art of Film Music: A Comprehensive History. Scarecrow Press. p. 161. ISBN 9780810883987.
  8. ^ "Review Spotlight on..." Billboard. July 16, 1955. p. 34.
  9. ^ a b "The Top 100". Billboard. November 12, 1955.
  10. ^ "The Chart in Evolution: A Chronicle". Billboard. May 21, 1977. p. RS-110.
  11. ^ "1955's Top Tune". Billboard. December 31, 1955. p. 29.
  12. ^ "The Four Aces – Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  13. ^ "Four Aces: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  14. ^ "The Cash Box Best-Selling Singles: Week ending October 22, 1955". Tropicalglen.com.
  15. ^ "The Top 100". Billboard. November 17, 1955. p. 32.
  16. ^ "The Top 100". Billboard. November 19, 1955. p. 36.
  17. ^ "The Top 100". Billboard. November 12, 1955. p. 86.
  18. ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  19. ^ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  20. ^ Miles, Barry (1998). The Beatles a Diary: An Intimate Day by Day History. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780711963153.
  21. ^ Youtube - Shake - Rien n'est plus beau que l'amour(1977)
  22. ^ "Barry Manilow > Adult Contemporary". Billboard.
  23. ^ West, Abby (13 May 2008). "'Bones' recap: Swan Song?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 23 May 2017.

love, many, splendored, thing, song, love, many, splendored, thing, popular, song, with, music, sammy, fain, lyrics, paul, francis, webster, song, appeared, first, movie, love, many, splendored, thing, 1955, academy, award, best, original, song, 1956, from, 19. Love Is a Many Splendored Thing is a popular song with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster 1 The song appeared first in the movie Love Is a Many Splendored Thing 1955 and it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1956 1 From 1967 to 1973 it was also used as the theme song to Love is a Many Splendored Thing the soap opera based on the movie Sheet music cover from 1955 with poster artwork from film of the same name featuring its two stars Many versions of the song have been released The best selling version was recorded by The Four Aces whose recording reached number two in the UK Singles Chart 1 and number one on both the Billboard and Cash Box charts in 1955 2 Contents 1 Background 2 Four Aces version 2 1 Charts 3 Other versions 4 In popular culture 5 See also 6 ReferencesBackground EditThe music was commissioned for the movie Love Is a Many Splendored Thing and included in the film s Oscar winning score composed and conducted by Alfred Newman It was initially only composed as background music for the film lyrics were subsequently added to make it eligible for the Best Original Song category of the Academy Awards The original lyrics were rejected by the studio so new ones were written 3 The song has been noted for its similarity to the aria Un bel di vedremo from Giacomo Puccini s opera Madama Butterfly in its downward moving thirds 4 An orchestral version of Love Is a Many Splendored Thing is played at the title sequence of the film with a vocal version performed by a chorus at the end Don Cornell and The Four Aces quickly recorded the song before the film was released 5 Before the Four Aces had a hit with their version several artists including Doris Day disliked the song citation needed Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster won an Oscar for Best Original Song at the 28th Academy Awards their second Oscar after winning the award for Secret Love in 1953 6 The background score for the film that was built around the melody of the song also won an Oscar for Best Original Score for Alfred Newman 7 This song is noted for its memorable lines In the morning mist two lovers kissed and the world stood still Four Aces version Edit Love Is a Many Splendored Thing Single by The Four Acesfrom the album Hits From HollywoodB side Shine On Harvest Moon ReleasedJuly 22 1955Recorded1955GenreTraditional popLength2 56LabelDeccaSongwriter s Sammy Fain Paul Francis WebsterThe Four Aces singles chronology Sluefoot 1955 Love Is a Many Splendored Thing 1955 A Woman in Love 1955 The song was covered by The Four Aces featuring Al Roberts backed by the Jack Pleis Orchestra and issued by Decca Records as catalog number 29625 It was released backed with Shine On Harvest Moon in July 1955 8 and reached No 1 on Billboard s first ever Top 100 chart in November 1955 9 10 It was ranked No 8 on Billboard s 1955 s Top Tune 11 The recording by The Four Aces is featured in the film Cookie 1989 It became a gold record citation needed Charts Edit Chart 1955 PeakpositionBelgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 12 6UK Singles OCC 13 2US The Top 100 Billboard 9 1US Cash Box 14 1Other versions EditDon Cornell recorded a version around at the same time as the Four Aces It was issued by Coral Records catalog number 61467 backed with The Bible Tells Me So The song reached No 26 on Billboard Top 100 chart 15 A number of orchestral versions were also released in the same year and reached the Top 100 chart David Rose and His Orchestra reached No 54 16 while Woody Herman and His Orchestra reached No 79 17 Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1955 18 for use on his radio show and it was subsequently included in the box set The Bing Crosby CBS Radio Recordings 1954 56 issued by Mosaic Records catalog MD7 245 in 2009 19 The song has also been recorded by Ringo Starr on his album Sentimental Journey 20 Frank Sinatra Andy Williams Shirley Bassey Nat King Cole and Barry Manilow Neil Sedaka recorded the song in Italian as L Amore E Una Cosa Meravigliosa Connie Francis recorded the song in Italian in 1960 during the work for her album More Italian Favorites although this version remains unreleased to this day Francis also recorded the original English lyrics in 1961 for her album Connie Francis Sings Never on Sunday and Other Title Songs from Motion Pictures The instrumental playback of this 1961 recording was also used when Francis cut a German language version Sag weisst du denn was Liebe ist in 1966 citation needed The song was also performed by Fairuz in Arabian language Zar Bisukun Al Lail French Malaysian singer Shake recorded a French version of the song in 1977 titled Rien n est plus beau que l amour 21 A Disco version was recorded by Tina Charles in 1980 Jeff Lynne recorded his version for his nostalgic cover album Long Wave in 2012 Barry Manilow recorded a version which reached No 32 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 2006 22 This song has been a staple of Engelbert Humperdinck s live show since 1995 In popular culture EditThis song can be heard in the movies Grease Circle of Friends Private Parts St Trinian s St Trinian s 2 The Legend of Fritton s Gold and The Nutty Professor 2 citation needed The song among others was referenced in Moulin Rouge when Christian says Love is like oxygen love is a many splendored thing love lifts us up where we belong All you need is love citation needed It has been also heard in the series Bones in the 14th episode of the third season sung by Dr Zack Addy Eric Millegan 23 See also EditList of number one singles of 1955 U S References Edit a b c Roberts David 2006 British Hit Singles amp Albums 19th ed London Guinness World Records Limited p 135 ISBN 1 904994 10 5 Whitburn Joel 1973 Top Pop Records 1940 1955 Record Research Epstein Edward Z 1995 Portrait of Jennifer Jones Simon amp Schuster p 322 ISBN 9780671740566 Paymer Marvin E 1993 Facts Behind the Songs A Handbook of American Popular Music from the Nineties to the 90s Garland p 56 ISBN 9780786429462 Cover Activities High on New Tune Crop Billboard July 16 1955 p 12 Tyler Don 2008 Music of the postwar era Greenwood Press p 190 ISBN 9780313341915 MacDonald Laurence E 2013 The Invisible Art of Film Music A Comprehensive History Scarecrow Press p 161 ISBN 9780810883987 Review Spotlight on Billboard July 16 1955 p 34 a b The Top 100 Billboard November 12 1955 The Chart in Evolution A Chronicle Billboard May 21 1977 p RS 110 1955 s Top Tune Billboard December 31 1955 p 29 The Four Aces Love Is A Many Splendored Thing in Dutch Ultratop 50 Four Aces Artist Chart History Official Charts Company The Cash Box Best Selling Singles Week ending October 22 1955 Tropicalglen com The Top 100 Billboard November 17 1955 p 32 The Top 100 Billboard November 19 1955 p 36 The Top 100 Billboard November 12 1955 p 86 A Bing Crosby Discography BING magazine International Club Crosby Retrieved December 8 2017 allmusic com allmusic com Retrieved December 8 2017 Miles Barry 1998 The Beatles a Diary An Intimate Day by Day History London Omnibus Press ISBN 9780711963153 Youtube Shake Rien n est plus beau que l amour 1977 Barry Manilow gt Adult Contemporary Billboard West Abby 13 May 2008 Bones recap Swan Song Entertainment Weekly Retrieved 23 May 2017 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Love Is a Many Splendored Thing song amp oldid 1124679381, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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