"Moon River" by Audrey Hepburn: history of the song, meaning, covers

There is hardly a person who has never seen a cult film in their life "Breakfast at Tiffany's." (or at least not heard of one). It's already classicsand one of the best episodes in the career of the charming. Audrey Hepburn as the actress she's always been known to be. But what definitely no one expected from this sophisticated lady was her vocal performance. So the appearance of a song in the film "Moon River." shocked a lot of people!

At the same time - when the director Blake Edwards declared that this composition had no place in the film, the authors of this masterpiece were left at a complete loss... And only thanks to the fact that Audrey was strong and confident as a woman not only on screen but also in life, the track was included in the tape. And it became a classic! Subsequently, many, even cult artists performed it. But none of them managed to surpass Hepburn's simple but attractive version.

The history of the creation and the struggle for the track

In the film. "Breakfast at Tiffany's." there comes a point where Holly Golightly (played by Audrey) gets sad, so she pulls out her guitar, sits on the fire escape and quietly sings about some "Moon River". This episode instantly struck a chord with many viewers! And few would guess, even today, that it might not have been there at all. Let's start with the fact that the song was written by the composer Henry Mancini and songwriter Johnny Mercerwho were actively making a name for themselves in Hollywood at the time.

Despite the fact that Hepburn. wasn't a singerIn the authors' opinion, this composition required the simplest but touching performance possible... And only Audrey could provide it. In general, they did not miss with the choice of the performer.

Audrey liked the song very much, and the actress was happy to record it. But... it wasn't long before the frictionscaused by the director Blake Edwards. Perhaps he really didn't like "Moon River" that much, but citing the too long storyline, he said: this track should be scrapped! From the memoirs of Johnny Mercer:

"The preview went very well. We were still thrilled with the song, and we were thrilled with the picture as a whole, even though we realised it was long and something was bound to be cut.... And indeed: we were told that "the bloody song has to go." I saw Henry go pale. We were all stunned, completely stunned. We were silent for a minute or two, and then there was a flurry of reasons why it should stay in the film and cuts should be made elsewhere!"

There is an opinion that the studio was worried about Hepburn's musical abilities, after all, she was not a singer. But the film makers forgot who they were dealing with. Audrey is one of the most strong-willed women with a truly masculine character! So as soon as she heard that the track was going to be cut, she said: "Over my dead body!". However, witnesses of that conversation claimed that the actress used a more "strong word" during a conversation with producers Paramount Pictures. And she won.

Good on Hepburn for standing up for herself and her song. "Moon River." It won its authors an Oscar, became a classic and one of the most recognisable episodes in world cinema, and was so well liked by other artists that they began to perform their own interpretations! But more on that later.

The true meaning of "Moon River."

Before we get to the covers, we suggest to talk about the true meaning of "Moon River". And in general: why exactly "Moon River."? Actually, it's much simpler than it seems, and the author of the text (i.e. Mercer) didn't put any special, hidden meaning into the title. It's just that the original title "Blue River" was already taken. That's all!

Speaking of the meaning of the text - Johnny Mercer grew up in Savannah, Georgia, and has warm memories of his childhood picking blueberries and carefree watching the river flow by. He wrote a song about those southern summer days and gently flowing rivers, incorporating references to his own "blueberry friend." as a tribute to a childhood comrade and carefree berry picking in the days of his youth.

"Two tramps that set out to see the world.
There is so much to see in the world.
We follow the same end of the rainbow,
Waiting for us around the corner,
My crony (literally 'blueberry') friend..."

Song "Moon River." - is a glimpse into the future and the past at the same time. The river represents time and the journey from beginning to end. It is about the journey through life. Rather, this composition is not a romantic composition - it is on friendship. It's a nostalgic look at a child's vision of the future.

Best covers

And lastly, here are some of the most successful and interesting covers such a simple, short, but very soulful songs. Many legends of the 20th century - from Frank Sinatra to Louis Armstrong - have presented their interpretations at various times! There are also more contemporary artists, such as Barbra Streisand. And even homegrown artists - Elena Kamburova and others!

Almost every version has been a success (to varying degrees, of course). But many listeners agree that there is no song more beautiful than "Moon River" as performed by Audrey Hepburn. And the composer Henry Mancini I totally agree with that:

"Audrey's performance was the definitive version. It surpassed everything I had ever hoped for in that song."