Moon River

By Henry Mancini & Johnny Mercer
1961

Winning the Oscar for Best Original Song (in one of the last years in which that meant something), this tune was responsible for rejuvenating Mercer's career after the rise of rock 'n' roll had derailed it some years earlier. Introduced in Breakfast at Tiffany's by Audrey Hepburn, it became Andy Williams' theme song after the crooner sang it at the 1962 Academy Awards ceremony. An inlet in Mercer's hometown of Savannah, Georgia was named Moon River in his honor.

Lyrics:

Moon river, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
Wherever you're goin', I'm goin' 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.

Recorded By:

Paul Anka
Louis Armstrong
Vic Damone
Vince Guaraldi
Johnny Mathis

Days of Wine and Roses

By Henry Mancini & Johnny Mercer
1962

A late addition to the popular songbook, "Days of Wine and Roses" was written for the Blake Edwards film of the same name (starring Lee Remick and Jack Lemmon), in which it was played by Mancini's orchestra. It won the 1962 Oscar for Best Original Song. And in case you were wondering, the title phrase originates from the 1896 poem "Vitae Summa Brevis" by English writer Ernest Dowson.

Lyrics:

The days of wine and roses
Laugh and run away--
Like a child at play--
Through a meadowland toward a closing door,
A door marked "nevermore,"
That wasn't there before.

The lonely night discloses
Just a passing breeze,
Filled with memories
Of the golden smile that introduced me to
The days of wine and roses, and you.

Recorded By:

Andy Williams
Perry Como
Frank Sinatra
Diana Krall
Nancy Wilson