Days of Wine and Roses (song)
Encyclopedia
"Days of Wine and Roses" is a popular
song, from the 1962
movie of the same name
.
The music was written by Henry Mancini
with lyrics by Johnny Mercer
. They received the Academy Award for Best Original Song
for their work. The song is composed of only two sentences, one for each stanza.
The best-known recording of the song was by Andy Williams
in 1963, but several other recording artists have also recorded the song, including Perry Como
, composer Henry Mancini and Wes Montgomery
(1963: Boss Guitar) and Lenny Breau
. The song has become a jazz standard.
Williams' version was recorded for Columbia Records
. It was released as catalog number
42674. The song reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart, and was the featured track of an album by Williams of the same name, which peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200
album chart.
Como's version was recorded for RCA Victor Records. The recording was made on March 19, 1963. The record was issued by RCA Victor as a track on the album, The Songs I Love.
Mancini's version was also recorded for RCA Victor. It was released as catalog number 47-8120. (#33 pop, #10 easy listening; listed by Chartmasters as one of the Top 100 songs of 1963.)
On the Cash Box chart, where all singles were combined together, the song reached a peak position of #30 in May 1963.
R&B/soul singer Miki Howard
recorded a cover version
for her 2008 album, Private Collection.
The phrase "days of wine and roses" is originally from the poem "Vitae Summa Brevis" by the English writer Ernest Dowson
(1867–1900):
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song, from the 1962
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
movie of the same name
Days of Wine and Roses (film)
Days of Wine and Roses is a film directed by Blake Edwards with a screenplay by JP Miller adapted from his own 1958 Playhouse 90 teleplay of the same name....
.
The music was written by Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
with lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Johnny Mercer
John Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
. They received the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
for their work. The song is composed of only two sentences, one for each stanza.
The best-known recording of the song was by Andy Williams
Andy Williams
Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
in 1963, but several other recording artists have also recorded the song, including Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
, composer Henry Mancini and Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
(1963: Boss Guitar) and Lenny Breau
Lenny Breau
Leonard Harold "Lenny" Breau was a musician, guitar player, and music educator. He was known for blending many styles of music including: jazz, country, classical and flamenco guitar...
. The song has become a jazz standard.
Williams' version was recorded for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. It was released as catalog number
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
42674. The song reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, and was the featured track of an album by Williams of the same name, which peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album chart.
Como's version was recorded for RCA Victor Records. The recording was made on March 19, 1963. The record was issued by RCA Victor as a track on the album, The Songs I Love.
Mancini's version was also recorded for RCA Victor. It was released as catalog number 47-8120. (#33 pop, #10 easy listening; listed by Chartmasters as one of the Top 100 songs of 1963.)
On the Cash Box chart, where all singles were combined together, the song reached a peak position of #30 in May 1963.
R&B/soul singer Miki Howard
Miki Howard
Alicia Michelle "Miki" Howard is an American R&B/jazz singer and actress who had a string of Top 10 hit songs in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Howard's string of hits also included Baby,Be Mine", "Come Share My Love" and "Love Under New Management"...
recorded a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
for her 2008 album, Private Collection.
The phrase "days of wine and roses" is originally from the poem "Vitae Summa Brevis" by the English writer Ernest Dowson
Ernest Dowson
Ernest Christopher Dowson , born in Lee, London, was an English poet, novelist and writer of short stories, associated with the Decadent movement.- Biography :...
(1867–1900):
- They are not long, the days of wine and roses:
- Out of a misty dream
- Our path emerges for a while, then closes
- Within a dream.
Chart positions
| Performer | Chart (1963) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| Andy Williams Andy Williams Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,... |
Billboard Hot 100 | 26 |
| Henry Mancini Henry Mancini Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995... |
Billboard Hot 100 | 33 |
| Billboard Easy Listening | 10 | |