The High and the Mighty (song)
| The High and the Mighty | |
|---|---|
| Johnny Desmond | |
| publication | 1954 |
| length | 2:47 |
| Genre (s) | Film music |
| text | Ned Washington |
| music | Dimitri Tiomkin |
| Label | Coral Records |
| Award (s) |
Oscar nomination 1955 in the category "Best Song" |
| Cover versions | |
| 1954 | Les Baxter |
| 1954 | Victor Young |
| 1955 | Harry James |
The High and the Mighty is a song from the soundtrack of the film It will always be day (original title: The High and the Mighty ) from 1954. The song was composed by Dimitri Tiomkin , the lyrics of Ned Washington . It is sung in the film by Johnny Desmond, accompanied by Muzzy Marcellino, who provided the typical whistling tones that characterize the song. Desmond peaked on the charts # 17 with the song.
text
I was high and mighty when I laughed at love up by the stars. Then she came to me like a gentle flame and helped me find my way. I was high and powerful and commanded my hearts - stop! Now I know that I was blind, I learn that day by day. Love can change things, rearrange things, love can do very strange things. I am not high and mighty, but I have something that is worth more than all gold on earth, I have you and I give you my heart forever and ever, only you!
In a modified cover version, a song of praise is sung to the crew who safely guide the planes through the darkness of the night to distant cities. The song closes with an allusion to “high and mighty” to God.
History of the song
At the beginning of the production of the film Day and Day , Dimitri Tiomkin was commissioned to write the score for the film. In addition, the studio also urged to compose a theme song, the radio and on vinyl composer record should be published. Tiomkin wrote a basic melody for the song and Ned Washington contributed the lyrics. The result was a gentle ballad. Warner Bros. presented the song with Les Baxter and his orchestra and released it in 1954 at the same time as the film. It reached # 4 on the Billboard charts.
More cover versions
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An instrumental version was recorded in 1954 by conductor and arranger LeRoy Holmes, which reached # 9 on the Billboard charts and became Holmes' biggest and most famous hit. This song is known for its characteristic whistle that accompanies the music, and here came from Fred Lowery. Victor Young created another cover version with his orchestra in 1954, which landed at # 6 on the Billboard charts. The jazz trumpeter and bandleader Harry James coverte the song in 1955 for his album Jukebox Jamboree (Columbia CL 615).
Jazz singer Billy Eckstine released another version on his album 12 Great Songs from the Movies from the early 1960s . George Greeley released an instrumental version on his 1959 Warner Bros. album Greatest Motion Picture Piano Concertos . The pianist Roger Williams also recorded the song. In the field of jazz, the discographer Tom Lord lists 31 cover versions of the song (as of 2017), including a. by Georgie Auld , Tommy Dorsey , Lionel Hampton , Sam "The Man" Taylor , Jimmy Smith , Wild Bill Davis , Sarah McLawler , Earl Bostic and Jaki Byard , in Europe also by Jean-Pierre Sasson , Tete Montoliu / Pilar Morales , Coco Colignon , Ted Heath , Tony Crombie and most recently in 2005 Alex Riel .
The melody or the whistle is also faded into Simon & Garfunkel's song Punky's Dilemma , which was released on their 1968 album Bookends . Towards the end of 1980, Chevy Chase's character from Almost Like the Old Days whistled the tune as he walked away from the camera.
Award / nomination
At the Academy Awards in 1955 , both the film music and the song were nominated for an Oscar , along with other Oscar nominations . The film music by Tiomkin emerged victorious from the vote, but the song had to admit defeat to the song Three Coins in the Fountain by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn from the literary film Three Coins in the Fountain (OT: Three Coins in the Fountain ).
Web links
The High and the Mighty in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ The High and The Mighty , sung by Johnny Desmond
- ↑ The High and the Mighty - Johnny Desmond at songlyrics.com (English)
- ^ The High and the Mighty , played by Les Baxter and his Orchestra
- ↑ The High and the Mighty , played by LeRoy Holmes
- ↑ The High and the Mighty , played by Victor Young
- ↑ Harry James and his Orchestra - Juke Box Jamboree at discogs.com (English)
- ^ The High and the Mighty , played by Harry James and his Orchestra
- ↑ The High and the Mighty , sung by Billy Eckstine
- ^ The High and the Mighty , George Greeley with the Warner Bros. Orchestra
- ↑ The High and the Mighty , played by Roger Williams
- ↑ Tom Lord : The Jazz Discography (online, accessed January 29, 2017)
- ↑ Simon & Garfunkel - Punky's Dilemma
- ↑ Almost like in the old days soundtrack in the IMDb (English)
- ↑ Daytime again - Academy Awards, USA 1955 in the IMDb (English)