PART 2

 1953

 

THE SONG FROM MOULIN ROUGE

 

MANTOVANI AND HIS ORCHESTRA

 

 

BIRTH OF A SONG

"The Song from Moulin Rouge" (also known as "Where Is Your Heart") is a popular song that first appeared in the 1952 film "Moulin Rouge".  The music was written by Georges Auric.  The "Song from Moulin Rouge", with its quintessential French waltz style, became his most famous piece of music, even an international hit.

The 1953 film could have been called "Lautrec," as it is essentially a biopic of Toulouse-Lautrec. It is perhaps fitting that Auric composed the score for this film, as there are many points of similarity between the composer and the artist, who died less than two years after Auric's birth. Both could be charming, impudent, sardonic, and emotionally detached. Both were more at ease and less bored by the worlds of cabaret and music hall than more elevated social strata. 

IN THE HIT PARADE

The version recorded by Mantovani was a huge hit in the UK and in the US.  It first reached the Billboard chart on May 16th 1953 and stayed there during 5 weeks, peaking at number 13.  In the United Kingdom however, Mantovani's rendition reached number one in the UK Singles charts.   The song also reached #1 on the Cash Box chart, which combined all versions, in 1953.  
DID YOU KNOW

* In Moulin Rouge, the theme song was sung by Muriel Smith dubbing for Zsa Zsa Gabor who lip-synched to Smith's singing.

* Victor Skaarup wrote the Danish lyrics.  The Danish title is "Sangen fra Moulin Rouge".  Raquel Rastenni recorded the song in Copenhagen in 1953, together with the Hans Peder Ase Orchestra.

* Originally the song was titled "April Again" and most critics agree that it was the most sentimental song in the movie.

 
FACTS AND FIGURES
*  The versions recorded by Mantovani and Percy Faith sold over a million copies worldwide.

 

A PERSONAL VIDEO SELECTION

 

  ORIGINAL

 

  

WITH LYRICS - ARTIST / ANDY WILLIAMS

   

RAY CONNIFF'S VERSION

 

QUOTES RELATED TO THE MUSIC
" Thanks to both director and composer, the music is never intrusive and appears only where it needs to be. Indeed, compared to the typical Hollywood film score, one is rather amazed with how relatively little music there is in Moulin Rouge "
(From IMDB Review)

" Nevertheless, nobody can deny that melodies like Charmaine, Over the rainbow, Summertime in Venice, Limelight, Three coins in the fountain, Intermezzo or Moulin Rouge theme have achieved in hands of Mantovani the highest peak. "

( From an Amazon album review )
 

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE
MORE ABOUT THE COMPOSER - G. AURIC
MORE ABOUT MANTOVANI
MORE ABOUT THE 1952 MOVIE

ONE OF THE FIRST RELEASES ON THE DECCA LABEL







ANUNZIO MANTOVANI