Days of Wine and Roses (song)
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"Days of Wine and Roses" is a popular song, from the 1962 movie of the same name.
The music was written by Henry Mancini, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. They received the Academy Award for Best Original Song for their work.
The best-known recording of the song was by Andy Williams in 1963, but several other recording artists have done the song, including Perry Como and composer Henry Mancini.
Andy Williams' version was recorded for Columbia Records. It was released as catalog number 42674. The song reached #26 on Billboard magazine's charts, and was the featured track of an album by Williams of the same name, which was a #1-charting album on the Billboard album charts.
Perry 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 of the album, The Songs I Love.
Henry 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 charts, where all singles were combined together, the song reached a peak position of #30 in May 1963.
The Henry Mancini version of the song was later remixed as a 70's jazz version and used as a demo in the Generalmusic pRP8 digital piano (see external links).
The phrase "days of wine and roses" is originally from the poem "Vitae Summa Brevis" by the English writer Ernest Dowson (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.
[edit] Chart positions
| Year | Album | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Days of Wine and Roses (Andy Williams album) | Billboard Pop Albums (Billboard 200) (mono and stereo) | 1 |
| Preceded by Songs I Sing on the Jackie Gleason Show by Frank Fontaine |
Billboard 200 number-one album (Andy Williams album) (mono) May 4 - August 23, 1963 |
Succeeded by Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius by Stevie Wonder |
| Preceded by Jazz Samba by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd |
Billboard 200 number-one album (Andy Williams album) (stereo) May 4 - July 19, 1963 |
Succeeded by Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius by Stevie Wonder |
| Preceded by "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's |
Academy Award for Best Original Song 1962 |
Succeeded by "Call Me Irresponsible" from Papa's Delicate Condition |
[edit] External links
- Synthmania's pRP8 page Download the pRP8 digital piano demo (a 70's jazz reworking of "The Days Of Wine And Roses")here (it is the second factory demo,"El. Piano").
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