The Captivating Story Behind The Song "Moon River" From "Breakfast at Tiffany's"

Mar 04, 2020 by apost team

You don’t have to be a movie buff to recognize the first few words of “Moon River,” the highlight of the soundtrack to the 1961 Audrey Hepburn-led classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s. That's because it has gained legendary status and is one of the most famous movie songs from the time, The story of “Moon River” is just as fascinating as the tale of Holly Golightly, the film’s heroine.

Upon the film’s release, Hepburn’s performance of “Moon River” was lauded by critics and audiences alike and gained numerous accolades, including the Oscar for Best Original Song and Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the Grammy’s as per IMDb.

The song continued to have a long life after Breakfast at Tiffany’s, having been covered by music industry legends like Andy Williams and Frank Sinatra. While “Moon River” is now a legendary piece of American music, shockingly, it nearly didn’t make it into Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

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Paramount Pictures chief Marty Rackin insisted that “Moon River” be cut to the dismay of Mancini and Mercer according to the Financial Times. The two composers quarreled with Rackin, suggesting that cuts be made in different parts of the film. In the end, Hepburn was the deciding the factor, putting her foot down and insisting that “Moon River” remain in the film.

Those behind the song became very attached to it because of the hard work behind it and its personal connection to the songwriters. In crafting “Moon River,” Mancini was in charge of the composition while Mercer took over the lyrics. In an interview with the BBC from 2015, Ginny Mancini told of how her late husband spent a month writing the first three notes of the song. After nailing the intro, it only took the composer about half an hour to write the rest of the song.

When it came time for Mercer to write the lyrics, he turned to experiences from his childhood in Savannah, Georgia. While many think that the river in the song refers to the Hudson River in Golightly’s hometown of New York, it is actually a reference to the Back River near Burnside Island in Savannah according to Savannah Now. About a year after the release of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the Chatham County Commission changed the name of a portion of the Back River to the Moon River in honor of Mercer’s song.

After the film’s release, audiences took special notice of the larger meaning behind the song. Many saw the sequence as giving Golightly a more human quality and a sense of vulnerability. For most of the film, Golightly comports herself in fancy dresses and expensive jewels. While singing “Moon River,” Golightly is at her most humble, being dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, as her mind wanders through the song’s dreamy lyrics.

Looking back at the entire sequence, Mancini felt that Hepburn’s performance remains the definitive version of “Moon River,” even after many great vocalists have put their spin on it. In the composer’s analysis, the actress’s rendition transcended anything he could have ever hoped while writing the song.

Watch Audrey Hepburn sing the famed song below:

What do you think of Hepburn’s performance of “Moon River?” What’s your favorite version of the song?