Days of Wine and Roses (song)

"Days of Wine and Roses" is a popular song, from the 1962 movie of the same name.[1]

For other uses, see Days of Wine and Roses (disambiguation).
"Days of Wine and Roses"
Single by Andy Williams
from the album Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests
A-side"Can't Get Used to Losing You"
ReleasedMarch 1963
GenreEasy listening
Length2:45
LabelColumbia 42674
Songwriter(s)Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer
Producer(s)Robert Mersey
Andy Williams singles chronology
"Can't Get Used to Losing You"
(1963)		 "Days of Wine and Roses"
(1963)		 "Hopeless"
(1963)

The music was written by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer.[1] They received the Academy Award for Best Original Song for their work,[1] as well as the 1963 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.[2] In 2004 it finished at #39 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.

The song's lyric is notable for consisting of just two complex sentences, each of which forms one of the song's two stanzas.

Recordings

The best-known recordings of the song were by Billy Eckstine in 1961 and Andy Williams in 1963, but several other recording artists have also recorded the song, including Bill Evans, Vince Guaraldi & Bola Sete, Dick and Dee Dee, Shirley Bassey, Frank Sinatra, Julie London, Perry Como, Wes Montgomery (1963: Boss Guitar) and Lenny Breau. Tony Bennett sang his interpretation on his prestigious The Movie Song Album (1966). Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass recorded their version of this song on their Pablo Records album Easy Living. The song has become a jazz standard.

Williams' version was recorded for Columbia Records. It was released as catalog number 42674. The song reached #9 on the adult contemporary chart and #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,[3] and was the featured track on the album, Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests, which peaked at No. 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. On the Cash Box chart, where all singles were combined together, the song reached a peak position of No. 30 in May 1963.

Vince Guaraldi and Bola Sete recorded their instrumental version for Fantasy Records in 1963. It was released on the album Vince Guaraldi, Bola Sete and Friends, and was a featured single (it did not chart).

In 2000, The Lettermen covered the song on their Greatest Movie Hits album. 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):

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 Adult contemporary 9
Billboard Hot 100 26
Henry Mancini Billboard Hot 100 33
Billboard Easy Listening 10

References
  1. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 135. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. "Grammy Award Nominees 1964 – Grammy Award Winners 1964". Awardsandshows.com. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  3. Andy Williams, "Days of Wine and Roses" chart positions Retrieved June 9, 2013
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