Sunday, 26 June 2011

Song: Moon River -- Audrey Hepburn, Louis Armstrong, Andy Williams & Khalil Fong



Suggested by Cecilia, the legendary Audrey Hepburn very first original version of Moon River, song in the Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) movie. Downtempo, dreamy, wishful and calm!
Image from Wikipedia


One of my favourite classic songs, but for me, I think I prefer a deeper, coarser, more sophisticated and seasoned voice, like this jazzy version by American Jazz Trumpeter Louis Armstrong.


There is also another one which is quite good, by Andy Williams in 1961.


This is a simple song with no-so-simple meaning. I guess different people will have different versions of understanding for this song. In my opinions, it talks about the singer, who is travelling on a clear river in the night and the moon was up in the sky. Because the river was clean, the moon is fully reflected onto the river.

Image from bleedingroots.files.wordpress.com

One day, the singer travels on this river, a river which has witnessed many other travellers' dreams and heart-breaks. The singer has no particular direction she prefers, she only wants to go where the river wants to go.

But this singer is actually not alone. She is with someone else, drifting on this river to go and see this fantastic world.

Rainbow is formed in the sky, but it often starts and ends on a water surface, in this song, it ends on the moon river as well, and the end of the rainbow is where the singer and the other person want to go.
Image from artfromthesoul

Waiting at the bend of the river, is the singer's "huckleberry friend", the moon river itself, and the singer herself.

Huckleberry is of course a kind of berry that taste like blueberry, but "my huckleberry friend" is not a friend who tastes or smells like berries, it is actually a slang with a simple meaning, "my best friend".

Hope you can understand this song better by now!

Have a nice weekend!!

Lyrics:

Moon river, wider than a mile
I’m crossing you in style some day
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker
Wherever you’re goin’, i’m goin’ your way

Two drifters, off to see the world
There’s such a lot of world to see
We’re after the same rainbow’s end, waitin’ ’round the bend
My huckleberry friend, moon river, and me

(moon river, wider than a mile)
(i’m crossin’ you in style some day)
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker
Wherever you’re goin’, i’m goin’ your way

Two drifters, off to see the world
There’s such a lot of world to see
We’re after that same rainbow’s end, waitin’ ’round the bend
My huckleberry friend, moon river, and me


Vocabulary:
huckleberry friend -- (n) [C] best friend

Resources:
Moon River @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_River

Moon River - Breakfast at Tiffany's @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOByH_iOn88

LOUIS ARMSTRONG ~ Moon River ~ @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd_JDrnBMMA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flm4xcOyiCo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK4pmJQ6zgM

方大同 - Moon river (CD Version) @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL-0RurzyII
Huckleberry @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huckleberry#Use_in_slang

at

2 comments: