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.
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, 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 included the song on their Greatest Movie Hits album. R&B/soul singer Miki Howard recorded it 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[]
^ Jump up to: abcRoberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 135. ISBN1-904994-10-5.
"Unforgettable" by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole (1992)
"Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton (1993)
"I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston (1994)
"All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow (1995)
"Kiss from a Rose" by Seal (1996)
"Change the World" by Eric Clapton (1997)
"Sunny Came Home" by Shawn Colvin (1998)
"My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion (1999)
"Smooth" by Santana (Rodney Holmes, Tony Lindsay, Karl Perazzo, Raul Rekow, Benny Rietveld, Carlos Santana, Chester Thompson) featuring Rob Thomas (2000)
2001−2020
"Beautiful Day" by U2 (Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr.) (2001)
"Walk On" by U2 (Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr.) (2002)
"I Write the Songs" – Bruce Johnston (songwriter) (1977)
"Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" – Barbra Streisand & Paul Williams (songwriters) / "You Light Up My Life" – Joe Brooks (songwriter) (1978)
"Just the Way You Are" – Billy Joel (songwriter) (1979)
"What a Fool Believes" – Kenny Loggins & Michael McDonald (songwriters) (1980)
1981−2000
"Sailing" – Christopher Cross (songwriter) (1981)
"Bette Davis Eyes" – Donna Weiss & Jackie DeShannon (songwriters) (1982)
