The Academy Award-Winning "Call Me Irresponsible" and Other Hit Songs from the Movies | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1964 | |||
Recorded | 1964 | |||
Genre |
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Length | 35:30 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Robert Mersey [2] | |||
Andy Williams chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
New Record Mirror | [4] |
The Academy Award-Winning "Call Me Irresponsible" and Other Hit Songs from the Movies is the fourteenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in the spring of 1964 by Columbia Records. [5] Williams had already had great success with his albums named after Henry Mancini's Oscar winners from 1961 and 1962, "Moon River" and "Days of Wine and Roses", [6] and was asked to sing Mancini and Johnny Mercer's title song collaboration from the 1963 film Charade at the Academy Awards on April 13, 1964, after it was nominated for Best Original Song, but the winner that year was the other song that Williams performed at the ceremony, "Call Me Irresponsible". [7]
The album made its first appearance on Billboard magazine's Top LP's chart in the issue dated May 9, 1964 and remained on the album chart for 63 weeks, peaking at number five. [6] it also debuted on the Cashbox albums chart in the issue dated May 9, 1964, and remained on the chart for in a total of 56 weeks, peaking at 4 [8] It received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America on December 18, 1964. [9]
As the B-side of the single "A Fool Never Learns," the album's opening track, "Charade", made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 18, 1964, spending its only week on the chart at number 100. [10]
The album was released on compact disc as one of two albums on one CD by Collectables Records on March 23, 1999, along with Williams's 1964 Columbia album, The Great Songs from "My Fair Lady" and Other Broadway Hits . [11] This same pairing was also released as two albums on one CD by Sony Music Distribution in 2000. [12] The Academy Award-Winning "Call Me Irresponsible" and Other Hit Songs from the Movies was included in a box set entitled Classic Album Collection, Vol. 1, which contains 17 of his studio albums and three compilations and was released on June 26, 2001. [13]
William Ruhlmann of Allmusic was complimentary. "The songs tended to be evocative of a mood rather than specific, and Williams's warm, yet homogenized approach, backed by sympathetic orchestral arrangements with occasional vocal choruses, brought out their haunting, romantic qualities." [1] He even singled out specific tracks. "Especially impressive here were 'Laura,' a version of 'Gigi' with the introductory verse, and a restrained (well, compared to Mario Lanza) 'Be My Love.' But the whole album suggested that Williams and movie songs remained perfect partners." [1]
In their capsule review at the time of its release, Billboard magazine described the album as a "fine collection" [5] and noted that "Andy's singing is most enjoyable". [5]
Cashbox gave the album a positive results, saying that "his renditions of “More,” “Gigi,” “Love Letters,” “Charade” are Warm and winning, and superb listening". [14]
New Record Mirror noted "he has a great understanding with M. D. Robert Mersey. "Never Stop Loving is a great track" [4]
This album brought the fifth of six Grammy nominations that Williams received over the course of his career, this time in the category for Best Vocal Performance, Male. This nomination did not focus on the performance of a particular song but rather Williams's performance of the album as a whole. The winner was Louis Armstrong for the single "Hello, Dolly!", a song that Williams went on to record on his next album, The Great Songs from "My Fair Lady" and Other Broadway Hits . [15]
From the liner notes for the original album: [2]
"Moon River" is a song composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song also won the 1962 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. In 1999, Mancini's recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
"Gigi" is the title song from the 1958 Academy Award-winning film, directed by Vincente Minnelli. It was written by Frederick Loewe (music) and Alan Jay Lerner (words), sung by Louis Jourdan in the film. It then went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1958.
"I'll Never Stop Loving You" is a popular music song, with music written by Nicholas Brodzsky and lyrics by Sammy Cahn for the 1955 film Love Me or Leave Me. The song was published in 1955.
Lonely Street is the fifth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in late 1959 through Cadence Records. This, his fifth LP of new material for the label, is described by William Ruhlmann on AllMusic.com as "an album full of songs of lost love and loneliness that found Williams using more of the Mel Tormé-like foggy lower register of his voice." The liner notes on the back of the album jacket read, "The selections in Lonely Street, Andy confides, are those for which he feels a special affection. Every vocalist has a few personal favorites... and it is quite clear to the listener that this collection presents songs which Andy Williams believes, feels -- and loves."
Andy Williams' Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released in early 1970 by Columbia Records. It was not, however, as its title might suggest, strictly a hit singles compilation, although some of his biggest songs since joining Columbia were included. A couple of selections were never released as singles by Williams, and his signature song, "Moon River", was released in the 7-inch single format but only for jukeboxes. His six Cadence singles that made the Top 10 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 are passed over for the inclusion of his number 11 hit from that label, "The Hawaiian Wedding Song", and 17 of his Columbia recordings that made the Hot 100 up until 1970 are left out here in favor of "Charade", which spent its one week on the chart at number 100.
Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes is the ninth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams. It was released on March 26, 1962, by Columbia Records and covered film songs that were mostly from the previous decade.
Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests is the eleventh studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in April 1963 by Columbia Records following his first season as host of his variety series, The Andy Williams Show. The LP has a studio recording of the closing theme from the show, "May Each Day", and continues the format of his previous Columbia releases by including songs from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.
The Wonderful World of Andy Williams is the thirteenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released by Columbia Records to coincide with the December 31, 1963, broadcast of The Andy Williams Show. Various tracks were recorded with members of his family, including The Williams Brothers, who joined him for a remake of his first top 10 hit, "Canadian Sunset", from 1956.
The Great Songs from "My Fair Lady" and Other Broadway Hits is the fifteenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in September 1964 by Columbia Records, one month before the premiere of the film version of My Fair Lady starring Audrey Hepburn.
Andy Williams' Dear Heart is the sixteenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in the spring of 1965 by Columbia Records and was the last of his Columbia releases that remained exclusively within the realm of traditional pop. After covering two Beatles hits on his next non-holiday studio album, The Shadow of Your Smile, he would try out samba music on In the Arms of Love, aim for a much younger crowd with "Music to Watch Girls By" on Born Free, and focus more on contemporary material on subsequent albums.
In the Arms of Love is the nineteenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released on December 19, 1966, by Columbia Records and was the last of twelve consecutive Williams studio LPs produced by Robert Mersey.
Love Story is the twenty-seventh studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released on February 3, 1971, by Columbia Records. This was another in his series of cover albums, but the title track, subtitled "Where Do I Begin", was the one song included that he originated.
You've Got a Friend is the twenty-eighth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in August 1971 by Columbia Records. The album bears a striking resemblance to the Johnny Mathis album You've Got a Friend released that same month. Besides sharing their name, the two albums are both made up of covers of easy listening hits of the time, with 11 songs each, and the two albums have seven songs in common that are positioned in a similar order.
Love Theme from "The Godfather" is the twenty-ninth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released on March 21, 1972, by Columbia Records. The two new songs on what was otherwise another LP of covers of hits by other artists were the title track and "Music from Across the Way", which came from the songwriters behind his recent hits "Happy Heart" and "(Where Do I Begin) Love Story".
Two Time Winners is the third studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in the spring of 1959 by Cadence Records. This, his third LP for the label, is composed of songs that had been successful on two previous occasions or in two different ways.
Andy Williams' Best is a compilation album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released late in 1961 by Cadence Records. This second album to compile the singer's material features 10 songs that made the Billboard Hot 100 along with two of their corresponding B-sides.
Canadian Sunset is a compilation album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released in the spring of 1965 by Columbia Records. The cover bears the phrase "formerly titled Andy Williams' Best" underneath the title, suggesting that the same songs can be found here that were on that 1961 release by Cadence Records, but his number one hit "Butterfly" and its top 10 follow-up "I Like Your Kind of Love" that were included on the Cadence album were replaced on this release with the B-sides of two of the other songs here.
B Sides and Rarities is a compilation album by the American pop singer Andy Williams that was released by Collectables Records on May 27, 2003. Although the collection starts with two 1947 recordings by Kay Thompson and The Williams Brothers, the rest of the material comes from his time at Columbia Records and includes covers of contemporary hits as well as lesser-known material from the songwriters of "Can't Get Used to Losing You", "Home Lovin' Man" and "Moon River".
Greatest Hits is a live album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was digitally recorded live in concert at the Andy Williams Moon River Theater in Branson, Missouri and released by the LaserLight division of Delta Music Inc. in 1994. It includes performances of songs that he had previously recorded during his time with the Cadence and Columbia labels as well as one he had never recorded before -- "L-O-V-E", which Nat King Cole took to number 81 pop and number 17 Easy Listening in Billboard magazine in 1964.
16 Most Requested Songs: Encore! is a compilation album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released by Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings on May 16, 1995.