When Harry Met Sally... (soundtrack)

Last updated
When Harry Met Sally...
WhenHarryMetSallySoundtrack.jpg
Soundtrack album by
ReleasedJuly 1989
RecordedJune 6, 12 & 19, 1989
Studio RCA, New York City
Genre Traditional pop
Length38:00
Label Columbia
Producer Marc Shaiman, Harry Connick Jr.
Harry Connick Jr. chronology
20
(1988)
When Harry Met Sally...
(1989)
We Are in Love
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]

When Harry Met Sally... is the soundtrack to the movie When Harry Met Sally... starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. The songs are performed by pianist Harry Connick Jr., who won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Male Vocal Performance.

Contents

Background

Bobby Colomby, the drummer for Blood, Sweat & Tears and a friend of director Rob Reiner, recommended Harry Connick Jr. for the soundtrack. When Reiner listened to the tape Colomby gave him, he was struck by how Connick sounded like a young Frank Sinatra. [2] The movie's soundtrack was released by Columbia Records in July 1989 and consists of standards performed by Connick with a big band and orchestra arranged by Marc Shaiman. Connick won his first Grammy Award for Best Jazz Male Vocal Performance. [3]

Arrangements and orchestrations on "It Had to Be You", "Where or When", "I Could Write a Book" and "But Not for Me" are by Connick and Shaiman. Other songs were performed as piano and vocal solos or with Connick's trio with Ben Wolfe on double bass and Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums. Also appearing on the album are tenor saxophonist Frank Wess and guitarist Jay Berliner.

The album went to No. 1 on the jazz chart at Billboard magazine and reached the top 50 of the Top 200 Albums chart. [4] Connick toured North America in support of this album. [5] It was given double-platinum status. [6]

Track listing

  1. "It Had to Be You" (Isham Jones, Gus Kahn)
  2. "Love Is Here to Stay" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
  3. "Stompin' at the Savoy" (Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, Edgar Sampson, Andy Razaf)
  4. "But Not for Me" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin)
  5. "Winter Wonderland" (Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith)
  6. "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" (Duke Ellington, Bob Russell)
  7. "Autumn in New York" (Vernon Duke)
  8. "I Could Write a Book" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)
  9. "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin)
  10. "It Had to Be You (Instrumental Trio)" (Jones, Kahn)
  11. "Where or When" (Hart, Rodgers)

Music in the film

The music on the soundtrack is performed by Connick, while the music in the film is by various artists:

Charts

Chart (1990)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA Charts) [7] 97

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [8] Gold50,000^
United States (RIAA) [9] 2× Platinum2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. Allmusic review
  2. Reiner, Rob; Nora Ephron; Billy Crystal (2008). "DVD Audio Commentary". When Harry Met Sally... Collector's Edition DVD. 20th Century Fox.
  3. "Grammy Award Winners". Grammy.com. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
  4. Jones, James T (December 28, 1989). "Harry Connick Jr.: He's All That Jazz". USA Today .
  5. Miller, Mark (November 23, 1989). "Brazilian rhythms with lots of appeal When Harry Met Sally... Harry Connick Jr". The Globe and Mail .
  6. Bush, John. "Harry Connick Jr. Biography". Legacy Recordings. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
  7. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  8. "Canadian album certifications – Harry Connick jr – When Harry Met Sally". Music Canada . Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  9. "American album certifications – Harry Connick jr – When Harry Met Sally". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved October 10, 2019.