LAURA
Music: David Raksin- Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
Year: 1945
Origin of the song
They say that the director Otto Preminger had chosen ‘Sophisticated Lady’ as the song of the film Laura (1944), but the compositor David Raksin thought it did not fir the character. Preminger told him that he had the weekend to find something new. On Sunday, when he hadn’t written anything convincing yet, he read a letter from his wife and the disturbing melody started to take shape.
The film was released on 11 October 1944 in New York. Little after, the editor Abe Olman asked Johnny Mercer to write the lyrics for the main song. Mercer confessed that, although he had already watched the film, he did not remember the melody. Olman gave him the score and advised him to use the title ‘Laura’. Some weeks later, Mercer started getting attached to the song and finished the lyrics.
The film, starring Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, and Vincent Price, was nominated to five Academy Awards, ‘Best Actor’ (Webb), ‘Best Director’ (Preminger), and ‘Best Plot’ among them, and it won ‘Best Black-and-white Photography’. Oddly enough, his score did not have academic recognition.
Versions in the top charts
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
DAY OF
ENTRANCE |
PERMANENCE WEEKS |
HIGH POSITION REACHED |
|
|
Woody Herman Orchestra |
1945.02.19 |
1945.04.14 |
12 |
4 |
Woody Herman (voc) |
|
1945.02.?? |
1945.04.14 |
3 |
8 |
Dick Merrick (voc) |
|
|
1945.03.02 |
1945.05.26 |
3 |
9 |
Dick Haymes (voc), Victor Young Orchestra |
|
|
1945.03.06 |
1945.06.02 |
5 |
5 |
Johnnie Johnston (voc), Paul Baron Orchestra |
|
|
1945.??.?? |
1945.04.28 |
7 |
6 |
Instrumental |
|
|
Stan Kenton Orchestra |
1951.??.?? |
1951.08.04 |
5 |
12 |
Vocal group |
Jazz. Outstanding performances
Instrumental
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1945.09.06 |
Don Byas (ts), Johnny Guarnieri (p), Slam Stewart (b), J.C. Heard (d) |
|
|
1945.09.25 |
Erroll Garner (p), John Levy (b), George De Hart (d) |
|
|
1947.07.31 |
Sidney Bechet (cl, ss), Lloyd Philips (p), Pops Foster (b), Arthur Herbert (d) |
|
|
1950.07.05 |
Charlie Parker (as), Bernie Leighton (p), Ray Brown (b), Buddy Rich (d), Joe Lippman Orchestra |
|
|
1951.01.19 |
Oscar Peterson (p), Ray Brown (b) |
|
|
1952.04.10 |
Don Byas (ts), Art Simmons (p), Joe Benjamin (b), Bill Clarke (d) |
|
|
1953.12.14 |
Paul Desmond (as), Dave Brubeck (p), Ron Crotty (b), Joe Dodge (d) |
|
|
1955.01.19 |
Clifford Brown (tp), Richie Powell (p), Barry Galbraith (g), George Morrow (b), Max Roach (d), Neal Hefti Orchestra |
|
|
Oscar Peterson Trio |
1955.11.08 |
Oscar Peterson (p), Herb Ellis (g), Ray Brown (b) |
|
1957.03.15 |
Coleman Hawkins (ts), Idrees Suleiman (tp), J.J. Johnson (tb), Hank Jones (p), Barry Galbraith (g), Oscar Pettiford (b), Jo Jones (d) |
|
|
1957.07.09 |
Hampton Hawes (p), Charles Mingus (b), Dannie Richmond (d) |
|
|
1961.08.25 |
Teddy Edwards (ts), Danny Horton (p), Leroy Vinnegar (b), Milt Turner (d) |
|
|
1995.09.11 |
Ellis Marsalis (p), Branford Marsalis (sax) |
|
|
Joe Lovano Nonet |
2002.09.29 |
Joe Lovano, Ralph LaLama, George Garzone (ts), Steve Slagel (as), Scott Robinson (bars), Barry Reis (tp), Larry Farrell (tb), John Hicks (p), Dennis Irwin (b), Lewis Nash (d) |
Vocal
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1945.02.19 |
Woody Herman (voc, cl, as, dir), Sonny Berman, Charles Frankhauser, Ray Wetzel, Pete Candoli, Carl Warwick (tp), Ralph Pfeffner, Bill Harris, Ed Kiefer (tb), Sam Marowitz, John LaPorta (cl, as), Flip Phillips, Pete Mondello (ts), Skippy DeSair (bars), Marjorie Hyams (vib), Ralph Burns (p), Billy Bauer (g), Chubby Jackson (b), Dave Tough (d) |
|
|
1947.10.22 |
Frank Sinatra (voc), Axel Stordahl Orchestra |
|
|
1950.12.19 |
Stan Kenton (p, dir), John Howell, Maynard Ferguson, Chico Alvarez, Jimmy Salko, Shorty Rogers (tp), Milt Bernhart, Harry Betts, Bob Fitzpatrick, Dick Kenney, Paul Weigand (tb), Bud Shank, Art Pepper (as), Bart Calderall, Jimmy Giuffre (ts), Bob Gioga (bars), Ralph Blaze (g), Don Bagley (b), Shelly Manne (d), ensemble (voc) |
|
|
1955.07.?? |
Julie London (voc), Barney Kessel (g), Ray Leatherwood (b) |
|
|
Tony Bennett |
1959.11.10 |
Tony Bennett (voc), Ralph Sharon (p), Billy Bean, Tony Mottola, Bucky Pizzarelli (g), Don Payne (b), Panama Francis (d), H. Breuer (per), string section, Frank DeVol (dir) |
|
1961.11.15 |
Jeanne Lee (voc), Ran Blake (p) |
|
|
1964.10.19 |
Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Plas Johnson (ts), Willie Smith (as), Buddy DeFranco (cl), Frank Flynn (vib), Paul Smith (p), Nelson Riddle Orchestra |
|
|
1997.11.18 |
Kevin Mahogany (voc), Michael Brecker (ts), Brad Mehldau (p), Larry Grenadier (b) |
|
|
2004.03.?? |
Patricia Barber (voc, p), Neal Alger (g), Michael Arnopol (b), Eric Montzka (d) |
On cinemas
The song 'Laura' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:
|
ORIGINAL TITLE |
TITLE IN SPAIN |
YEAR OF PRODUCTION |
PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM |
|
Laura |
Laura |
1946 |
Background music |
|
Love Nest |
Memorias de un Don Juan |
1951 |
Background music |
|
The detective |
El detective |
1968 |
|
|
10 |
10, la mujer perfecta |
1979 |
Background music |
|
Bird |
Bird |
1988 |
Charlie Parker, Barry Harris, Chuck Berghofer, John Guerin |
|
Mac |
Mac |
1992 |
Charlie Parker Quartet |
|
Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil |
Medianoche en el jardín del bien y del mal |
1997 |
Kevin Mahogany |