Latest Release
- DEC 1, 2023
- 84 Songs
- Mary Poppins (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) · 1964
- Mary Poppins (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) · 1964
- Mary Poppins (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) · 1964
- Mary Poppins (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) · 1964
- Mary Poppins (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) · 1964
- The Sound Of Music (Original Soundtrack Recording) · 1965
- Cinderella (Original 1957 TV Cast Recording) · 1957
- Mary Poppins (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) · 1964
- The Sound Of Music (Original Soundtrack Recording) · 1965
- Mary Poppins (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) · 1964
Essential Albums
- Like South Pacific a handful of years earlier, the 1965 film adaptation of The Sound of Music helped slake what was proving to be an inexhaustible thirst for stories about World War II—in this case, of a cheerful young governess caring for the children of an Austrian Naval officer at the dawn of the Nazi occupation. Played by Julie Andrews—who’d broken through in America in part because of her work with Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II in 1957’s Cinderella—Maria von Trapp became an avatar for a kind of bootstrap optimism that resonated especially powerfully with an American audience rebounding from war into the suburban, baby-booming era in which the movie came out. The film would become a generation-defining smash, with songs that became vertebrae in the spine of American culture—tunes that were reborn and reinterpreted in numerous forms, from jazz standards (“My Favorite Things”) to grade-school mnemonics (“Do-Re-Mi”). Decades later, The Sound of Music sing-alongs would keep millions of moviegoers humming along to what might be Rodgers & Hammerstein’s most beloved show. Sadly, Hammerstein didn’t live to see it, having died from cancer in 1960. Commenting on the music’s optimism just a few months before his death, he said it was important to acknowledge the bad in the world—but at least as important to acknowledge the good.
- The 1964 film Mary Poppins featured a modern mix of live-action and animation—and the music was just as revolutionary. Those sing-along numbers that enchanted children delivered deeper messages. Tucked between the fanciful fun of “A Spoonful of Sugar” and the tongue-tangling “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” are tunes about feminism (“Sister Suffragette”) and fiscal responsibility (“Fidelity Fiduciary Bank”). Of course, the heart of this soundtrack is everyone’s favorite nanny, and Julie Andrews’ youthful voice is magic. Pair that with Bert’s cockeyed Cockney accent and you get movie musical perfection.
- Released in 1957, the soundtrack for Cinderella marked a new kind of project for Rodgers & Hammerstein: Not only was it the first time they’d written expressly for television—rather than adapting a show from the stage—it was the first time Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were working with such well-known source material. The novelty provided a challenge: The duo needed the story to remain recognizable for kids, while also offering enough depth for parents to be interested. And, in certain ways, the two Broadway legends were more conscious of the immediacy of their music than ever before: After all, a show might get a season to prove itself—but a TV special only runs once. The show was conceived in part as a spotlight for the young British actress Julie Andrews, who had recently made her name in the US acting opposite Rex Harrison in the hit Broadway musical My Fair Lady. Andrews’ famously sunny disposition imbued Cinderella with a sense of persistence and almost transcendent optimism in the face of steep odds (“In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible; It’s Possible”). The broadcast was reportedly seen by 107 million people—at the time, an astonishing 60% of the US population. Rodgers & Hammerstein later noted the same audience for a stage production would’ve meant selling out eight nights a week for 140 years—a tough prospect, even for a Fairy Godmother.
Artist Playlists
- The crystalline sound of raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens.
Compilations
About Julie Andrews
Gifted with a flawless, four-octave soprano voice, English singer and actor Julie Andrews began performing as a child, joining her musical family as they entertained troops during World War II. ∙ The Queen of England was in the audience when Andrews made her first solo appearance at London’s Stage Door Canteen at age 11, performing a piece from the opera Mignon. ∙ Praise for her Broadway debut in the 1954 musical The Boy Friend led to her Tony-nominated breakout role as Eliza Doolittle in the original production of My Fair Lady. ∙ Theater legends Rodgers & Hammerstein agreed to write the 1957 TV musical Cinderella—the most-viewed broadcast in history when it aired—only because she was its star. ∙ She won her only Oscar for the title role of the 1964 classic Mary Poppins, which she initially turned down because she was pregnant when Walt Disney first approached her. ∙ The iconic soundtrack for the 1965 film The Sound of Music spent two years in the Pop Top 10, and her performance as Maria von Trapp earned Andrews a Golden Globe. ∙ Though it lasted for only a single season, her critically acclaimed 1972 variety show, The Julie Andrews Hour, picked up an impressive seven Emmy Awards. ∙ Her career-revitalizing role as Queen Clarisse Renaldi in 2001’s The Princess Diaries came just a year after she was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire. ∙ Two of her books—Home: A Memoir of My Early Years and The Very Fairy Princess, a children’s story written with her daughter—topped The New York Times Best Seller list. ∙ The American Film Institute, Grammy Awards, and Screen Actors Guild have all honored her with Lifetime Achievement Awards.
- HOMETOWN
- Walton-On-Thames, England
- BORN
- October 1, 1935
- GENRE
- Vocal