# Who sang "Moon River"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2003, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351 "2003-09-18T12:19:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Badbug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Badbug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badbug)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/1 "2003-09-18T12:19:43Z")
I believe this song was sung in “Breakfast at Tiffanys”. It was sung by a woman. Who was it? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/2 "2003-09-18T12:26:52Z")
According to the IMDB, it was sung by Audrey Hepburn. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/3 "2003-09-18T12:40:57Z")
Wasn’t it really Marnie Nixon? 😉 (Not really, but you can see why the producers of _My Fair Lady_ were not interested in Hepburn doing her own singing when you hear her weak twittering of “Moon River.”) ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/4 "2003-09-18T13:14:04Z")
In addition to Hepburn’s performance (which [wasn’t as bad](http://www.daisyland.tierranet.com/hepburn/multimedia.htm) as **dropzone** would have you believe) the song was also performed (and made a hit) by Andy Williams. [Nelson Muntz] “I didn’t think he was going to sing it, and then BAM! Third encore!” [/Nelson Muntz] Lyrics by Johnny Mercer, music by Henry Mancini, the song won the Oscar for best song of 1961. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/5 "2003-09-18T13:58:48Z")
EVERYbody’s sung that, but Williams had the first and biggest hit with it. (Trivia: Andy Williams dubbed Lauren Bacall’s singing voice in . . . some movie.) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/6 "2003-09-18T14:35:41Z")
> [@](#): > > (Trivia: Andy Williams dubbed Lauren Bacall’s singing voice in . . . some movie.) _To Have and Have Not_, though that tidbit is disputed by some. “MR” was actually sung twice in _B@T_, once by AH and once by a studio chorus (IIRC). Mancini won an Oscar that year for the score of the film as well. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/7 "2003-09-18T15:23:32Z")
Andy Williams has the most recognizable version of the song (for me, anyway). ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/8 "2003-09-18T15:53:37Z")
I kinda like the version they played at the dance in _Born on the Fourth of July_. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/9 "2003-09-18T16:21:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\*I kinda like the version they played at the dance in _Born on the Fourth of July_. \*\* That version’s on the soundtrack for the movie, and it’s a good one. I’ll always be partial to Audrey’s version, myself… but then, I’m rather partial to Audrey. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/10 "2003-09-18T16:25:15Z")
**Morrissey** , of all people, actually turned in an interesting cover of this song a few years back. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/11 "2003-09-18T16:27:27Z")
I like Sinatra’s version. ---
**Author:** ![thirdshiftgrottoslack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@thirdshiftgrottoslack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdshiftgrottoslack)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/12 "2003-09-18T16:33:34Z")
the afghan whigs do a nice rendition of it. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/13 "2003-09-18T16:49:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ArchiveGuy \* > **_To Have and Have Not_, though that tidbit is disputed by some.** Current information was that Williams was hired to do so, and was on the set, but that they ended up not using his ersion. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/14 "2003-09-18T17:53:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \* > \*\*Current information was that Williams was hired to do so, and was on the set, but that they ended up not using his ersion. \*\* Well, they should have. Bacall had the _worst_ singing voice. “She was a sad, sad sister…” Argghh… ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/15 "2003-09-18T18:07:44Z")
HOW… DARE… YOU!!! ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/16 "2003-09-18T18:16:30Z")
BTW, Hepburn’s own voice is used in “My Fair Lady” at the beginnig and end of “Just You Wait, 'Enry 'Iggins”. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/17 "2003-09-18T18:35:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Avalonian \* > \*\*That version’s on the soundtrack for the movie, and it’s a good one. > > I’ll always be partial to Audrey’s version, myself… but then, I’m rather partial to Audrey. \*\* Same here. In fact, originally the studio heads wanted to cut the song out of the movie, and Audrey stood up and said, “Over my dead body.” The song stayed. When she died, Tiffanys put memorial cards in their windows saying, “Audrey Hepburn: Our Huckleberry Friend”, and the dates. _sniff_ Now I have to go listen to it. Audrey didn’t have a singer’s voice, but she could carry a tune, and she sounds so sad and wistful… _Two drifters off to the see the world…_ ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-sang-moon-river/202351/18 "2003-09-18T18:41:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ilsa\_Lund \* > \*\*HOW… DARE… YOU!!! \*\* Oh…I _dare_, baby. 😉