Decca 79046
Composer and conductor: Victor Young
Track listing: Around the World Part I / Passepartout / Paris Arrival / Sky Symphony / (A) Invitation to a Bull Fight (B ) Entrance of the Bull March / India Country Side / Around the World Part II / The Pagoda of Pillagi / Temple of Dawn / Prairie Sail Car / Land Ho / Epilogue
July 22, 1957
10 weeks (nonconsecutive)
Victor Young didn’t get to enjoy the success of his greatest work, Around the World in 80 Days. The composer died on November 11, 1956, five months before the soundtrack to Michael Todd’s spectacular film was released in April of 1957. Prior to his death, however, Young had certainly made a name for himself composing and conducting music for such films as Wells Fargo, Golden Boy, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and Rio Grande.
Following Young’s death, the album was released on Decca, which had already proven adept at marking soundtracks with The Eddy Duchin Story. However, Decca almost didn’t get the album. “After Young’s death, I had trouble getting the tracks from [the film’s producer] Mike Todd, because he wanted the album to go to RCA-Victor,” says Milt Gabler, who was the head of A&R for Decca at the time.
The controversy over which record company had the rights to the album resulted in a delay in its release. “It came out four to six weeks after it should have,” Gabler says. Yet the delay didn’t affect its sales, as the soundtrack, like the film that inspired it, turned out to be a blockbuster.
The film, which starred David Niven, the Mexican comedian Cantinflas, Robert Newton, and Shirley MacLaine, was shot, as its title suggests, around the world. More than 68,000 people in 13 countries were captured in the film. Todd’s film crew traveled more than four million miles in the course of shooting.
The story, based on the Jules Verne novel, traces the adventures of Phileas Fogg, played by Niven, who bets 20,000 pounds that he can circle the globe in 80 days.
Young’s music not only suited the mood of the film perfectly, it also struck a nerve with his peers and the public. The title track was covered by some of the biggest names in popular music, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Mantovani. In fact, in 1957 alone, Young, Crosby, Mantovani, and the McGuire Sisters charted with versions of “Around the World.” Mantovani’s version, which reached number 12 on September 2, 1957, proved to be the highest-charting. Young’s own instrumental rendition, which was released with Crosby’s vocal interpretation on the flipside, reached number 13 on July 22, 1957. The same day, Around the World in 80 Days soared to the top of the album chart, giving Young a posthumous Number One. His effort also garnered him an Oscar for best score.
THE TOP FIVE
Week of May 27, 1957
1. Around the World in 80 Days, Soundtrack
2. My Fair Lady, Original Cast
3. Love is the Thing, Nat “King” Cole
4. Film Encores, Mantovani
5. A Swingin’ Affair, Frank Sinatra