Columbia 5090
Producer: Goddard Lieberson
Track listing: Overture [orchestral] / Why Can’t the English? [Rex Harrison] / Wouldn’t It Be Loverly [Julie Andrews, ensemble] / With A Little Bit Of Luck [Stanley Holloway, Gordon Dilworth, Rod McLennan] / I’m an Ordinary Man [Harrison] / Just You Wait [Andrews] / The Rain in Spain [ Harrison, Andrews, Robert Coote] / I Could Have Danced All Night [Andrews, Philippa Bevans] / Ascot Gavotte [ensemble] / On the Street Where You Live [Michael King] / You Did It [Harrison, Coote, Bevans] / Show Me [Andrews, King], Get Me to the Church on Time [Holloway, Dilworth, McLennan] / A Hymn to Him [Harrison] / Without You [Andrews] I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face [ Harrison]
July 14, 1956
15 weeks (nonconsecutive)
Elvis and the arrival of rock ‘n’ roll couldn’t stop the popularity of show tunes. That point was proven when Elvis’ 10-week run at the summit was ended by the original cast album of My Fair Lady, which went on to become the most popular Broadway cast title in history.
My Fair Lady, a musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, initially opened at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, on February 4, 1956, before moving to the Erlander Theatre in Philadelphia on February 15, and finally to the Mark Hellinger Theater on Broadway on March 15 where it would run an amazing 2,717 performances.
The musical was produced by Herman Levin. Alan Jay Lerner wrote the book and music and his partner Frederick Loewe composed the music. The production was staged by Moss Hart.
The show starred Rex Harrison, making his musical comedy debut, and Julie Andrews. At the time Harrison was already a star, having appeared on the stage in such productions as Bell, Book and Candle and Anne of the Thousand Days, and in such films as The King of Siam and Major Barbara. Andrews had only recently made her debut in The Boyfriend and had appeared alongside Bing Crosby in the television adaptation of High Tar.
Like most Broadway cast albums, My Fair Lady was recorded on a single day off, shortly after the play opened on Broadway. Given the show’s grueling performance schedule, recording the album was not easy. “One had to be very careful of vocal fatigue,” says Andrews, “as the show was very tough on all of us.”
Andrews says she still has “fond memories of Moss, Alan, and Fritz. They were the gentle giants of Broadway and they were kind and encouraging to one as green as myself.”
On April 28, 1956, My Fair Lady first appeared on the charts. Nearly three months later, it hit Number One, becoming the first of nine original cast titles to top the Billboard album chart during the rock era. But its legacy wouldn’t end there. During its first stay at Number One, the album held the top spot for eights weeks. It went on to return to the Number One position again for one week in 1957 and for another three weeks in 1958.
With the album’s popularity still riding high, Columbia executives decided that a new version of My Fair Lady should be recorded to take advantage of the new stereo technology. The stereo version was record in London on February 1, 1959. For Andrews, the chance to record the album again was a thrill. “I was very glad to have the opportunity to re-record the album,” she says. “From my point of view, I feel that the stereo recording is far superior to the original mono version.”
The public was also happy to buy the album again, as the stereo version of the album (Columbia 34197) spent three weeks on top of the stereo album chart in 1959.
Together, the mono and stereo versions of My Fair Lady spent a remarkable 480 weeks on the album chart, more than any other cast album in the rock era. As Andrews says, “My Fair Lady was virtually the perfect musical in every way.”
THE TOP FIVE
Week of July 14, 1956
1. My Fair Lady, Original Cast
2. Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley
3. Calypso, Harry Belafonte
4. Carousel, Soundtrack
5. Songs for Swingin’ Lovers, Frank Sinatra