My Fair Lady (Broadway cast recording)

This article analyzes My Fair Lady (Broadway cast recording) from different perspectives, in order to understand its importance and relevance today. From its impact on society to its influence on culture, My Fair Lady (Broadway cast recording) has become a topic of great interest to people of all ages and sectors. Along these lines, its origins, its evolution over time and the various opinions and theories that revolve around it will be explored. Likewise, its implications and consequences in different areas will be examined, with the aim of providing a comprehensive and complete vision of My Fair Lady (Broadway cast recording).

My Fair Lady
Cast recording by
the original Broadway cast
ReleasedApril 2, 1956 (1956-04-02)
RecordedMarch 24, 1956 (1956-03-24)
StudioColumbia 30th Street, New York City
GenreShow tunes
Length53:44
LabelColumbia Records
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic

The Broadway cast recording of the musical My Fair Lady was first released April 2, 1956 by Columbia Records, with songs by Lerner and Loewe, conducted by Franz Allers, starring Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews. Columbia president Goddard Lieberson provided the $375,000 needed to stage the show in return for the rights to the cast recording.

A commercial success, the album became the first LP record to sell 1 million copies. The album topped US Billboard 200 charts for fifteen weeks at different times in 1956 (eight consecutive weeks), 1957, 1958, and 1959.

After the musical transferred to London in April 1958, the album spent 19 consecutive weeks atop the UK charts, the biggest-selling album of the year. The musical's renewed success sent Andrews, Harrison, and the London cast to the recording studio in 1959 to capture the score in stereo: the London cast recording shares all the same principals as the Broadway cast.

Columbia first released the Broadway album on compact disc in 1988, followed by numerous subsequent reissues. As of 2023, the original cast recording remains among the longest-charting albums in the U.S., with 480 weeks on the Billboard 200.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitlePerformed byLength
1."Overture" / "Why Can't the English?"Rex Harrison, Robert Coote and Julie Andrews3:09
2."Wouldn't It Be Loverly?"Julie Andrews and Ensemble3:55
3."With a Little Bit of Luck"Stanley Holloway, Gordon Dilworth, Rod McLennan and Chorus3:55
4."I'm an Ordinary Man"Rex Harrison4:38
5."Just You Wait"Julie Andrews2:41
6."The Rain in Spain"Rex Harrison, Julie Andrews, Robert Coote and Ensemble2:39
7."I Could Have Danced All Night"Julie Andrews, Philippa Bevans and Ensemble3:28
Side two
No.TitlePerformed byLength
1."Ascot Gavotte"Chorus3:13
2."On the Street Where You Live"John Michael King2:56
3."You Did It"Rex Harrison, Robert Coote, Philippa Bevans and Ensemble4:25
4."Show Me"Julie Andrews and John Michael King2:10
5."Get Me to the Church on Time"Stanley Holloway, Gordon Dilworth, Rod McLennan and Chorus2:42
6."A Hymn to Him"Rex Harrison3:28
7."Without You"Julie Andrews2:01
8."I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face"Rex Harrison5:14

Chart positions

Chart Year Peak
position
Billboard 200 1956 1
UK Albums Chart 1958 1
  • returned to number 1 on Billboard 200 at different times during 1957, 1958 and 1959.

References

  1. ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. "Album overview and Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
  2. ^ a b "Background information". Masterworks Broadway. 2002-05-28. Archived from the original on 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
  3. ^ "LP's 54% of Pop Sales - Lieberson". Variety. March 12, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved October 1, 2021 – via Archive.org.
  4. ^ a b "The Official Charts Company - Original Soundtrack - My Fair Lady". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  5. ^ "CD issue". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
  6. ^ Young, Simon (2023-03-03). "Here are the 20 longest-charting albums in the history of the Billboard 200". louder. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  7. ^ "My Fair Lady - Charts and Awards". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
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