Love And Marriage

Album: The Best of the Capitol Years (1955)
Charted: 3 5
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Songfacts®:

  • According to Thomas Hischak in his book The Tin Pan Alley Song Encyclopedia, the 1955 ditty "Love And Marriage" was "probably the biggest Tin Pan Alley hit to come out of a television special." With lyrics by Sammy Cahn and music by Jimmy Van Heusen, it was written for a musical version of the 1938 Thornton Wilder play Our Town, in which it was sung by Frank Sinatra. It has since been recorded by Eddie Fisher, Frankie Vaughan and Peggy Lee, among others. In 1987, it was used as the theme song for the American TV series Married With Children, which ran for eleven seasons.
  • The song's proposition that love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage does not sound so impressive in 21st Century America, when (according to US Government figures) nearly four babies in ten were born out of wedlock in 2005. And it sounds even less impressive when you realize that a horse is backed blindly onto a carriage and spends its working life pulling a heavy load only to be rewarded with a bag of oats a day and an occasional crack of a whip. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments: 3

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn September 19th 1955, the NBC-TV Producer's Showcase production of 'Our Town' aired on national television...
    On the broadcast Frank Sinatra introduced the song "Love and Marriage"; at the time Mr. Sinatra's "Learnin' the Blues" was at #15 on Billboard's Most Played on Juke Boxes chart and his "Same Ole Saturday Night" was at #15 on Billboard's Most Played by Jockeys chart...
    And on October 20th, 1955 his version of "Love and Marriage" would entered at #8 on Most Played by Jockeys chart, one month later on November 6th, 1955 it would entered the Top 100 at #16 and around five weeks later on December 15th, 1955 it peaked at #5 {for 3 weeks}...
    Dinah Shore also released a version of the song in 1955; her version peaked at #20...
    R.I.P. Francis Albert Sinatra {1915 - 1998} and Frances Rose Shore {1916 - 1994}.
  • Steve Dotstar from Los Angeles, CaEver hear Jimmy Van Heusen play some of his own songs instrumentally on the piano? He gives them a great feel, sometimes putting kind of a boogie woogie beat feel to them..he cut a great album to this effect on United Artists in the 60's, thats hard to find..
  • Mercedies from Soldotna, AkThis song is awesome!! I watched every episode of the television show! Great theme song to a great show. Captured everything!
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