Album: My Fair Lady (1956)

License This Song 

Songfacts®:

• This inspirational song is perhaps the most endearing of many fine songs from the smash Broadway musical My Fair Lady; the spelling and pronunciation of lovely as loverly is due to its being sung by the Cockney street seller and leading lady Eliza Doolittle, who was played in the original by Julie Andrews. In the 1964 film version, the song is actually sung by Marni Nixon whose voice was dubbed; the lead was played by Audrey Hepburn.
  
  The music was composed by Frederick Loewe, and the lyrics were written by Alan Lerner, as were all the songs; Lerner also wrote the book, which is adapted from the George Bernard Shaw classic Pygmalion. >>>

  Suggestion credit:
  Alexander Baron - London, England

Comments: 2

• Sam Burkes from Philadelphia, Ms.I came home for lunch one afternoon fr. 4th Grade in Hempstead, N.Y., must've been 1957. Our family radio, A Bakelite Regal, was playing. Suddenly, this beautifully written piece of exquisite music comes as an intro, and the most beautiful, songbird-like voice of a young, darling Julie Andrews starts singing...I was a smitten 8-yr-old..I never, ever let this song leave my steel-trapped, positive-pitch musical mind. I can actually play, by ear-memory, the chords to this song on guitar, either in E major or D major...have those orchestrated changes engrained, etched permantly in my memory. I've always loved Julie Andrews. This play was a huge smash in the N.Y. Area then.
  Thank You
  Sam A. Burkes lll
• Carolyn from Knoville, TnDidn't Andy Williams croon "Moon River" that was supposedly "sung" by Audrey Hepburn in another film? Marni Nixon did a good job on this song, but I will always think of Julie Andrews when I hear it.

More Songfacts:

TimberPitbull

Rihanna was Pitbull's first choice to sing on "Timber," but she wasn't available at the time so he enlisted his RCA labelmate Kesha instead.

BubblyColbie Caillat

Colbie Caillat sang "Bubbly" when she auditioned for American Idol in 2004, but was sent packing. Three years later it became a big hit when she released it as her first single - the song spent 19 weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Beverly HillsWeezer

Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo wrote "Beverly Hills" after seeing a photo of the group Wilson Phillips and imagining what it would be like to marry someone famous.

Hips Don't LieShakira

"Hips Don't Lie" is Shakira's in-studio mantra for her crew: If her hips are moving, the song is working. If not, best to try something else.

YellowColdplay

"Yellow" by Coldplay is a deep, meaningful song, but the title has a rather prosaic origin: it came from the phone directory, known as "the yellow pages."

CreepRadiohead

One of the moodiest hits of the '90s is "Creep" by Radiohead. It was the group's first single, and to their dismay, it became their biggest hit - it wasn't the song they wanted to be known for.

Editor's Picks

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)Songwriter Interviews

Richie talks about producing the first two Kiss albums, recording "Brother Louie," and the newfound appreciation of his rock band, Dust.

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."

Charles FoxSongwriter Interviews

After studying in Paris with a famous composition teacher, Charles became the most successful writer of TV theme songs.

Which Songs are About Drugs?Fact or Fiction

"25 or 6 to 4" to "Semi-Charmed Life" - see if you can spot the songs that are really about drugs.

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.