Sixty-eight years in the past this week, the unique solid album to the Broadway smash My Honest Woman, starring Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison, vaulted from No. 30 to No. 8 in its second week on the Billboard 200. The album logged 173 weeks within the high 10, which set a report which nonetheless stands for the longest run within the high 10 because the Billboard 200 started publishing on an everyday, weekly foundation in March 1956.
The astoundingly good rating, composed by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, contains such requirements as “I Might Have Danced All Night time,” “On the Avenue The place You Dwell,” “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” “The Rain in Spain” and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly.”
Brooks Atkinson, The New York Instances’ influential theater critic on the time, touted My Honest Woman as “among the best musicals of the century” – a line that, naturally, was plastered atop the present’s theatrical poster. Generally, extravagant reward like that may reek of hyperbole. On this case, saying “one in all” confirmed appreciable restraint. Title one musical extra chock-full of well-known and beloved songs.
Extremely, Andrews performed a number one function on three of the eight albums with probably the most weeks within the high 10. The 1965 soundtrack to The Sound of Music is in fourth place on the all-time record with 109 weeks. The 1961 Broadway solid album to Camelot is tied for seventh place with 87 weeks.
Right here’s the highest 10 because it presently stands. Morgan Wallen’s Harmful: The Double Album, which returns to the highest 10 on the Billboard 200 this week, is presently in second place.
Weeks in Prime 10, Artist, Title, 12 months First Reached Prime 10
173, Unique Forged, My Honest Woman, 1956
142, Morgan Wallen, Harmful: The Double Album, 2021
109, Soundtrack, The Sound of Music, 1965
106, Soundtrack, West Aspect Story, 1962
105, Unique Forged, The Sound of Music, 1960
90, Soundtrack, South Pacific, 1958
87, Unique Forged, Camelot, 1961
87, Soundtrack, Oklahoma!, 1956
85, Peter, Paul and Mary, Peter Paul and Mary, 1962
84, Adele, 21, 2011
84, Bruce Springsteen, Born in the usA., 1984
Andrews has had a really distinctive historical past on the Billboard charts. She starred in two Broadway musicals with solid albums that topped the Billboard 200, in addition to two movies with soundtracks that topped that chart, however her solely album below her personal title to make the chart is Julie and Carol at Carnegie Corridor, the soundtrack to a 1962 TV particular by which she starred with one other future legend, Carol Burnett. It peaked at No. 85.
Andrews has additionally had just one entry on the Billboard Sizzling 100, “Tremendous-cali-fragil-istic-expi-ali-docious,” a novelty tune from Mary Poppins on which she teamed with Dick Van Dyke and The Pearlies. The tongue-twister single reached No. 66 in 1965.
Andrews had an excellent singing voice, however for some purpose it didn’t translate to the pop music world. Nonetheless, her work in soundtracks and solid albums can’t be denied.
In 2011, Andrews acquired a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy. She was a part of a wildly various class that additionally included nation queen Dolly Parton, punk band The Ramones, pop-folk trio The Kingston Trio, gospel singer George Beverly Shea, classical ensemble Juilliard String Quartet and jazz drummer Roy Haynes.
Andrews attended the Particular Benefit Awards ceremony in Los Angeles to obtain her lifetime achievement award on Feb. 12, 2011. Making it even sweeter, the next night time, she received a aggressive Grammy – her second – finest spoken phrase album for kids for Julie Andrews’ Assortment of Poems, Songs and Lullabies. She received the award alongside her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton.
Andrews’ generations-spanning attraction was seen in 2015, when Woman Gaga sang 4 songs from The Sound of Music rating on the Oscars, to mark the movie’s fiftieth anniversary. On the finish of her efficiency, Andrews got here out from the wings and embraced her. Gaga launched with these heat phrases, “Girls and gents, the incomparable Julie Andrews.”
It was additionally seen when the American Movie Institute unveiled its roster of 25 Biggest Film Musicals in 2006. Andrews starred in two of the highest 10 musicals – The Sound of Music at No. 4 and Mary Poppins at No. 6. Gene Kelly additionally starred in two of their high 10 musicals (Singin’ within the Rain and An American in Paris). Judy Garland topped them each, starring in three of the highest 10 (The Wizard of Oz, A Star Is Born and Meet Me in St. Louis.) That’s fairly good firm.
Andrews is three-quarters of the way in which to EGOT standing. She has received two Emmys, two Grammys (plus that lifetime achievement award) and an Oscar, however has but to win a Tony, regardless of three nominations. (Contemplating that Andrews has appeared on Broadway in solely 4 reveals, to have been Tony-nominated 3 times is a fairly a feat.) She appeared to lastly be headed for a Tony win in 1996 for her lead function within the Broadway adaptation of Victor/Victoria, however when she was the one particular person from the present to obtain a nomination, she famously declined the nod, telling a matinee viewers two days after the nominations had been introduced: “I’ve searched my conscience and my coronary heart and discover that I can not settle for this nomination, and like as an alternative to face with the egregiously ignored.”
That slightly arch phrasing was mocked, however Andrews’ principled stand was admired. Andrews remained on the poll, however having signaled disinterest within the award, it was no shock when she misplaced to Donna Murphy for The King and I.
Regardless of that kerfuffle, Andrews stays strongly recognized with Broadway. She received a Primetime Emmy in 2005 for internet hosting Broadway: The American Musical on PBS, which was voted excellent non-fiction sequence. She has acquired two Grammy nominations for finest conventional pop vocal efficiency, each for Broadway collections – Julie Andrews Broadway/Right here I’ll Keep (1997) and Julie Andrews – Broadway – the Music of Richard Rodgers (1995).
Andrews has acquired 11 Primetime Emmy nods, spanning a exceptional 65 years. She acquired her first in 1958 for actress – finest single efficiency – lead or assist for Cinderella; her most up-to-date simply final yr for excellent character voice-over efficiency for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
Andrews has acquired a slew of profession achievement awards, together with the Kennedy Heart Honors (2001), a Life Achievement Award from the Display screen Actors Guild Awards (2006) and the American Movie Institute’s life achievement award (2022).
Right here’s extra background on the 4 No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 on which Andrews performed a lead function. They’re proven in chronological order:
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‘My Honest Woman’ authentic solid album
Highlights: “I Might Have Danced All Night time,” “On the Avenue The place You Dwell,” “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” “The Rain in Spain,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly”
Notes: This album hit No. 1 on July 14, 1956, dislodging Elvis Presley’s Elvis Presley from the highest spot. My Honest Woman, which returned to No. 1 in 1957, 1958 and 1959, is the one album to look to high the Billboard 200 in 4 calendar years. It logged 15 weeks at No. 1, a complete equaled or surpassed by just one solid album within the historical past of the Billboard 200. (The Sound of Music, headlined by Mary Martin, had 16 weeks on high in 1960.)
My Honest Woman pre-dates the Grammy Awards, which launched in 1958, however the album was voted into the Grammy Corridor of Fame in 1977 and the Library of Congress’ Nationwide Recording Registry in 2007. My Honest Woman received seven Tony Awards, together with finest musical. Andrews acquired a Tony nomination for her efficiency. Her co-star, Rex Harrison, received a Tony for his.
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‘Camelot’ authentic solid album
Highlights: “If Ever I Would Go away You,” “Camelot,” “The Lusty Month of Might,” “Then You Might Take Me to the Honest,” “What the Easy People Do”
Notes: This album hit No. 1 on June 5, 1961, dislodging Presley’s G.I. Blues soundtrack. The album remained on high for six consecutive weeks. The album acquired a 1960 Grammy nod for finest present album (authentic solid) and was voted into the Grammy Corridor of Fame in 2006. Camelot received 4 Tony Awards. Andrews acquired a Tony nod for her efficiency. Her co-star, Richard Burton, received a Tony for his. (Beginning to see a sample right here!)
The album earned a footnote in American political historical past following President Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963. Presidential historian Theodore White interviewed Jacqueline Kennedy on the night time of Nov. 29, 1963, one week after the assassination. His article, “For President Kennedy: An Epilogue,” printed within the Dec. 6, 1963 situation of LIFE, included the primary use of the time period “Camelot” in print to characterize the Kennedy period. The previous first woman mentioned, “At night time, earlier than we’d fall asleep, Jack favored to play some data; and the tune he cherished most got here on the very finish of this report. The traces he cherished to listen to had been: ‘Don’t let it’s forgot, that when there was a spot, for one temporary shining second/that was generally known as Camelot.” Mrs. Kennedy added: “There’ll be nice Presidents once more – and the Johnsons are fantastic, they’ve been fantastic to me – however there’ll by no means be one other Camelot once more.”
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‘Mary Poppins’ soundtrack
Highlights: “Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag),” “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “Tremendous-cali-fragil-istic-expi-ali-docious,” “Jolly Vacation”
Notes: This album hit No. 1 on March 13, 1965, dislodging The Beatles’ Beatles ’65. It was bumped right down to No. 2 for 3 weeks by the Goldfinger soundtrack, however it returned to No. 1 on April 10. The album logged a complete of 14 weeks on high – one of many 5 longest runs by a soundtrack within the Nineteen Sixties. The movie acquired 13 Oscar nominations, probably the most for any musical to that time. In all of the years since, solely two different musicals have equaled or bettered the feat – Chicago (13 nods in 2003) and La La Land (14 nods in 2017).
Mary Poppins received 5 Oscars on April 5, 1965. When Andrews received finest actress for her first movie function, she graciously mentioned, “I do know you People are well-known to your hospitality however that is actually ridiculous.” In all of Oscar historical past, simply three different actresses have received finest actress for his or her first movie function – Shirley Sales space (Come Again, Little Sheba), Barbra Streisand (Humorous Woman) and Marlee Matlin (Kids of a Lesser God).
The Sherman Brothers received two Oscars for his or her work on Mary Poppins – finest authentic rating and finest authentic tune for “Chim Chim Cher-ee.” Andrews starred within the movie with Dick Van Dyke, who shot the film in between Seasons 2 and three of his basic sitcom, The Dick Van Dyke Present. The soundtrack introduced each stars a Grammy Award – finest recording for kids. The album was voted into the Grammy Corridor of Fame in 2014.
A stage adaptation ran on Broadway from 2006-13. Mary Poppins Returns, a movie sequel starring Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, was launched in 2018.
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‘The Sound of Music’ soundtrack
Highlights: “The Sound of Music,” “I Have Confidence,” “My Favourite Issues,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “One thing Good,” “Edelweiss”
Notes: This album hit No. 1 on Nov. 13, 1965, dislodging The Beatles’ Assist! soundtrack. (So, Andrews’ initiatives dislodged Presley twice and The Beatles twice. That’s what you name maintaining with the massive boys.) The Sound of Music acquired a Grammy nod for album of the yr, however misplaced to Frank Sinatra’s September of My Years. It was voted into the Grammy Corridor of Fame in 1998 and the Nationwide Recording Registry in 2017.
The movie received 5 Oscars, together with finest image. Andrews was nominated for finest actress, and was vying to grow to be the primary actress in almost 30 years to win back-to-back awards in that class, however she misplaced to Julie Christie for Darling.
Three songs from the movie made AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs, a 2004 TV particular. The title tune was No. 10, adopted by “My Favourite Issues” at No. 64 and “Do-Re-Mi” at No. 88. Solely two different movies, Singin’ within the Rain and West Aspect Story, every had three songs on the record.
Carrie Underwood starred in a top-rated (however critically panned) reside TV model in 2013.
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