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"Marnie" theme song performed by Nat King Cole

posted 9 years ago by s007davis
3 replies | jump to latest

There was a theme song for the film using Bernard Herrmann's score with the following lyrics:

"Moon and mist
Make rainbows in your hair
When I see your smile
There's sunlight everywhere

But your world is lonely
Marnie
Oh, Marnie

So lost yet so lovely
Take my hand
And stay with me awhile

Let me try to dry
The tears beneath your smile

Only love can save you
Marnie

Please love me
Please be mine

I love you
Marnie

Please me mine"

Nat King Cole recorded it and you can listen to it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dYWTkI4skc

[–] dalton-22403 9 years ago

You would think that Hitchcock would have learned from Vertigo that this sort of thing wasn't a good idea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhECyV_6xYM

The Marnie song is slightly better. But, really - both are pretty crappy.

[–] bastasch8647 8 years ago

The Marnie song is slightly better. But, really - both are pretty crappy.

Disagree - Marnie has the better lyrics, and of course the tune itself is Herrmann's own, whereas the Vertigo piece is just a tie-in sketch, musically unattached to the actual film score.

[–] rsgre 8 years ago

Thank you for your posts everyone, very very interesting. I had heard the "Vertigo" one before and just laughed when I did, what a joke, but the "Marnie" one has real substance and worked just fine with Hermmann's actual composition. A song with lyrics was actually written from one of John Addison's themes for his score for "Torn Curtain", but was never used either. It is included as an extra track on the complete score on CD. What is remarkable about the "Marnie" song is that it actually works, debunking the theory that Herrmann "...couldn't write a tune to save his ass...", according to Alfred Newman's brother Lionel. It also shows that Hitchcock's films could have been much more entertaining if he had not chosen such an extreme style and narration. I guess he was a very cynical and downbeat person. Might have more...thanks again.

RSGRE