Well, if you really can choose a singular song from the Sound of Music you are doing better than me - this is me introducing a new feature for the Jukebox in 2016, where each Friday, I will be putting one whole album into the Jukebox as the songs on the album are all awesome. The idea came to me on New Year Day when I thought about putting a track from the Sound of Music in as it is a film that is shown at New Year and realised by trying to decide on one track was too difficult a task for me. Even trying to narrow it down to a top five was proving difficult so I decided that, unlike chocolate, there can never be too much music added into the Jukebox at one time.
Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote the music for the 1959 Broadway musical The Sound of Music, which was based on the memoir The story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Von Trapp. The film would follow in 1965 with Julie Andrew and Christopher Plummer. Surprising enough the release of the film was to a limited number of cinemas but within four weeks, it was number one and by 1966, it has become the highest grossing film overtaking Gone of the Wind and remained at number one for five years. The music unsurprisingly won numerous awards including an Academy Award.
Julie Andrews, who has to be a national treasure, was cast when Robert Wise (Director of Sound of Music) was shown the footage of the then unreleased Mary Poppins and realised that if he didn't sign Andrews right away, she would be someone else's with her talent. It is hard to believe now that anyone else could have been considered for the role. More alarmingly in the late 1950s they had considered producing a non-musical film of The Sound of Music and casting Audrey Hepburn as Maria. But lucky, this never happen and 20th Century Fox bought the rights for the film in 1960.
To the music, what can I say, it is almost too well known to start putting my own memories on to it as there are fans of The Sound of Music everywhere and each of you will have your own memories without me. I think I will share only two; one is for the song I am sixteen going on Seventeen as I wrote my own version of the song for a millennium pantomime that I co-wrote, where the old fairy godmother sang my version to the young fairies who weren't very respectful. Second memory is a disappointment that I missed my niece playing Gretl and whenever I hear So long, farewell I now imagine my niece playing the role. We were in America at the time.
One last thought and I leave you to the music; for me The Sound of Music has everything in it as the story is about love, family and strength against impossible odds - this is why the music has lasted and why in 100 years, I hope people are still going to sing-a-long a sound music and enjoying the film.
Here is a selection box of the Sound of Music for you to enjoy:
Written by: Roger Rodgers and Hammerstein
Album: The Sound of Music, Original Score, 1965
Staring: Julie Andrews
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