Love and Marriage
Encyclopedia
"Love and Marriage" is a song with lyrics by Sammy Cahn
and music by Jimmy Van Heusen. It is published by Barton Music Corporation (ASCAP).
in the 1955 television
production of Thornton Wilder
's Our Town that aired on Producers' Showcase
. Sinatra went on to record two versions of the song. The first was recorded for Capitol Records
on August 15, 1955
, and became a major chart hit. (A competing version by Dinah Shore
also achieved popularity.) The second version was recorded for Reprise Records
on October 11, 1965
. The Capitol version would later be used as the theme song for the long-running 1987–1997 Fox TV sitcom
Married... with Children
.
Although both versions were arranged by Nelson Riddle
, there are many slight but noticeable differences. For instance:
In 1956, "Love and Marriage" won the Emmy
for Best Musical Contribution from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
.
Sammy Cahn
Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
and music by Jimmy Van Heusen. It is published by Barton Music Corporation (ASCAP).
Frank Sinatra versions
"Love and Marriage" was introduced by Frank SinatraFrank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
in the 1955 television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
production of Thornton Wilder
Thornton Wilder
Thornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.-Early years:Wilder was born in Madison,...
's Our Town that aired on Producers' Showcase
Producers' Showcase
Producers' Showcase is an American anthology television series that was telecast live during the 1950s in compatible color by NBC. With top talent, the 90-minute episodes, covering a wide variety of genres, aired under the title every fourth Monday at 8 p.m. ET for three seasons, beginning October...
. Sinatra went on to record two versions of the song. The first was recorded for Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
on August 15, 1955
1955 in music
-Events:*January 1 – RCA Victor announces a marketing plan called "Operation TNT." The label drops the list price on LPs from $5.95 to $3.98, EPs from $4.95 to $2.98, 45 EPs from $1.58 to $1.49 and 45's from $1.16 to $.89...
, and became a major chart hit. (A competing version by Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
also achieved popularity.) The second version was recorded for Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
on October 11, 1965
1965 in music
-Events:*January 4 – Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is sold to CBS for $13 million.*January 12 – Hullabaloo premieres on NBC. The first show included performances by The New Christy Minstrels, comedian Woody Allen, actress Joey Heatherton and a segment from London in which Brian Epstein...
. The Capitol version would later be used as the theme song for the long-running 1987–1997 Fox TV sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
.
Although both versions were arranged by Nelson Riddle
Nelson Riddle
Nelson Smock Riddle, Jr. was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid 1980s...
, there are many slight but noticeable differences. For instance:
- In the Capitol version, the opening lyrics are "Love and marriage. Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage." In the Reprise version, the opening lyrics are "Love and marriage. Love and marriage. They go together like a horse and carriage."
- The Capitol version includes a crescendoCrescendo-In music:*Crescendo, a passage of music during which the volume gradually increases, see Dynamics * Crescendo , a Liverpool-based electronic pop band* "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue", one of Duke Ellington's longer-form compositions...
ing instrumentalInstrumentalAn instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
bridgeBridge (music)In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
which would later be played over the closing credits of Married... with Children. This bridge is missing from the Reprise version. - In the Reprise version, Sinatra ends the song by saying (not singing) "No, sir." The ending of the Capitol version is an instrumental version of "Shave and a HaircutShave and a HaircutShave and a Haircut and the associated response "two bits" is a simple, 7-note musical couplet popularly used at the end of a musical performance, usually for comic effect....
" with a bassoonBassoonThe bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
playing the final two notes solo – a C flat and a B flat. (Traditionally, when played in Bb major, the last two notes of "Shave and a Haircut" are an A natural and a B flat.)
In 1956, "Love and Marriage" won the Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Best Musical Contribution from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was founded in 1946, just one month after network television was born. It is a nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering creative leadership in the telecommunications industry...
.
Other versions
- Included in Peggy LeePeggy LeePeggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
1961 Capitol T-1475 LP album Olé ala LeeOlé ala LeeOlé ala Lee is a 1961 album by Peggy Lee, arranged by Joe Harnell.-Track listing:#"Come Dance with Me" #"By Myself" #"You're So Right for Me"...
. - The music, with the words "soup and sandwich," were used in broadcast advertisements for Campbell Soup.
- American ska punkSka punkSka punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...
group Less Than JakeLess Than JakeLess Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, heavy metal, alternative...
covered the song in 2010 for their EP of television theme song covers, TV/EPTV/EPTV/EP is the fifth EP by Less Than Jake. Apart from re-masters of their earlier albums, this EP is the second Less Than Jake release to be distributed by their own label Sleep It Off Records, following 2008's full length album GNV FLA. The recording consists of covers of TV theme songs and product...
.