My Fair Lady (London cast recording)

1959 cast recording by the original Broadway cast

My Fair Lady

Cast recording by

the original Broadway cast

Released| 1959
Recorded| 1 February 1959[1]
Genre| Show tunes
Label| Columbia Records
Julie Andrews chronology
| Rose-Marie
(1958)  | My Fair Lady
(1959)  | Camelot
(1960)

|
|

My Fair Lady is the original cast recording of the mmusical with the same name, released in 1959 by Columbia Records.[1] The album features the performances of the original Broadway cast, including Rex Harrison, Julie Andrews, and Stanley Holloway. The musical, composed by Frederick Loewe with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, was a significant success on Broadway, and its cast recording has been highly regarded for capturing the essence of the stage production.[2]

The original London cast recording, which moved into the Drury Lane Theatre in April 1958, is very similar to the Broadway version. This London cast recording has often been more affordable than the original Broadway cast, making it a popular choice for fans of the musical.[2] The stereo version of the album, recorded in London with the original cast, was released as Columbia OS 2015 and was praised for its high-quality sound and packaging, which helped to renew interest in the album.[3][4]

The stereo recording of My Fair Lady was completed in London in February 1959, featuring the original New York cast. This version was noted for its rich and full sound quality, which was considered worth the wait. The stereo release was seen as a significant achievement, opening up a new market for the original cast LP.[3][4] The production was conducted by Cyril Ornadel, and the recording was produced by Goddard Lieberson, who was instrumental in bringing the original cast together for this project.[5]

The recording was later reissued in various formats, including a CD version in 1998 by Columbia Legacy, which included bonus tracks such as "The Embassy Waltz" and extensive liner notes with memorabilia and previously unpublished photos.[2]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [2]
Billboard| Favorable[3]
Cash Box| Favorable[4]
The Dispatch| Favorable[6]
Sunday Herald| Favorable[5]

Critics have widely praised the original cast recording of My Fair Lady for its ability to capture the charm and wit of the stage production. Marjorie Ellen Ruhlmann of AllMusic rated the album four and a half stars out of five and highlighted the value of the London cast recording, noting its affordability and the inclusion of bonus material in the 1998 CD reissue.[2] The music critic of Billboard magazine also praised the stereo version, stating that it "greatly fulfills all expectations" and was "worth waiting for".[3]

William D. Laffler, writing for The Dispatch, emphasized the historical significance of the recording, particularly the opportunity it provided for listeners to experience the original cast's performance. He highlighted the abundance of My Fair Lady recordings in the market at the time of the release but emphasized that this release allowed listeners to hear the London cast in stereo for the first time.[6] Similarly, Cash Box magazine pointed out that the recording retained all the "original charm and wit" of the musical and that its stereo format could open the album to a broader audience.[4]

Warren DeMotte of the Sunday Herald also lauded the stereo recording, noting the spontaneity and experience that the cast brought to the project after three additional years of performing the musical. The recording was described as top-notch, with Cyril Ornadel's conducting adding to the overall quality of the production.[5]

## Commercial performance

[edit]

The album achieved significant commercial success, spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard chart Best-Selling Stereophonic LPs in 1959.[7][8][9] Starting May 25, 1959, separate charts were listed for albums in mono and stereo formats, called Best-Selling Monophonic LPs and Best-Selling Stereophonic LPs, respectively.[10] In 1962, the album peaked at number 49 on the Cash Box chart.[11]

It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the 1960s,[12][13] and later 3× Platinum in November 21, 1986.

## Track listing

[edit]

My Fair Lady (1959)No.| Title| Writer(s)| Performer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Overture"| Lerner, Loewe| My Fair Lady Orchestra (1959), Cyril Ornadel, Franz Allers| 2:45
2.| "Why Can't the English?"| Lerner, Loewe| Rex Harrison| 2:46
3.| "Wouldn't It Be Loverly"| Lerner, Loewe| Julie Andrews| 3:57
4.| "With a Little Bit of Luck"| Lerner, Loewe| Stanley Holloway| 4:05
5.| "I'm an Ordinary Man"| Lerner, Loewe| Rex Harrison| 4:33
6.| "Just You Wait"| Lerner, Loewe| Julie Andrews| 2:48
7.| "The Rain in Spain"| Lerner, Loewe| Julie Andrews, Rex Harrison, Robert Coote| 2:49
8.| "I Could Have Danced All Night"| Lerner, Loewe| Julie Andrews, Betty Woolfe| 3:42
9.| "Ascot Gavotte"| Lerner, Loewe| My Fair Lady Ensemble| 3:06
10.| "On the Street Where You Live"| Lerner, Loewe| Leonard Weir| 2:54
11.| "You Did It"| Lerner, Loewe| Robert Coote, Rex Harrison, Betty Woolfe| 4:04
12.| "Show Me"| Lerner, Loewe| Julie Andrews, Leonard Weir| 2:08
13.| "Get Me to the Church on Time"| Lerner, Loewe| Stanley Holloway| 2:42
14.| "A Hymn to Him"| Lerner, Loewe| Rex Harrison| 3:15
15.| "Without You"| Lerner, Loewe| Julie Andrews| 2:05
16.| "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face"| Lerner, Loewe| Rex Harrison| 5:21
17.| "Embassy Waltz (Bonus Track)"| Lerner, Loewe| Percy Faith| 2:46

## Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of My Fair Lady original cast recording.[14]

* Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
* Music by Frederick Loewe
* Musical arrangements by Robert Russell Bennett and Phil Lang
* Musical Director, Cyril Ornadel

Cast

* Julie Andrews
* Rex Harrison
* Stanley Holloway
* Robert Coote
* Betty Woolf
* Leonard Weir

## Charts

[edit]

Weekly chart performance for My Fair Lady: Original Cast Chart (1959-1962)  | Peak
position

|

US Best-Selling Stereophonic LPs (Billboard)[7] | 1
US (Cash Box Best Selling Albums)[11] | 49

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Canada  | —  | 250,000[15]
United States (RIAA)[16] | 3× Platinum  | 3,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Arntz & Wilson 1995, p. 229
2. ^ a b c d e Ruhlmann, Marjorie Ellen. "My Fair Lady [Original London Cast] \- Original Cast". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
3. ^ a b c d "The Billboard Buting Guide for Packaged Records" (PDF). Billboard. 6 April 1959. p. 60\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 March 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
4. ^ a b c d "Album: Popular peaks of the week" (PDF). Cashbox. 11 April 1959. p. 68\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 March 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
5. ^ a b c DeMotte, Warren (24 May 1959). "Music for Moderns". Sunday Herald. LXXIII (21): 8. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
6. ^ a b Laffler, William D. (13 November 1964). "What's New in Records". The Dispatch. LXXXIII (59). Retrieved 20 March 2025.
7. ^ a b "The Billboard Top LP'S". Billboard. June 15, 1959. p. 23. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
8. ^ "The Billboard Top LP'S". Billboard. June 22, 1959. p. 54. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
9. ^ "The Billboard Top LP'S". Billboard. June 29, 1959. p. 34. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
10. ^ "The Billboard Top LP'S" (PDF). Billboard. May 25, 1959. p. 45. Retrieved January 11, 2022 - via WorldRadioHistory.
11. ^ a b "Best Sellin Albums" (PDF). Cashbox. 3 February 1962. p. 21\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 March 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
12. ^ "Gold LP's" (PDF). Billboard. 21 January 1967. p. 43\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
13. ^ "Golden Albums" (PDF). Cashbox. 28 December 1974. p. 68\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
14. ^ Julie Andrews, Rex Harrison (1959). My Fair Lady: Original Cast (liner notes). Columbia Masterworks. OS 2015.
15. ^ "Columbia's "Lady" passes quarter million units sold" (PDF). RPM. 21 April 1969. p. 11\. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
16. ^ "American album certifications – Soundtrack – My Fair Lady (Original Cast)". Recording Industry Association of America.

### Bibliography

[edit]

* Arntz, James; Wilson, Thomas S. (1995). Julie Andrews. Two Prudential Plaza, Chicago. Illinois: Contemporary Books, Inc. ISBN 0-8092-3267-7.

* v
* t
* e

My Fair Lady by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner (Lerner and Loewe)

Characters|

* Eliza Doolittle

Source|

* Pygmalion (1913 play) by George Bernard Shaw
* Pygmalion (1938 film) by George Bernard Shaw adapted by W. P. Lipscomb and Cecil Lewis

Films|

* My Fair Lady (1964 film)
* The Opening of Misty Beethoven (1976)
* Galatea [ru] (1977)
* Man Pasand (1980)

Albums|

* My Fair Lady (1956 Broadway cast recording)
* My Fair Lady (1956 Shelly Manne album)
* My Fair Lady (1958 Oscar Peterson Trio album)
* My Fair Lady (1959 London cast recording)
* Nat King Cole Sings My Fair Lady (1963 album)
* My Fair Lady (1964 film soundtrack)
* My Fair Lady Loves Jazz (1964 Billy Taylor album)
* The Great Songs from "My Fair Lady" and Other Broadway Hits (1964 Andy Williams album)

Musical numbers|

* "Wouldn't It Be Loverly? "
* "With a Little Bit of Luck"
* "The Rain in Spain"
* "I Could Have Danced All Night"
* "On the Street Where You Live"
* "Get Me to the Church on Time"
* "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face"

Television|

* "My Fair Laddy"
* "One If by Clam, Two If by Sea"
* Selfie

Related|

* The Street Where I Live

* v
* t
* e

Julie Andrews

* Discography
* Filmography
* Accolades

Studio albums|

* Songs of Sense & Nonsense – Tell It Again (1957)
* The Lass with the Delicate Air (1957)
* Julie Andrews Sings (1958)
* Broadway's Fair Julie (1961)
* Don't Go in the Lion's Cage Tonight and Other Heartrending Ballads and Raucous Ditties (1962)
* A Christmas Treasure (1967)
* The Secret of Christmas (1975)
* Love Me Tender (1982)
* Love, Julie (1987)
* The Sounds of Christmas — From Around the World (1990)
* Broadway: The Music of Richard Rodgers (1994)
* Broadway: Here I'll Stay — The Words of Alan Jay Lerner (1996)

Cast recordings
and soundtracks|

* High Tor (1956)
* My Fair Lady (Broadway cast recording) (1956)
* Cinderella (1957)
* Rose-Marie (1958)
* My Fair Lady (London cast recording) (1959)
* Camelot (1960)
* Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall (1962)
* Mary Poppins (1964)
* The Sound of Music (1965)
* Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
* Julie and Carol at Lincoln Center (1971)
* The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004)

Television specials
and videos|

* Cinderella (1957)
* Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall (1962)
* Julie and Carol at Lincoln Center (1971)
* The Julie Andrews Hour (1972)
* Julie on Sesame Street (1973)
* Julie & Carol: Together Again (1989)
* Julie (1992)
* Julie's Greenroom (2017)

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