Moonrise. By Paul Goldfinger
By Paul Goldfinger
Today, the glow of the moon, of the moonrise, or the moon over the ocean, or over the river….makes me think of Andy Williams.
I first listened to his new song, “Moon River,” playing on my car radio one night in 1961. That evening I was alone in my old Plymouth driving home from a date with my future wife, Eileen. I knew that “Moon River” had to be our song.
Johnny Mercer wrote the lyrics, and Henry Mancini the music. It was very beautiful, but I never exactly knew what a “huckleberry friend” was; somehow I imagined I knew what kind of friend that was.
Today I finally looked it up, and the Urban Dictionary says, “There are your good friends: people who love you. And then there are your huckleberry friends: people who’ve known you for years and have stuck by you and love you no matter what.”
Here are some of the lyrics from a song that was featured in the movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s:”
“There’s such a lot of world to see
We’re after the same rainbow’s end, waitin’ ’round the bend
My huckleberry friend, moon river, and me”
Andy Williams died in 2012. Here is that recording:
I called the band leader to play “our song Moon River” at the wedding. He said that he didn’t know it, but he would research it.
When the time came, they were ready. The song won a Grammy and an Oscar.
I wonder how many newlyweds chose “Moon River”over the years, and I wonder how many found out what a “huckleberry friend” was.