Beyond the Sea (song)
- For the original French hit written by Charles Trenet, see La mer (song)
- For other uses, see Beyond the Sea
| "Beyond the Sea" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Beyond the Sea" is a 1946 contemporary pop song with music taken from the song "La Mer" by Charles Trenet and lyrics by Jack Lawrence.
Trenet had composed "La Mer" (which means "The Sea") with French lyrics totally different and unrelated to the English language version that Lawrence composed. Trenet's French version was a homage and ode to the changing moods of the sea, while Lawrence, by just adding one word "Beyond" to the title, gave him the start whereby he made the song into one of a lover pining for a lost love.[1]
Versions
| "Beyond the Sea" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "That's The Way Love Is" |
It has been recorded by many artists, but Bobby Darin's version released in 1959 is the best known by many, reaching #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, #15 on the US R&B Chart, and #8 in the UK.[2]
Prior to Bobby Darin, two recordings reached the Billboard Hot 100 top 40. Benny Goodman version charted in 1948. Roger Williams' version reached #37 in 1955.[3]
American R&B singer George Benson recorded a R&B version of the song under the title "Beyond The Sea (La Mer)." It was released on Warner Bros.. This version entered the UK Singles Chart on 20 April 1985. It reached a peak position of #60 and remained on the chart for 3 weeks. [4]
Cover versions
- Barry Manilow released a version on his 2006 album, The Greatest Songs of the Fifties.
- Celtic Woman released a version on two of their albums, A New Journey and The Greatest Journey: Essential Collection.
- Gisele MacKenzie
- James Melton released a version in 1952.
- Mantovani
- Robbie Williams released a version of the song on his album Swing When You're Winning in 2001, which was used in the 2003 Disney film Finding Nemo.
- Royal Crown Revue released a cover in 1998 on the Mugsy's Move album.
- We Five released a version in 1965 as the B-side of the #1 hit "You Were on My Mind."
- Westlife released a version of the song as a digital download release in the UK in 2004.
- Jeff Lynne recorded a version for his solo album "Long Wave" in 2012.
In popular culture
- In the movie A Life Less Ordinary, it was sung by Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz.
- On the television series American Dreams, Duncan Sheik performed the song while playing the role of Bobby Darin.
- Bobby Darin's recording has been used in many films, TV shows and video games, including Apollo 13, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Diner, Goodfellas, Lost, Black Rain, The X-Files, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, Finding Nemo and BioShock.
- Kevin Spacey sang the song in the movie Beyond the Sea, a biopic about Bobby Darin, in a "fantasy" sequence leading up to his marriage to Sandra Dee.
- The song was remixed by Moby and Oscar The Punk on the BioShock EP Game soundtrack.
- A version of this song was sung by Kathryn Williams for the title track of The Cafe, a Sky TV series initially screened in the last quarter of 2011 (in the UK).[citation needed]
- The song was also played in a 2005 commercial for Carnival Cruise Lines.
- An instrumental version of the song is heard at the end of the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland.
- A portion of Bobby Darin's recording was played during the splashdown and post-recovery of Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 in the first episode of the 1998 HBO miniseries, From the Earth to the Moon.
- Cary Grant hums the tune in the 1952 movie Room for One More.
- An instrumental version is played right after the opening credits of the 1948 movie Every Girl Should Be Married also starring Cary Grant
References
- ^ Soeder, John (December 27, 2004). - "Darin Continues to be Defined by Single ‘Sea’". - The Plain Dealer.
—Hedgpeth, Steve (January 10, 2005). - "In any language, it's a hit - RICKY RETRO". - The Star-Ledger.
—Schudel, Matt (March 18, 2009). - "Composer's Hits Helped Singers Such as Sinatra". - The Washington Post. - ^ Bobby Darin, "La Mer (Beyond the Sea)" Chart Positions Retrieved April 20, 2012.
- ^ Roger Williams, "Beyond the Sea (La Mer)" Chart Position Retrieved April 20, 2012.
- ^ Rice, Tim; Rice, Jonathan; Gambaccini, Paul (1990), Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness World Records and Guinness Publishing, ISBN 0-85112-398-8
External links
- "Beyond The Sea". - Jack Lawrence Website.
- Official Bobby Darin fansite
- Second Hand Songs: La Mer / Beyond the Sea page
