This song was published in 1970 The music was by Francs Lai and the lyrics were written by Carl Sigman. The song was first introduced as an instrumental theme in the 1970 film, ‘ Love Story’ after the film's distributor, ‘Paramount Pictures’ rejected the first set of lyrics that were written. Andy Williams eventually recorded the new lyrics and took the song to Number 9 on ‘Billboard Hot 100’ and Number 1 on their ‘Easy Listening Chart’.
Before the film opened in theatres on December 25, 1970, the recording of ‘Theme from Love Story’ by Henry Mancini was released as a single and made its debut. Two versions of ‘(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story’—one by Andy Williams and one by Tony Bennett—were released on January 15, 1971, and an article in the magazine's January 23 issue tried to explain the gap between releases of the instrumental and vocal versions as ‘intentional’. The logic behind the decision was that “only the instrumental version should hit the market before the picture's release, and that the vocal version should be held up until several weeks after the film's release so that 'the theme and the image of ‘Love Story’ would be implanted in the audience's mind.'” The Mancini version spent two of its 16 weeks on the ‘Easy Listening Chart’ at Number 2.
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I will never forget seeing this film early in my first marriage and I must confess of not audibly hearing so many people cry before in one pleasurable gathering. Rows after row of sobbing cinema goers could be heard and seen, and weepers crossed the sexual gap between men and women in equal measure. I’d bet my bottom dollar that there wasn’t a dried-eyed patron in the cinema as the final credits rolled. As patrons left their seats to enter the outside world, I can recall seeing couples hold each other’s hands a little tighter in reassurance than when they entered the cinema and one could hardly fail to notice the constant dabbing of their tearful eyes with their handkerchiefs.
This excellent film dealt with the most heart-breaking of subjects; the death of a loved one early on in their union. The dying woman was still young with so much life before her that she would never know. Her bereaved partner was left to face his future life without his one true love, heartbroken and unable to effectively communicate emotionally with his father.
As a 76-year-old man who has had a number of cancers over the past eight years ( four cancers in total and one Lymphoma, and one of them being a terminal blood cancer), I sympathise greatly with those happy couples who lose a partner to some incurable illness or condition so early into their relationship. There is a pathos in any situation that sees a couple struck down at the height of their happiness. How much worse it even is when the children die young with fatal cancers; young ones who have not yet tasted life of any substance?
Where does such heartache begin, we ask ourselves? The answer is where all heartbreak begins; with the heart itself. The greatest prize on earth is ‘to love’ and to ‘be loved in return’. The cruel reality is that to obtain this ultimate prize, we must open our hearts to all possibilities; and by so doing, make ourselves vulnerable to disappointment, even to the point of heartbreak itself. Being the highest of human prizes ever attainable necessitates taking the greatest of all emotional risks that loving another brings with it.
Today is my friend, Sarah Bowden’s birthday. Being a gentleman, I won’t reveal her age, only to say that she looks ten years younger than she actually is. Her husband George is my favourite Howarth-based painter and I have several of his fine works hanging on my walls. Sarah and George have an art shop on Main Street in Howarth, that is certainly worth popping into if you walk up Main Street.The couple have been happily married many years. Enjoy your birthday Sarah. Love Bill and Sheila x
Love and peace Bill xxx