Written by: Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster
Recorded: 26 December 1969; 14 January; 3, 5, 17, 19 February 1970
Producer: George Martin
Engineers: Phil McDonald, Geoff Emerick
Released: 27 March 1970 (UK), 24 April 1970 (US)
Available on:
Sentimental Journey
Personnel
Ringo Starr: vocals
The George Martin Orchestra: instrumentation
Billy Preston: organ
Ronnie Verrell: drums
‘Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing’ is the eighth song on Sentimental Journey, Ringo Starr’s debut solo album.
The song, with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster, first appeared in the 1955 feature film Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song the following year, and from 1967 to 1973 was the theme song of the television soap opera based on the movie.
The best-selling version was released in July 1955 by The Four Aces. It topped the Billboard and Cash Box charts in the USA, and reached number two on the UK singles chart.
In the studio
Starr’s version of ‘Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing’ was arranged by Quincy Jones, who conducted a 27-piece orchestra at A&M Studios in Los Angeles on 26 December 1969. Starr was not present for the session, but he did overdub lead vocals onto it at London’s Olympic Sound Studios on 14 January 1970.
The album’s producer, George Martin, was unhappy with the results, and ‘Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing’ was re-recorded at Abbey Road on 3 February. From 2:30-4:30 Jones conducted a 16-piece ensemble, with eight takes recorded. It was followed by an overdub session from 4:30-6:30 in which Starr added lead vocals and Billy Preston recorded an organ part. The song was mixed in stereo from 6:30-7pm.
I remember we were in the studio with George Martin, and Ringo had taken three hours for a four-bar thing he was trying to fix on a song. He couldn’t get it. We said, ‘Mate, why don’t you get some lager and lime, some shepherd’s pie, and take an hour-and-a-half and relax a little bit.’ So, he did, and we called Ronnie Verrell, a jazz drummer. Ronnie came in for 15 minutes and tore it up. Ringo comes back and says, ‘George, can you play it back for me one more time?’ So, George did, and Ringo says, ‘That didn’t sound so bad.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, m**********r, because it ain’t you.’
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Starr re-recorded his lead vocals two days later. More overdubs, including eight singers, two flutes, an organ, and vibraphone, followed on 19 February, making ‘Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing’ the most drawn out of all the Sentimental Journey recordings.
A stereo mix was made on 20 February, but the final mix was created on 6 March 1970.
Lyrics
Love is a many splendoured thing
It’s the April rose that only grows
In the early spring
Love is nature’s way of giving
A reason to be living
The golden crown that makes a man a king
Once on a high and windy hill
In the morning mist, two lovers kissed
And the world stood still
Then your fingers touched my silent heart
And taught it how to sing
Yes, true love’s a many splendoured thing
Once on a high and windy hill
In the morning mist, two lovers kissed
And the world stood still
Then your fingers touched my silent heart
And taught it how to sing
Yes, true love’s a many splendoured thing
