Love is a many splendored thing
It's the April rose
That only grows in the early spring
Love is nature's way of giving
Or 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 splendored thing
"Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" is a popular song with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. The song appeared first in the movie Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955), and it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1956. From 1967 to 1973, it was also used as the theme song to Love is a Many Splendored Thing, the soap opera based on the movie.
Many versions of the song have been released. The best-selling version was recorded by The Four Aces, whose recording reached number two in the UK Singles Chart, and number one on both the Billboard and Cash Box charts in 1955.
The music was commissioned by 20th Century Fox for the movie Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, and it was included in the film's score that was composed and conducted by Alfred Newman. The producer Buddy Adler asked composer Sammy Fain and lyricist Paul Francis Webster to write a title song for the film. The film was based on the book A Many-Splendoured Thing, and the writers wrote the song based on that title, but it was then decided that the title of the film would be better if preceded by "Love Is", and Fain and Webster wrote a second song. This second song with a new set of lyrics then became the title song, while the first song was discarded.
Before the Four Aces had a hit with their version, many major artists, including Nat King Cole, Eddie Fisher and Doris Day, contacted to record the song disliked it and refused to record it, although they recorded the song after it became a hit.
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