A frustrated lyricist's pacing led to one of the most famous songs of 1970
In short: When Paramount Pictures rejected the original lyrics for the Love Story theme, songwriter Carl Sigman was furious. Pacing his living room, he asked his wife, Where do I begin? That simple question became the opening line of a global hit that defined a generation of romantic cinema and pop music.
The song originated from the 1970 film Love Story, which featured an instrumental score by Francis Lai. Paramount Pictures executives felt the main theme needed lyrics to help implant the film's image in the audience's mind. Carl Sigman was tasked with writing them, but his first attempt, which mirrored the film's plot from the male protagonist's perspective, was rejected. Executive Robert Evans found the lyrics too depressing and objected to the phrase Jenny came, fearing it was sexually suggestive for mainstream viewers.
After cooling off from his initial anger, Sigman penned the iconic opening line, Where do I begin?, which launched the final version of the song. The strategy for its release was calculated: the instrumental version by Henry Mancini was released first to build anticipation, while vocal versions by Andy Williams and Tony Bennett were held back until weeks after the film's debut. This timing ensured the melody was already familiar to listeners when the lyrics finally arrived.
The song became a massive success, particularly for Andy Williams, whose version reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Easy Listening chart. Its popularity spanned genres and international borders, with renditions by artists like Roy Clark, Shirley Bassey, and Johnny Mathis. By 1979, the song even underwent a disco transformation produced by Bob Esty, though critics remained divided on whether the track's sentimental nature truly suited the driving percussion of the disco era.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: (Where Do I Begin?) Love Story
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