"Till There Was You" is a song written by Meredith Willson for his 1957 musical play The Music Man, and which also appeared in the 1962 movie version. The song is sung by librarian Marian Paroo (Barbara Cook on Broadway, Shirley Jones in the film) to Professor Harold Hill (portrayed by Robert Preston) toward the end of Act Two.
The first recording of this song to be released came even before the original cast album version of January 1958. Promotional copies of the 45 rpm single, Capitol P3847, were released on November 26, 1957, even before the Broadway production had premiered on December 19. Produced by Nelson Riddle, it featured his orchestra and 17-year-old vocalist Sue Raney.
An earlier version of this song, "Till I Met You", appeared on the January 14, 1951 edition of The Big Show, performed by Fran Warren.
In 1958, jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins recorded the song on his groundbreaking album Freedom Suite. An alternate take is provided on the 1999 CD rerelease.
In 1959, Anita Bryant recorded a single which reached #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on the Cashbox Top 100.
In March 1961, "Till There Was You" was a minor hit in the UK for Peggy Lee.
Al Hirt released a version on his 1962 album, Horn A-Plenty.
In 1962, an instrumental version of Meredith Willson's song by Valjean was also popular.
In 1963, Sergio Franchi recorded this song on his RCA Victor Red Seal album Broadway... I Love You.
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