American actress/singer Jeanette MacDonald (1903 – 1965) recorded over 50 songs during her film career for RCA Victor and its foreign counterparts. Due to the limited statistics released to the public, it is not certain how many songs and singles she has released or their exact popularity in music charts, although she has officially recorded eight studio albums (five LPs) and released seven compilation albums.[1] Despite soundtracks for musical films not becoming a concept until the 1940s,[2] many of her singles were re-recordings of songs she had performed in the movies (a common practice other musical actors did at the time);[2] her first "album" was the single "Dream Lover"/"March of the Grenadiers" (1930) on 78 rpm discs for The Love Parade.[2] She also recorded a cover album of songs featured in Sigmund Romberg's Up in Central Park in 1945 with Robert Merrill,[2] as well as non-English records during her 1931 European tour.
| Jeanette MacDonald discography | |
|---|---|
 MacDonald performing with an orchestra in the movie The Sun Comes Up (1949) | |
| Studio albums | 8 |
| Compilation albums | 7 (official) |
| Tribute albums | 2 |
| Singles | 11 (21 songs)[a] |
| B-sides | 10[a] |
| Songs | 50+ |
MacDonald performed in musicals alongside Maurice Chevalier, Allan Jones, and Nelson Eddy, although her films with Eddy are the most well-known today. The single "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life"/"Indian Love Call" from Rose Marie (1936) received a gold record from RCA Red Seal. Her other popular (and/or well-remembered) singles were "Beyond the Blue Horizon", "San Francisco", and "Ave Maria". "Beyond the Blue Horizon" peaked at #9 in the charts[3] and became MacDonald's signature song; she performed it professionally three times in her career.[4][5][6]
MacDonald's first studio album was MacDonald in Song (1939), followed by Religious Songs (1945) and Operetta Favorites (1946).[2] Her first LP was Romantic Moments (1950), followed by Favorites, Favorites in Hi-Fi (1959), Smilin' Through (1960) and Jeanette MacDonald Sings Songs of Faith and Inspiration (1963).[1] Seven official compilation albums were released, such as Jeanette MacDonald 1929–1939 and A Tribute to Jeanette MacDonald volumes 1 and 2, but due to the varying copyrights on audio worldwide, unofficial albums in MacDonald's name have been released on CDs in European countries under public domain.[2]
Albums
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Year | Album details | Notes | R. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacDonald in Song | c. 1939 |
|
Also included a few songs with Bamboschek as piano accompaniment | |
| Religious Songs | 1945 |
|
Also known as Jeanette MacDonald With Orchestra and Chorus Religious Songs | |
| Up in Central Park | 1945 |
|
A tribute album with Robert Merrill | |
| Operetta Favourites | 1946 |
|
Re-released in 1950 | |
| Romantic Moments | 1950 |
|
— | |
| Favorites | —[b] |
|
— | |
| Favorites in Hi-Fi | 1959 |
|
|
|
| Smilin' Through | 1960 |
|
|
[22] |
| Jeanette MacDonald Sings Songs of Faith and Inspiration | 1963 |
|
— | [23] |
Compilation albums
edit| Title | Year | Album details | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operetta Favorites by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy | 1952 |
|
— | [24] |
| Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy (Vintage Series) | 1966 |
|
From RCA Victor's Vintage Series | |
| Jeanette MacDonald Sings San Francisco And Other Silver Screen Favorites | 1970 |
|
Not to be confused with San Francisco and Other Jeanette MacDonald Favorites | [26] |
| Singing Sweetheart | 1979 |
|
Peaked at number 51 in Australia.[27] | |
| A Tribute to Jeanette MacDonald, vol. 1 | ? |
|
— | [1] |
| A Tribute to Jeanette MacDonald, vol. 2 | ? |
|
— | [1] |
| San Francisco and Other Jeanette MacDonald Favorites | 1991 |
|
— | |
| Jeanette MacDonald 1929–1939 | c. 1994 |
|
Also known as Jeanette MacDonald: Succes Et Raretes, 1929–1939 |
Songs
editSingles
edit| Year | Title | Credits | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | "Dream Lover"/"March of the Grenadiers" |
|
From the movie The Love Parade | [31] |
| "Always, In All Ways"/"Beyond the Blue Horizon" |
|
|
[32] | |
| 1932 | "One Hour with You"/"We Will Always Be Sweethearts" |
|
|
[33] |
| "Une heure près de toi"/"Coeur contre coeur" |
|
|
[34] | |
| "Love Me Tonight"/"Isn't It Romantic?" |
|
|
[35] | |
| "Veux-tu m'aimer"/"N'est-ce pas poétique" |
|
|
[36] | |
| 1934 | "The Merry Widow Waltz"/"Vilia" |
|
For the movie The Merry Widow | |
| "Tonight Will Teach Me to Forget"/"Try to Forget" |
|
[39] | ||
| 1935 | "Italian Street Song"/"Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" |
|
From Naughty Marietta | |
| 1936 | "Indian Love Call"/"Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" |
|
|
|
| 1937 | "Farewell to Dreams"/"Will You Remember?" |
|
|
Selected list of other songs
edit| Year | Title | Lang. | Translation | Collab(s). | Album | Credits | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | "Dear, When I Met You" | English | — | — | — |
|
Recorded in London with His Master's Voice | [47] |
| "Reviens" | — | — | — |
| ||||
| "Good Night" | — | — | — |
| ||||
| "Pardon, Madame" | — | — | — | |||||
| 1933 | "J'aime d'amour" | French | "The Merry Widow Waltz" | — | — |
|
Recorded in Paris with Disque Gramophone | |
| "Chanson de Vilya" | — | — |
| |||||
| 1939 | "When I Have Sung My Songs" | English | Piano accompanist: Giuseppe Bamboschek | MacDonald in Songs (1939) |
|
[7][8] | ||
| "Do Not Go, My Love" | English |
|
— | |||||
| "Annie Laurie" | English |
|
— | |||||
| "Comin' Thro' the Rye (Old Scotch Air)" | English | — |
|
|||||
| "From the Land of the Sky-Blue Water" | English | — | — |
|
||||
| "Let Me Always Sing" | English | — | — |
|
||||
| "Ave Maria" | Latin | — | — |
|
From the opera Faust. | |||
| "Les Filles de Cadiz" | French | — | — |
|
||||
| "Il était un roi de Thulé" | French | — |
|
|||||
| "Air des bijoux" | French | "The Jewel Song" | — |
|
— | |||
| "Je veux vivre dans ce rêve" | French | "Juliette's Waltz Song" | — | — |
|
[7] | ||
| "Depuis le jour" | French | — | — | — |
|
From the opera Louise | ||
| "Lover, Come Back to Me" | English | — | — | — |
|
For New Moon | ||
| "One Kiss" | English | — | — | — | ||||
| 1941 | "Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes" | English | — | — | — |
|
For Smilin' Through | |
| "Smilin' Through" | English | — | — | — |
| |||
| "The Kerry Dance" | English | — | — | — |
| |||
| "Ouvre ton coeur" | French | — | — |
| ||||
| "A Little Love, a Little Kiss" | English | — | — | — |
| |||
| "Land of Hope and Glory" | English | — | — | — |
|
[7] | ||
| 1945 | "Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)" | — | — | Religious Songs (1945) |
|
— | [7][10] | |
| "O Lord Most Holy (Panis angelicus)" | ? | — | — |
|
— | |||
| "Summer Serenade" | English | — | — | — |
|
— | [7] | |
| "Italian Street Song" | English | — | — | — |
|
— | [7] | |
| "Abide with Me" | English | — | — | Religious Songs (1945) |
|
|
[7][10] | |
| "Nearer My God to Thee" | English | — | — |
| ||||
| "The Holy City" | English | — | — |
| ||||
| "Battle Hymn of the Republic" | English | — | — |
| ||||
| "Carousel in the Park" | English | — | — | Up in Central Park (1945) |
|
— | ||
| "It Doesn't Cost You Anything to Dream" | English | — | — | — | ||||
| "Close as Pages in a Book" | English | — | Duet with Robert Merrill | — | ||||
| "The Fireman's Bride" | English | — | — | |||||
| 1946 | "They Didn't Believe Me" | English | Operetta Moments (1946) |
|
Song from the musical The Girl From Utah | |||
| "Giannina Mia" | English |
|
Song from The Firefly | |||||
| "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" | English | — | — |
|
From Roberta | |||
| "Sweetheart Waltz" | English | — | — |
|
From Sweethearts | |||
| "Romany Life" | English | — | — |
|
From The Fortune Teller | |||
| "Donkey Serenade" | English | — | — |
|
From The Firefly | |||
| "I Wish I May, I Wish I Might" | English | — | — | — |
|
Featured in an audio adaptation of Cinderella by Michael Martin | [18] | |
| "Look at Me, Look at Me" | English | — | — | — | ||||
| "Dancing the Waltz Tonight" | English | — | — | — | ||||
| "Today I've Found Prince Charming" | English | — | — | — | ||||
| "Mi chiamano Mimi" | Italian | — | — | — |
|
— | ||
| "Un bel di vedremo" | Italian | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1947 | "I'll See You Again" | English | — | — | — |
|
— | |
| "Romance" | English | — | — | — |
|
— | ||
| "Beau Soir" | French | — | — | — |
| |||
| "I Love You Truly" | English | — | — | — |
|
— | ||
| "A Perfect Day" | English | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Springtide" | English | — | — | — |
|
— | ||
| "Where There's Love" | English | — | — | — |
|
Based on waltzes from Der Rosenkavalier and was featured in Three Daring Daughters | ||
| "Summertime" | English | — | — | — |
|
|||
| "The Man I Love" | English | — | — | — |
|
[18] | ||
| "Zigeuner" | English | — | — | — |
|
— | ||
| 1949 | "Tes yeux" | — | — | — |
|
— | ||
| "Vilia" | English | — | — | — |
|
— | ||
| "If You Were Mine" | English | — | — | — |
|
— | ||
| "Songs My Mother Taught Me" | English | — | — | — |
|
— | ||
| 1950 | "Only a Rose" | English | — | — | Favorites |
|
— | |
| "Les Filles de Cadiz" | French | — | — |
|
— | |||
| "The Old Refrain" | English | — | — | — |
|
[18] | ||
| "Beyond the Blue Horizon" | English | — | — | Favorites |
|
— | ||
| "Ciribiribin" | English |
|
— | |||||
| "One Night of Love" | English |
|
— | |||||
| "Indian Love Call" | English |
|
— | |||||
| "When You're Away" | English | — | — | Romantic Moments (1950) |
|
— | ||
| "One Alone" | English | — | — |
|
— | |||
| "Parlez-moi d'amour" | ? | — | — |
|
— | |||
| "Will You Remember?" | English | — | — |
|
— | |||
| "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" | English | — | — |
|
— | |||
| "San Francisco" | English | — | — |
|
— | |||
| 1957 | "Indian Love Call" | English | — | Duet with Nelson Eddy | Favorites in Hi-Fi (1959) |
|
— | [18] |
| "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" | English | — |
|
— | ||||
| "Wanting You" | English | — |
|
— | ||||
| "Will You Remember?" | English | — |
|
— | ||||
| 1958 | "Giannia Mia" | English | — | — |
|
— | [50] | |
| "Beyond the Blue Horizon" | English | — | — |
|
— | |||
| "Italian Street Song" | English | — | — |
|
— | |||
| "The Breeze and I" | English | — | — |
|
— |
Unreleased
edit| Year | Title | Lang. | Translation | Collab(s) | Credits | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | "Dream Lover" | English | — | — |
|
— | [47] |
| 1933 | "Only a Rose" | English | — | — |
|
Recorded in Paris with Disque Gramophone | |
| 1934 | "J'aime d'amour" | French | "The Merry Widow Waltz" | — |
|
| |
| "Mon coeur est las, mon coeur est lourd" | "Tonight Will Teach Me to Forget" | — |
|
— | |||
| "Essayons d'oublier" | "Try to Forget" | — |
|
— | |||
| 1935 | "Chanson italienne" | "Italian Street Song" | — |
|
— | ||
| "Mélodie du rêve" | "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" | — |
|
— | [7] | ||
| 1936 | "Song of Love" | English | — | — |
|
Later included on Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy (Vintage Series) | |
| 1939 | "Depuis le jour" | French | — | — |
|
— | |
| "From the Land of the Sky-Blue Water" | English | — | Piano accompanyment by Gene Raymond |
|
— | ||
| "Let Me Always Sing" | English | — |
|
Two takes were recorded on September 16 and October 5 |
References
editFootnotes
edit- ^ a b "Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life" was released twice on two different singles: one was a solo, and the other was a duet.
- ^ The date of this album's release is unknown, however, the songs featured were recorded in August 1950[18] and was most likely released either at the end of the year or in early 1951.
Citations
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 375.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Jeanette MacDonald". Spotify. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Beyond the Blue Horizon (song by Jeanette MacDonald)". MusicVF. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 267-8.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 99-101.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 275.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 377.
- ^ a b "Jeanette MacDonald – MacDonald In Song". Discogs. Archived from the original on June 12, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^ "Religious Songs sung by Jeanette MacDonald". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Jeanette MacDonald With Orchestra And Chorus Religious Songs". Discogs. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 377-8.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 274.
- ^ a b "Jeanette MacDonald – Up In Central Park". Discogs. Archived from the original on June 12, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
- ^ "Jeanette MacDonald's Operetta Favorites". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ a b "Jeanette MacDonald's Operetta Favorites". Discogs. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ a b "Jeanette MacDonald - Romantic Moments". Discogs. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "JEANETTE MacDONALD: ROMANTIC MOMENTS". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 378.
- ^ a b c "Jeanette MacDonald - Favorites". Discogs. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Favorites in Stereo". Discogs. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Searchable database". RIAA. 2015. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
- ^ "Jeanette MacDonald – Smilin' Through". Discogs. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Jeanette MacDonald Sings Songs of Faith and Inspriation". Discogs. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "RCA Victor LCT-16 (LP). Operetta favorites by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy". UC Santa Barbara Library: Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "RCA Victor LPV-526 (LP). Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy: 16 nostalgic original recordings of music from their golden years in Hollywood". Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Jeanette MacDonald Sings San Francisco And Other Silver Screen Favorites". Discogs. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 185. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "SAN FRANCISCO & OTHER JEANETTE MacDONALD FAVORITES". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "San Francisco And Other Jeanette MacDonald Favorites". Discogs. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Jeanette Macdonald — 1929-1939 . 23 titres". CD and LP. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Victor 22247 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced)". University of California: Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Victor 22514 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced)". University of California: Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Victor 24013 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced)". University of California: Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Victor 24019 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced)". Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Victor 24067 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced)". Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Victor 24068 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced)". Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Victor matrix PBS-79313. The merry widow waltz / Jeanette MacDonald ; MGM Studio Orchestra ; Herbert Stothart". Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Victor 24729 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced)". Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Victor 24754 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced)". Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Victor matrix PBS-90072. Italian street song / Jeanette MacDonald ; MGM Studio Orchestra ; Herbert Stothart". Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Victor 24896 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced)". Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 197.
- ^ "Victor 4323 (Red Seal 10-in. double-faced)". Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ "Victor 4329 (Red Seal 10-in. double-faced". Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- ^ "Victor matrix PBS-97856. Will you remember / Nelson Eddy ; Jeanette MacDonald ; Nathaniel Shilkret". Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- ^ "Victor matrix PBS-97855. Farewell to dreams / Nelson Eddy ; Jeanette MacDonald ; Nathaniel Shilkret". Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- ^ a b Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 376.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 370.
- ^ "Where There's Love : Jeanette MacDonald". Internet Archive. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- ^ Hollywood Diva, 1998, p. 379.
Further reading
edit- Turk, Edward Baron (1998). Hollywood Diva: A Biography of Jeanette MacDonald. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-22253-3.
External links
edit- Jeanette MacDonald discography discography at Discogs