Beyond The Sea – Bobby Darin | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#6); 1960
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
After only a year and several seminal rock ‘n’ roll hits, Bobby Darin was on the move musically: a drive fueled by ongoing health problems and a projected lifespan of only 35 years. Although Bobby recorded the tracks for his breakout album in December of 1958, the first single didn’t appear until August, 1959. In its seventh week on the Hot 100, Mack The Knife roared into the #1 spot; staying there for nine weeks. In its original pre-Darin incarnation, Mack The Knife was a solemn piece, as was the song chosen for Bobby’s next single. Frenchmen Charles Trenet and Leo Chauliac penned La Mer in 1943. Trenet released it on disc in 1946, after which Jack Lawrence – of Sleepy Lagoon, Linda, and Tenderly fame – wrote the English “Beyond The Sea” lyrics. Although pianist Roger Williams had a minor hit with it in 1956, it took Darin’s stunning vocal and Richard Wess’ sunny arrangement to catapult Beyond The Sea into the Top 10 and pop history.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Composer:
- Jack Lawrence
Lyrics Written by:
- Jack Lawrence
- Charles Trenet
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).