"Laura" by David Raksin and Johnny Mercer
David Raksin had written the melody to accompany the film, and even without words, it fit perfectly into the haunting atmosphere of the story of Laura Hunt. But without words, it was believed that the song would not go much further.
Even after the film became a hit, and the tune earned its own following, musicologist Alec Wilder in his book, American Popular Song, remembers first hearing the melody.
"Unanimously it was concluded (by the publishers) that so complex a melody would be highly impractical to publish."
It needed a lyric, and the obvious choice to write the words about "Laura" was Johnny Mercer. This was a period, the mid-40's, when Hollywood and theater musicals were becoming more integrated with story, character and song. Mercer was unbeatable in writing good songs, whether or not they were part of a libretto.
In 1945, Mercer was in New York with Harold Arlen writing a theater score for St. Louis Woman. (The show failed, but great songs came out of it, including standards like, "Come Rain or Come Shine," and "I Wonder What Became of Me.") He received a request from RKO Studios to write a lyric to Raksin's melody.
By now, months had passed and the public was familiar with the film and its theme. The melody, "Laura," was closely identified with the popular mystery. Mercer was faced with writing a lyric that would continue the theme of a haunting woman thought to be dead, a woman to whom men were irresistibly drawn. The result was one of Mercer's most popular and enduring songs.
Here are the Mercer lyrics;
Laura is the face in the misty light
Footsteps that you hear down the hall
The laugh that floats on a summer night
That you can never quite recall
And you see Laura on a train that is passing through
Those eyes how familiar they seem
She gave your very first kiss to you
That was Laura but she's only a dream
She gave your very first kiss to you
That was Laura
But she's only a dream
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