The Sound of Music soundtrack
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
THE SOUND
OF MUSIC.
The Sound of Music soundtrack was not merely merchandise from a successful movie. It became a major record in its own right, with an extraordinary chart life and worldwide sales that rivaled the biggest pop releases of its era.
Album artwork shown for commentary and historical reference. Image source: Cover Art Archive / MusicBrainz.
SEVEN THINGS
WORTH KNOWING.
The soundtrack's numbers are almost as unusual as the film's. It took months to reach No. 1, then stayed near the top for years.
The motion picture soundtrack to The Sound of Music was released by RCA on March 2, 1965, the same day as the film's New York premiere.
The soundtrack was issued in four formats at the time: LP, audio cassette, 8-track cartridge and quarter-inch reel-to-reel tape.
The record went Gold on April 10, 1965, little more than a month after release, after selling more than 250,000 copies under the certification standard then in use.
It did not reach No. 1 on Billboard until its 35th chart week in November 1965.
Once it reached the top, the soundtrack remained in the Billboard Top 10 until the middle of January 1968.
Rodgers and Hammerstein's official site credits the soundtrack with 20 million records sold worldwide.
The film won five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Music, Best Sound Recording and Best Film Editing.
WHY THIS
ALBUM MATTERS.
The Sound of Music shows how completely a soundtrack could become part of a movie's cultural life. Audiences did not just see the film. They bought the songs on multiple formats and kept the album in circulation for years.
THE
NUMBERS.
WEEKS TO #1
The soundtrack needed 35 chart weeks to reach No. 1.
WORLDWIDE
Rodgers and Hammerstein report 20 million soundtrack records sold worldwide.
FORMATS
LP, cassette, 8-track and reel-to-reel were all available in 1965.
THE
PHYSICAL OBJECT.
This album belongs to an era when a soundtrack was designed to live in the home long after the movie ended. RCA sold it simultaneously on four physical formats, making the record itself part of the film's enormous afterlife.
RESEARCH SOURCES
Facts are checked against artist, label, award, chart and detailed recording-credit sources before publication.
KEEP
DIGGING.
More recording stories, strange credits, cover art, chart numbers and details hiding inside the records.