michel legrand • alan bergman • marilyn bergman
This song was theme song for the 1968 film "The Thomas Crown Affair" featuring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. The film won no awards, but the song did: both Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. English actor and artist Noel Harrison performed it, after Andy Williams turning it down. Harrison himself: «It was recorded live on a huge sound stage at Paramount, with the accompanying film clips running on a giant screen and Michel blowing kisses to the orchestra.»
The English lyrics were written by famous American lyricist duo Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and they are in my opinion among the best I've ever read and sung. French lyrics, under the title "Les Moulins de mon cœur", were written by Eddy Marnay.
The entire soundtrack was composed and arranged by Michel Jean Legrand (24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019). He was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, jazz pianist and singer, and has written over 200 film and television scores in addition to standalone songs. With this one, he's told to have borrowed a couple of lines from Mozart's "Sinfonia concertante in E-Flat Major, K. 364: II; Andante". I've heard that concert, and did not recognize anything. Anyway, to quote my own "C Flat:C Major 9"; «by and by : where and why : I'd heard it before and just caught it»
First release was Harrison; June '69. Then following every second flippin' band and artist in show business, any category. I counted 466 main covers; then had to skip tracking adaptations, translations and instrumentals to keep my sanity. I recommend Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Michel Legrand himself with the London Studio Orchestra from "Magic", 1992 Teldec Classics International.
round like a circle in a spiral : like a wheel within a wheel
never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
like a snowball down a mountain or a carnival balloon
like a carousel that's turning running rings around the moon
like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
and the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
like a tunnel that you follow to a tunnel of its own
down a hollow to a cavern where the sun has never shone
like a door that keeps revolving in a half forgotten dream
or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream
like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
and the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
keys that jingle in your pocket : words that jangle in your head
why did summer go so quickly ? was it something that you said ?
lovers walking along a shore and leave their footprints in the sand
is the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand ?
pictures hanging in a hallway and the fragment of a song
half remembered names and faces : but to whom do they belong ?
when you knew that it was over you were suddenly aware
that the autumn leaves were turning to the color of her hair !
like a circle in a spiral : like a wheel within a wheel
never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
as the images unwind : like the circles that you find
in the windmills of your mind !
For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
Chords in brackets may be omitted.
Em [Cmaj7...B7...Em] B7 round like a circle in a spiral like a wheel within a wheel [Adim7...B7] [Adim7...B7] Em never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel E7 Am7 like a snowball down a mountain or a carnival balloon D7 Gmaj7 like a carousel that's turning running rings around the moon Cmaj7 Am6 like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face B7 [Adim7] Bbdim and the world is like an apple whirling silently in space B7 Em like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind Em [Cmaj7...B7...Em] B7 like a tunnel that you follow to a tunnel of its own [Adim7...B7] [Adim7...B7] Em down a hollow to a cavern where the sun has never shone E7 Am7 like a door that keeps revolving in a half forgotten dream D7 Gmaj7 or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream Cmaj7 Am6 like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face B7 [Adim7] Bbdim and the world is like an apple whirling silently in space B7 Em like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind Em [Cmaj7...B7...Em] Am7 keys that jingle in your pocket words that jangle in your head D7 Gmaj7 why did summer go so quickly was it something that you said G7 Cmaj7 lovers walking along a shore and leave their footprints in the sand F#7 Bm is the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand E7 Am pictures hanging in a hallway and the fragment of a song D7 Gmaj7 half remembered names and faces but to whom do they belong Cmaj7 Am6 when you knew that it was over you were suddenly aware B7 Em that the autumn leaves were turning to the color of her hair [Cmaj7...B7...Em] B7 a circle in a spiral a wheel within a wheel [Adim7...B7] [Adim7] Bbdim never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel Em B7 as the images unwind like the circles that you find Em in the windmills of your mind
