Audrey Hepburn’s favourite song of all time
Often considered to be among the finest acting talents in the history of cinema, Audrey Hepburn is an enduring cinematic icon. Known for her fantastic work in unforgettable productions such as Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany’s among others, Hepburn’s legacy lives on in the minds of younger audiences who continue to discover her oeuvre.
Born in Belgium, Hepburn was subjected to the horrors of the Second World War when she saw the transportation of Jewish prisoners to concentration camps as well as other atrocities committed by the Nazis. These experiences played a pivotal part in shaping her own sensibilities and they remained embedded in her mind until her death.
Starting from her breakthrough in William Wyler’s Roman Holiday, Hepburn went on to collaborate with the likes of Billy Wilder and Humphrey Bogart. In addition to her film career, she actively contributed to humanitarian efforts since she was at the receiving end of such aid during the German occupation.
While Hepburn was influenced by books like Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden as well as other cinematic masterpieces, she was also a fan of music. In fact, her artistic process involved listening to music and she cited the likes of Benny Goodman, Jerry Mulligan, and Mel Powell among her favourites.
In an interview from 1956, Hepburn claimed that jazz was her favourite genre: “I like jazz best now. It makes me want to move. But I was stiff as a poker as a jazz dancer, always off beat on the simplest syncopation. That was all gradually broken down. I’m so lucky to be married to Mel Ferrer, who is such a good dancer and adores jazz.”
However, there was one particular song that was Hepburn’s all-time favourite and it was actually about her. Inspired by Hepburn, Paul Desmond of the Dave Brubeck Quartet wrote a song called ‘Audrey’ which was released as a part of the album Brubeck Time. Unfortunately, Desmond passed away due to lung cancer in 1977 and he never got to know whether she heard the song.
According to Doug Ramsey’s book Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond, Hepburn’s ex-husband Andrea Dotti actually asked Brubeck to perform ‘Audrey’ at Hepburn’s memorial service when she passed away in 1993. When Brubeck expressed his surprise at the request, Dotti responded: “My wife listened to that song every night before she went to bed.”
