Moon River was composed by Henry Mancini, with lyrics written by Johnny Mercer, and received an Academy Award for Best Original Song for its first performance by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 movieBreakfast at Tiffany's.

Mercer and Mancini wrote the song for Audrey Hepburn to fit her vocal range. Initially, the lyrics started, 'I'm Holly, like I want to be / like Holly on a tree back home ...'; however, theywere later changed to fit the theme of the film Breakfast at Tiffany's.