"Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" is a popular song with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. The song appeared first in the movie Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955), and it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1956. From 1967 to 1973, it was also used as the theme song to Love is a Many Splendored Thing, the soap opera based on the movie. Many versions of the song have been released. The best-selling version was recorded by The Four Aces, whose recording reached number two in the UK Singles Chart, and number one on both the Billboard and Cash Box charts in 1955. Background The music was commissioned for the movie Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing and included in the film's Oscar-winning score, composed and conducted by Alfred Newman. It was initially only composed as background music for the film, lyrics were subsequently added to make it eligible for the Best Original Song category of the Academy Awards. The original lyrics were rejected by the studio so new ones were written. The song has been noted for its similarity to the aria "Un bel dì vedremo" from Giacomo Puccini’s opera, Madama Butterfly in its downward moving thirds. An orchestral version of "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" is played at the title sequence of the film, with a vocal version performed by a chorus at the end. Don Cornell and The Four Aces quickly recorded the song before the film was released. Before the Four Aces had a hit with their version, several artists, including Doris Day, disliked the song. Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster won an Oscar for Best Original Song at the 28th Academy Awards, their second Oscar after winning the award for "Secret Love" in 1953. The background score for the film that was built around the melody of the song also won an Oscar for Best Original Score for Alfred Newman. This song is noted for its memorable lines: "In the morning mist, two lovers kissed, and the world stood still". Four Aces version The song was covered by The Four Aces featuring Al Roberts backed by the Jack Pleis Orchestra and issued by Decca Records as catalog number 29625. It was released backed with Shine On, Harvest Moon in July 1955, and reached No. 1 on Billboards first ever Top 100 chart in November 1955. It was