Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe wrote this for the Broadway musical My Fair Lady. The song was almost cut after a preview in New Haven, Connecticut, where it did not register with the audiences as the singer was a minor character who had not been properly introduced. Lerner added some dialogue to introduce Freddy Eynsford-Hill as a possible threat to Professor Higgins, thus reminding who the character singing the song was and the song became a showstopper.
Near the end of Act 1, Eliza is still learning how to be a proper lady but lapses into her old ways at a horse race when, in a moment of excitement, she shocks everyone by cursing. But Freddy's affection for the rough-around-the-edges beauty is undeterred. In the next scene, he sings the tune about how she improves everything simply by existing, which is evident by the enchantment he feels on the street where she lives.
Vic Damone recorded the most successful version of this around the time the show opened. In 1964, anticipating the film release of My Fair Lady, Andy Williams released his version, which reached #28 in the US.
In his 1978 memoir, The Street Where I Live, Alan Jay Lerner recalled a childhood memory that served as his inspiration for the song. When he was 10 years old, he developed a crush on a girl and sat on the bench near her house, hoping to catch a glimpse of her and perhaps start a conversation. It could have worked - if he'd had the right address. At least his efforts paid off with a hit song, even if it took another few decades.
Vic Damone wasn't overly religious but he felt an intimate connection with God when he performed this song live. In the hit single version, Damone's belting vocals are supported by Percy Faith's vibrant orchestral arrangement, but the singer wanted to take a spare approach for the stage, pairing a soft voice with a piano.
"When I sang it I felt I was singing not to a girl, but to God. I was on the street where He lived," he explained in his 2009 autobiography, Singing Was The Easy Part. "I was giving thanks, on the stage, where He had given me the main thing in my life. And I know my audiences could also feel that there was something unusual going on. When I sang that song, the room or the concert hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop."
John Michael King originated the role of Freddy Eynsford-Hill on Broadway. In the 1964 film adaptation, Jeremy Brett played the part, but his singing voice was dubbed by Bill Shirley (who was known for portraying Prince Phillip in Disney's Sleeping Beauty).
Many other artists covered this, including Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Ben E. King, Perry Como, Marvin Gaye, Doris Day, Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee, Etta Jones, Eddie Fisher, Willie Nelson, and Harry Connick Jr, among others.
On The Dick Van Dyke Show episode "All About Eavesdropping" (1963), the song features in a not-so-friendly game of Charades at a dinner party held by the Petries' neighbors, the Helpers. Rob and Laura are angry at their hosts, and Laura pantomimes violent clues like "stab in the back" and "two-faced" to get Rob to correctly guess the song title, to the dismay of the guests.
In the 1999 movie Blast From The Past, Alicia Silverstone is puzzled by Brendan Fraser's excitement over old music. Fraser's character, who literally grew up sheltered from the rest of the world, sings part of this song to express his feelings for her.
It was also used in these movies:
Valentine's Day (2010)
Joe Versus The Volcano (1990)
And these TV shows:
Better Things ("The Unknown" - 2019)
Secret Diary Of A Call Girl ("Ep #3.1" - 2010)
Mad Men ("Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" - 2007)
Skins ("Tony" - 2007)
Frasier ("Rivals" - 1999)
In a 1991 episode of Sesame Street, Oscar the Grouch is offended by the sunny dispositions of passersby on his street, and sings "On This Street Where I'm Grouchy" about his faithful trash can that allows him to fend off the friendliness.
