Moon Songs Reflect Romantic Ideas
On the 50th Anniversary of man's first moon landing let's pay
homage to some memorable love songs inspired by the moon
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© 2019 — Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved
Fifty
years ago today, when men first walked on the moon, its power to inspire romance and prod musicians to write love songs changed.
The moon hung in the sky for eons, but no well-known pop songs with clever lyrics, lilting tunes or true feelings came of that first lunar excursion.
What happened? We all know the moon’s power is magical, imponderable and real.
Moon-inspired sentiments in lilting melodies and clever lyrics
Moon-inspired sentiments in lilting melodies and clever lyrics
Fortunately, there is no shortage of moon-inspired tunes in the Great American Songbook. We admire and adore these tunes and hear them again and again as every generation interprets them anew. They remind us that physical and spiritual love is real and our romantic yearnings will endure an eon or more.
Here we identify a number of moon-inspired songs you probably know. For each we offer a synopsis, sample lyrics and YouTube links you may want to hear.
We aim to revive and refresh your musical memories, so we'll ask: What artist recordings shaped our fondness for these tunes? What makes them so special? And why do we love these songs after all these years?
You may not recall or like every one, but we hope to offer a tune you haven't heard that still stirs some romance. So, let’s see what a little moonlight can do.
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Aba Daba Honeymoon By Arthur Fields & Walter Donovan
Here we identify a number of moon-inspired songs you probably know. For each we offer a synopsis, sample lyrics and YouTube links you may want to hear.
We aim to revive and refresh your musical memories, so we'll ask: What artist recordings shaped our fondness for these tunes? What makes them so special? And why do we love these songs after all these years?
You may not recall or like every one, but we hope to offer a tune you haven't heard that still stirs some romance. So, let’s see what a little moonlight can do.
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Aba Daba Honeymoon By Arthur Fields & Walter Donovan
First
recorded in 1914 by the comic duo Collins & Harlan, this novelty song has seen many covers. Notable are a pair of 1951 hits, one by Debbie Reynolds and one by Kitty Kallen.
The song
was used in a Three Stooges film in 1959 and a 1978 episode of the “Laverne &
Shirley” TV show. The duo and a chimp perform the song on roller
skates. It's pathetic and hysterical.
American
novelist Thomas Pynchon in a 1964 letter to a friend referred to this song as "the nadir of all American expression."
"Aba
daba daba daba daba daba dab,
Said the
chimpie to the monk;
Baba daba
daba daba daba daba dab,
Said the
monkey to the chimp."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbIMONqp2kc - Collins & Harlan - 1914
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBLutEJg-Jk - Debbie Reynolds - 1950
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpKWHs_0JGg - Laverne & Shirley - 1978
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Allegheny Moon By Al Hoffman & Dick Manning
Allegheny Moon By Al Hoffman & Dick Manning
Written in 1956, this song
is best known from a Patti Page recording that reached #2 on Billboard Magazine charts in June
of that year.
“Allegheny
Moon I need your light
To help me find romance tonight
So shine, shine, shine
To help me find romance tonight
So shine, shine, shine
“Allegheny
Moon your silver beams
Can lead the way to golden dreams
So shine, shine, shine
Can lead the way to golden dreams
So shine, shine, shine
“High
among the stars so bright above
The magic of your lamp of love
The magic of your lamp of love
can make
him mine."
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Blue Moon By Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart
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East of the Sun (and West of the Moon) By Brooks Bowman
Written in 1934 as an a cappella tune in a college theater show, this song did not gain the status of a jazz standard until the 1950s.
Some notable early adopters included Sara Vaughn (1949), Billie Holiday (1952), Benny Goodman (1952), Stan Getz (1955) and a popular double-album by Louis Armstrong (1957).
Benny and Billie’s renditions are sultry, while Ella’s cut is silky. But don’t ignore the Diana Krall or Stacey Kent, whose versions we've added to the YouTube links. They offer joyful competition to the classic artists of the 1950s.
Lest it go unsaid, this song oozes adult romance and soars on a moody melody and suggestive lyrics.
_______________________________________________________________
Fly Me to the Moon By Bart Howard
Full Moon and Empty Arms By Buddy Kaye & Ted Mossman
This song is based on the melody of the second theme of Allegro scherzando in Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, his 1901 masterpiece. The tune became a well-known jazz standard in 1945 after it was "discovered" by jazz artists, vocalists and instrumentalists.
Two recorded versions became early hits. The most popular was Frank Sinatra's soulful rendition, while Nelson Eddy's version was the campiest. Erroll Garner's rendition is a hoot, since he was limited to the use of ten fingers on his hands and 88 keys on his piano.
“Full moon and empty arms
The moon is there for us to share
But where are you?
A night like this could weave a memory
And every kiss could start a dream for two
“Full moon and empty arms
Tonight I'll use the magic moon to wish upon
And next full moon
If my one wish comes true
My empty arms will be filled with you”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq9hVrLtY_I - Erroll Garner - 1951
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Get Out and Get By Larry Shay, Charles Tobias, William Jerome
How High the Moon By Morgan Lewis & Nancy Hamilton
He then multi-tracked Mary’s vocals, producing "an utterly modern recording," Port said, unlike anything heard before — live or recorded. Few would duplicate the layered-vocals sound until the Carpenters (Karen and Richard) made it their hallmark almost 20 years later.
It's Only a Paper Moon By Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg, Billy Rose
This song
was written in 1933 for an unsuccessful Broadway play called "The Great
Magoo.” A year later it was inculcated into an obscure movie called "Take A Chance."
Two recorded versions became hits in that first year: one by Paul Whiteman's Orchestra with Peggy Healy on vocals and one by Cliff Edwards, also known as Ukulele Ike. Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole also made memorable recordings of the song.
Whiteman’s version saw feature use in a charming 1973 film called “Paper Moon.” It starred Ryan O’Neal and his eight-year-old daughter Tatum, who stole the show.
“Say it's only a paper moon
Moonlight Becomes You By Jimmy Van Heusen & Johnny Burke
Moonlight in Vermont By Karl Suessdorf & John Blackburn
This song was introduced by Margaret Whiting in a 1944 hit. It's been covered since by many great artists, from Stan Getz, Frank Sinatra and Gerry Mulligan to Jo Stafford and Ray Charles. But don't miss the fabulous duet by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald from 1956.
All who sing the song tout the romance of Vermont in winter. Seriously? They idealize snowy vales and icy roads, not the frigid air and frozen fingers.
Nevertheless, what makes this song truly unusual are the lyrics and how they touch us in subtle ways. Upon close examination, you'll notice that none of the lines in the song rhyme and each verse stands as a haiku. Go figure.
"Frozen winter streams
withered leaves, a sycamore
moonlight in Vermont
"Icy finger waves
Ski trails down a mountain side
Snowlight in Vermont
"Shadows through the trees
snowdrifts shining in the dark
moonlight in Vermont"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwyZyDD6Yqw - Jo Stafford - 1956
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8HgdIJ_i7k - Ella & Louis - 1956
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuoU7XW2ops - Ray Charles - 1960
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Moonlight Serenade By Glenn Miller
Iowa-born
trombonist, arranger, composer and bandleader, Glenn Miller was one of the best-selling
recording artists of the Swing Era. Between 1939, when he released this song, and 1943 he had 16 number-one
records and 69 top-ten hits, including this smooth and danceable tune. The lyrics were later
added by Mitchell Parish, who also wrote the lyrics to “Stardust” and
“Moonglow.”
Back in the day the melody of “Moonlight Serenade” could reduce adults to tears due to memories of last dates, lost loves, late leavings and lonely returns during WW-II. Miller’s own disappearance in bad weather over the English Channel in mid-December 1944 only made the song more poignant to the Greatest Generation.
Though some folks call this song a relic of another time, someday someone will revive this wonderful melody.
“I stand at your gate and the song that I sing is of moonlight
I stand and I wait for the touch of your hand in the June night
The roses are sighing a Moonlight Serenade.
"The stars are aglow and tonight how their light sets me dreaming.
My love, do you know that your eyes are like stars brightly beaming?
I bring you and I sing you a Moonlight Serenade”
No Moon at All By Dave Mann & Redd Evans
Oh, You Crazy Moon By Jimmy Van Huesen & Johnny Burke
In my opinion,
this 1939 standard has a melody that wanders and lyrics that are confusing.
And except for "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," a jazz favorite from 1940, and "Swinging On A Star," an Academy Award-winning tune of 1944, Van Huesen wrote better tunes once he teamed up with Sammy Cahn to write for Frank Sinatra in the 1950s and 1960s.
In the 1960s Mel Tormé’s vocals for “Oh, You Crazy Moon” were slick. Peggy Lee gave it a cabaret workout. Only Frank Sinatra and his arranger Nelson Riddle could make this song swing.
In case you missed the point: Van Huesen did better work with Sammy Cahn on “Love and Marriage” in 1955, “All The Way" in 1957, “Come Fly With Me” in 1957, "High Hopes” in 1959 and “Call Me Irresponsible” in 1962. Alas and alack, none of these five tunes are moon songs.
This song
was introduced by vocalist Violet Loraine in “Road House,” a 1934 film produced
by Gumont, an English movie studio. Within a
year it was picked up by jazz vocalists Jack Jackson, Al Bowly and Billie
Holiday, the latter pair listed in the YouTube links.
The band backing Billie is now known as the epitome of 1930s jazz — with Teddy Wilson on piano, Benny Goodman on clarinet, Ben Webster on tenor sax, Roy Eldridge on trumpet, John Kirby on bass, John Trueheart on guitar, and Cozy Cole on drums.
Today, a lot of jazz combos like to give this song the Dixieland treatment, not quite what Billie and her friends were aiming at. Still, people will have their own way with this song. There's no stopping them now.
Blue Moon By Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart
This song
is the embodiment of a Great American Standard and the quintessential moon song. Musicians have made many cover versions,
including two hits in 1949 and a doo-wop number in 1961.
The song
was written in 1933 and 1934 as the songwriters toiled under contract with MGM for movie songs. The lyrics we know today are the fourth version Hart wrote for Rodgers' enchanting melody before MGM execs were satisfied.
The final version didn't do well at the box office, but the film-makers liked it, using it seven feature films from 1939 to 1964.
The final version didn't do well at the box office, but the film-makers liked it, using it seven feature films from 1939 to 1964.
"Blue moon
you saw me standing alone
without a dream in my heart
without a love of my own."
“Blue moon
You knew just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for
“And then suddenly there appeared before me
The only one my arms will ever hold
I heard somebody whisper
Please adore me
And when I looked
The moon had turned to gold
“Blue moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own”
“Blue moon
You knew just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for
“And then suddenly there appeared before me
The only one my arms will ever hold
I heard somebody whisper
Please adore me
And when I looked
The moon had turned to gold
“Blue moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsruAhLuvL0 - Connee Boswell - 1935
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDYm2Ibj5zc - Al
Bowly - 1936
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm8kvUPlq9Q - Frank Sinatra - 1941
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntDnwBiORu8 - Billie Holiday - 1952
www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3FFOju3VM0 - Ella
Fitzgerald - 1957
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Blue Moon Of Kentucky By Bill Monroe
Blue Moon Of Kentucky By Bill Monroe
Although not built by one of the usual suspects of Tin Pan Alley, this song is a great American standard by any definition.
It was made in 1946 by mandolinist Bill Monroe. At the time he was performing with the guitarist Lester Flatt and five-string banjo player Earl Scruggs in one of several iterations of the Bluegrass Boys.
The tune has been a fave for country, bluegrass and rockabilly acts for years. Today it is ranked #11 of 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.
It was made in 1946 by mandolinist Bill Monroe. At the time he was performing with the guitarist Lester Flatt and five-string banjo player Earl Scruggs in one of several iterations of the Bluegrass Boys.
The tune has been a fave for country, bluegrass and rockabilly acts for years. Today it is ranked #11 of 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.
“Blue
moon of Kentucky keep on shinin'
Shine on the one whose gone and proved untrue
Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shinin'
Shine on the one whose gone and left me blue.”
Shine on the one whose gone and proved untrue
Blue moon of Kentucky keep on shinin'
Shine on the one whose gone and left me blue.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAVFpThoeb4 - Bill Monroe - 1946
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7M0CmkJ-2o - Elvis Presley - 1954
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By the Light of the Silvery Moon By Gus Edwards & Edward Madden
By the Light of the Silvery Moon By Gus Edwards & Edward Madden
Written
in 1909, it is one of several moon songs popular before WW-I. It may also be a progenitor
of the moon-june-spoon conundrum that has besmirched Tin Pan Alley’s reputation for
decades.
Still, the song
has survived its maligned reputation over the years and seen usage in two dozen film scores, eight TV shows and dozens of commercial recordings. The latter group includes cuts by Eddie Cantor (1931), Fats Waller (1942),
Doris Day and Gordon MacRae (1953), Etta James (1957), Little Richard (1959) and Ray Charles (1966).
“By the
light of the silvery moon,
I want to spoon to my honey I'll croon love's tune
Honeymoon keep a-shining in June,
Your silvery beams will bring love dreams,
Honeymoon keep a-shining in June,
Your silvery beams will bring love dreams,
we'll be
cuddling soon,
By the
silvery moon.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZkV3wof5Xk - Billy Murray - 1910
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8sGdqCSg30 - Fats Waller
- 1942
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gLrrqiNArI - Doris Day - 1953
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Carolina Moon By Joe Burke & Benny Davis
Carolina Moon By Joe Burke & Benny Davis
Written
in 1924, this song was a hit for crooner Gene Austin in 1928 and Annette Hanshaw in 1929. In 1944 Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians made a cut of the song with vocalist Jimmy Brown.
In 1958 “Carolina Moon” became an unexpected hit for Connie Francis when her version was the B-side to a big-time novelty song, “Stupid Cupid.” Like one of her previous hits, “Who’s Sorry Now?”, also composed in the 1920s, Connie's “Carolina Moon” was likewise recommended for recording by her stage father, George
Franconero Sr.
“Oh, Carolina Moon keep shining.
shining on the one who waits for
me.
Carolina Moon, I'm pining,
pining for the place I long to
be.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6j4ofI6iLg - Gene Austin - 1928
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e8FXt94q1U - Annette Hanshaw - 1929
www.youtube.com/watch?v=58H612TofA8 - Guy Lombardo - 1944
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqobNXNZk10 - Connie Francis - 1958
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Destination Moon By Marvin Fisher & Roy Alfred
Destination Moon By Marvin Fisher & Roy Alfred
Written in 1951, this song
may not be the first tune that comes to mind when you’re recounting favorite
moon-inspired songs.
However, it gained popularity in the 1950s with musicians and recording artists just as Sputnik, space travel and the moon race captured the world’s attention. The lyrics are wooden,
but the song's melodic structure can hold its own among jazz artists.
“Come and
take a trip on my rocket ship
We'll have a lovely afternoon
Kiss the world goodbye and away we'll fly
Destination moon”
Kiss the world goodbye and away we'll fly
Destination moon”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H5-oEP0iFk - Nat King Cole - 1951
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQUWkGUNsKc - Ames Brothers - 1956
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbc6jz24QH0 - Dinah Washington - 1959
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhdZOrhnoAA - Diana Panton - 2010
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmUhxBspLzA - Nicki Parrott - 2014
East of the Sun (and West of the Moon) By Brooks Bowman
Some notable early adopters included Sara Vaughn (1949), Billie Holiday (1952), Benny Goodman (1952), Stan Getz (1955) and a popular double-album by Louis Armstrong (1957).
Benny and Billie’s renditions are sultry, while Ella’s cut is silky. But don’t ignore the Diana Krall or Stacey Kent, whose versions we've added to the YouTube links. They offer joyful competition to the classic artists of the 1950s.
Lest it go unsaid, this song oozes adult romance and soars on a moody melody and suggestive lyrics.
“East of
the sun and west of the moon
We'll build a dream house of love, dear
Near to the sun in the day
Near to the moon at night
We'll live in a lovely way, dear
Living our love in pale moonlight”
Near to the sun in the day
Near to the moon at night
We'll live in a lovely way, dear
Living our love in pale moonlight”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_UE7EBWCq8 - Benny Goodman - 1952
www.youtube.com/watch?v=evlgtJ1K6Sk - Billie Holiday - 1952
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NfgINK8fDg - Ella Fitzgerald - 1959
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YtgEvlu9WA - Stacey Kent - 1998
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkk2mMq2x8E - Diana Krall - 2007
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Fly Me to the Moon By Bart Howard
This song from 1954 is a favorite among jazz, bossa nova and cabaret singers. One and all still tip their hats to Frank Sinatra’s hipper-then-thou 1963 rendition.
“Fly me
to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars
In other words hold my hand
In other words darling kiss me
"Fill my heart with song
And let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvf-TsHSxhM - Joe Harnell - 1962
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEcqHA7dbwM - Frank Sinatra - 1963
_______________________________________________________________Full Moon and Empty Arms By Buddy Kaye & Ted Mossman
Two recorded versions became early hits. The most popular was Frank Sinatra's soulful rendition, while Nelson Eddy's version was the campiest. Erroll Garner's rendition is a hoot, since he was limited to the use of ten fingers on his hands and 88 keys on his piano.
“Full moon and empty arms
The moon is there for us to share
But where are you?
A night like this could weave a memory
And every kiss could start a dream for two
“Full moon and empty arms
Tonight I'll use the magic moon to wish upon
And next full moon
If my one wish comes true
My empty arms will be filled with you”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqT7qUS4yh8 - Nelson Eddy - 1945
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKsdCtsRczY - Frank Sinatra - 1945www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq9hVrLtY_I - Erroll Garner - 1951
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Get Out and Get By Larry Shay, Charles Tobias, William Jerome
Under the Moon
With its easy-going
lyrics, this catchy song from 1928 is a great campfire tune.
Early recordings include
those by Annette Hanshaw, Franky Marvin, Helen Kane and the Paul Whiteman Orchestra with a young vocalist
named Bing Crosby.
It was later recorded by Doris Day in 1958 and used by NASA to
promote the Apollo space program in 1968.
"When you're all along, any old night
And you're feeling out of tune,
Pick up your hat, close up your flat,
Get out and get under the moon!
"Underneath the bright, silvery light,
You'll feel better soon,
Pick up your hat, close up your flat,
Get out and get under the moon!"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1q9-Z8f5LU - Annette Hanshaw - 1928
_______________________________________________________________How High the Moon By Morgan Lewis & Nancy Hamilton
Big Band
artists initially played this 1940 tune as languid dance music. Only later did vocalists and jazz instrumentalists give it an uptempo, modern treatment. According to Ian Port, author of The Birth Of Loud, some even called it the "national anthem of jazz."
The big hit from this song came in March 1951 from guitarist Les Paul, née Lester Polsfuss, and his wife, vocalist Mary Ford, née Colleen Summers. Using an Ampex Model 300 recording machine given to him by Bing Crosby, Les multi-tracked his guitar. He produced a "sound-on-sound recording" of "bright, busy lines," Port said, on a solid-body electric guitar Les called his "clunker."
The big hit from this song came in March 1951 from guitarist Les Paul, née Lester Polsfuss, and his wife, vocalist Mary Ford, née Colleen Summers. Using an Ampex Model 300 recording machine given to him by Bing Crosby, Les multi-tracked his guitar. He produced a "sound-on-sound recording" of "bright, busy lines," Port said, on a solid-body electric guitar Les called his "clunker."
He then multi-tracked Mary’s vocals, producing "an utterly modern recording," Port said, unlike anything heard before — live or recorded. Few would duplicate the layered-vocals sound until the Carpenters (Karen and Richard) made it their hallmark almost 20 years later.
By November 1951 Les Paul and Mary Ford sold four million recorded copies of "How High The Moon." Today, the song is a go-to standard for jazz artists. The list includes Duke
Ellington, Erroll Garner, Anita O’Day, Dizzy Gillepsie, Stéphane Grappelli, Lionel Hampton, Dianne Reeves and Oscar Peterson.
Oh yeah, Les also invented the "clunker" he played on "How High The Moon."
"Somewhere there's music
How faint the tune
Somewhere there's heaven
How high the moon."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKNDmF7u59 - Les Paul & Mary Ford - 1951
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4kf5aU1Wtg - Stéphane Grappelli - 1991
_______________________________________________________________It's Only a Paper Moon By Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg, Billy Rose
Two recorded versions became hits in that first year: one by Paul Whiteman's Orchestra with Peggy Healy on vocals and one by Cliff Edwards, also known as Ukulele Ike. Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole also made memorable recordings of the song.
Whiteman’s version saw feature use in a charming 1973 film called “Paper Moon.” It starred Ryan O’Neal and his eight-year-old daughter Tatum, who stole the show.
“Say it's only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make believe
If you believed in me”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQHOe9JP2tw - Cliff Edwards - 1933
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHi9htjVH2k - Paul Whiteman - 1933
But it wouldn't be make believe
If you believed in me”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQHOe9JP2tw - Cliff Edwards - 1933
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHi9htjVH2k - Paul Whiteman - 1933
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc5RMYvXOhA - Nat King Cole Trio - 1944
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndxAZfJxfy8 - Ella Fitzgerald - 1945
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Moon Over Miami By Joe Burke & Edgar Leslie
This 1935
song earned the top spot on “Your Hit Parade” radio show in 1936 while hit recordings
by vocalist Connee Boswell, jazz pianist and bandleader Eddie Duchin, and others competed for sales in music stores and juke boxes.
"Moon over Miami,
Shine on my love and me,
So we can stroll beside the roll,
Of the rolling sea.
"Moon over Miami,
Shine on as we begin,
A dream or two that may come true,
When the tide comes in."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCf-QxsEuSw - Dolly Dawn - 1935
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndxAZfJxfy8 - Ella Fitzgerald - 1945
_______________________________________________________________
Moon Over Miami By Joe Burke & Edgar Leslie
"Moon over Miami,
Shine on my love and me,
So we can stroll beside the roll,
Of the rolling sea.
"Moon over Miami,
Shine on as we begin,
A dream or two that may come true,
When the tide comes in."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCf-QxsEuSw - Dolly Dawn - 1935
www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7iN-TO_Mds - Eddy Duchin - 1936
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAiegL3J5KE - Ray Charles - 1960
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Moon River By
Henry Mancini & Johnny Mercer
With a memorable melody from Henry Mancini and bittersweet lyrics by Johnny Mercer, this song was written for Audrey Hepburn to sing in “Breakfast at
Tiffany’s.” In the 1961 film Hepburn plays Holly Golightly, an eccentric and naïve socialite, as her co-star George
Peppard plays Paul Varjak, her tepid love interest.
Luckily, within a year records by Andy Williams and Jerry Butler outclassed the raspy delivery Hepburn gave the song. Since then, everyone and anyone with a voice has sung this tune, which is swept aloft on Mercer's dreamy images.
Luckily, within a year records by Andy Williams and Jerry Butler outclassed the raspy delivery Hepburn gave the song. Since then, everyone and anyone with a voice has sung this tune, which is swept aloft on Mercer's dreamy images.
“Moon river, wider than a mile
I'm crossing you in style some day
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker
Wherever you're goin', I'm goin'
your way
"Two drifters, off to see the world
There's such a lot of world to see
We're after the same rainbow's
end,
Waitin' 'round the bend
My huckleberry friend, moon river,
and me”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEdPe1SxitI - Audrey Hepburn - 1961
www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_jgIezosVA - Andy Williams - 1962
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Moonglow By Will Hudson, Irving Mills, Eddie DeLange
In 1933 Hudson
composed “Moonglow” when he needed a theme song for his band when it was
playing the Greystone Ballroom in Detroit, according to George T. Simon, author
of The Big Bands Songbook (Crowell – 1975). Beginning with violinist Joe Venuti in 1933, not a few Big Bands, jazz cats and sweet-harmony vocalists have hit new
heights playing this one.
The song
was also used in the most romantic dance sequence ever filmed, the dreamy one Kim Novak and William Holden perform in “Picnic.” It’s a sublime pleasure to watch them move in tandem as Morris Stoloff's instrumental "Moonglow" plays in the background. Watch it if you dare. You will lose track of time on this one.
“It
must have been moonglow
way up in the blue,
it must have been moonglow
that led me straight to you.
"I
still hear you saying
'Dear one, hold me fast'
and I start in praying
Oh Lord, please let this last.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsWq0BrUiYQ -
Joe Venuti - 1933
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLvZEuYyCNg -
King Sisters - 1941
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm9zli5lWSo - Billie Holiday - 1952
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DBoMIi8bYc - Holden & Novak - 1956
______________________________________________________________
Moonlight and Roses By Edwin Lemare, Ben Black, Neil Moret
Written in
1892 as Andantino in D-flat by organist Lemare, it was played many times before
English audiences prior to World War I. Then, in 1921, American songwriters Ben Black and Neil Moret,
working without permission, gave it the lyrics and title we know today.
The
song became hugely popular across the U.S. in the 1920s. Fortunately, Lemare was able to
snag a share of the royalties after he threatened to sue Black and Moret in
1925.
All the
moonlight in the world, however, won’t change the fact that the song is sappy
and sacharine to today’s tastes.
“Moonlight
and roses
bring
wonderful mem’ries of you.
My heart
reposes
In
beautiful thoughts so true.
“June light
disclosed
Love’s
old dreams sparkling anew,
Moonlight
and roses
Bring
mem’ries of you.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfs3f67x2ts - John
McCormack - 1925
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZBSm2-1IZM - Jim Reeves - 1964
_______________________________________________________________
Moonlight Bay By Percy Wenrich & Edward Madden
Moonlight Bay By Percy Wenrich & Edward Madden
Ever
since this song was two Tin Pan Alley songwriters and launched by the American Quartet in 1912, people have sung it parlors, glee clubs, soda shoppes and barbershops. Still, the song persists on its unfettered charm, see-saw melody and sentimental lyrics.
The broad range of covers includes:
The broad range of covers includes:
Glenn
Miller - 1937 swing recording
Alice Faye - 1940 “Tin Pan Alley” movie
Mills Brothers - 1940 vocal recording
Porky Pig - 1942 “My Favorite Duck" flick
Doris Day - 1951 “On Moonlight Bay” film
Rose Marie - 1962 "Dick Van Dyke” show
Bing Crosby - 1951 duet with Gary Crosby
Leon Redbone - 2001 “Any Time” album
Alice Faye - 1940 “Tin Pan Alley” movie
Mills Brothers - 1940 vocal recording
Porky Pig - 1942 “My Favorite Duck" flick
Doris Day - 1951 “On Moonlight Bay” film
Rose Marie - 1962 "Dick Van Dyke” show
Bing Crosby - 1951 duet with Gary Crosby
Leon Redbone - 2001 “Any Time” album
“We were sailing along on Moonlight Bay
We could hear the voices ringing;
they seem to say,
‘You
have stolen my heart
Now, don't go ‘way!’
Now, don't go ‘way!’
As we sang ‘Love's old sweet song’
On Moonlight Bay.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7D3y3PZS4c - American Quartet - 1912
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uCUIoLvmbo - Mills Brothers - 1940
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud7ZTU4FS3U - Doris Day - 1951
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArsvkTVQwwY - Rose Marie - 1962
www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6jsJEvoysI - Leon Redbone - 2001
_______________________________________________________________Moonlight Becomes You By Jimmy Van Heusen & Johnny Burke
This love
song was written for Bing Crosby to sing to Dorothy Lamour in the 1942
feature, “Road to Morocco,” which also starred Bob Hope. Like the Hope-Crosby combo, this song is a heavy dose of schmaltz with a side of perfumed chenille. The tune was popular another 20 years. Then, it all but died an overdue death.
"Moonlight becomes you,
it goes with your hair
You certainly know
the right thing to wear
Moonlight becomes you,
I'm thrilled at the sight
And I could get so romantic tonight.
"You're all dressed up to go dreaming
Now don't tell me I'm wrong
And what a night to go dreaming
Mind if I tag along?"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrFhzmSHf6s - Bing Crosby - 1942
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxyYEOPFwqk - Jerry Vale - 1956
www.youtube.com/watch?v=na79G8wXlA8 - Willie Nelson - 1993
_______________________________________________________________Moonlight in Vermont By Karl Suessdorf & John Blackburn
All who sing the song tout the romance of Vermont in winter. Seriously? They idealize snowy vales and icy roads, not the frigid air and frozen fingers.
Nevertheless, what makes this song truly unusual are the lyrics and how they touch us in subtle ways. Upon close examination, you'll notice that none of the lines in the song rhyme and each verse stands as a haiku. Go figure.
"Frozen winter streams
withered leaves, a sycamore
moonlight in Vermont
"Icy finger waves
Ski trails down a mountain side
Snowlight in Vermont
"Shadows through the trees
snowdrifts shining in the dark
moonlight in Vermont"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwyZyDD6Yqw - Jo Stafford - 1956
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8HgdIJ_i7k - Ella & Louis - 1956
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuoU7XW2ops - Ray Charles - 1960
_______________________________________________________________
Moonlight Serenade By Glenn Miller
Back in the day the melody of “Moonlight Serenade” could reduce adults to tears due to memories of last dates, lost loves, late leavings and lonely returns during WW-II. Miller’s own disappearance in bad weather over the English Channel in mid-December 1944 only made the song more poignant to the Greatest Generation.
Though some folks call this song a relic of another time, someday someone will revive this wonderful melody.
“I stand at your gate and the song that I sing is of moonlight
I stand and I wait for the touch of your hand in the June night
The roses are sighing a Moonlight Serenade.
"The stars are aglow and tonight how their light sets me dreaming.
My love, do you know that your eyes are like stars brightly beaming?
I bring you and I sing you a Moonlight Serenade”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TB_8H23EDI - Glenn Miller - 1941
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQbAS5oRbEw - Moonlight Sinatra - 1966
_______________________________________________________________No Moon at All By Dave Mann & Redd Evans
This 1947 standard really swings. It’s driven by a strong melody that neatly matches its pushy words.
That’s
probably why so many jazz and cabaret artists in the post-war era put their hands on this one. So we're talking Nat
King Cole, Ames Brothers, pianist George Shearing, velvet fog Mel Tormé and the ever-bright Ella Fitzgerald.
But contemporary artists like it as well. So don't overlook the fully felt renditions we added by West Coast jazz vocalist Sara Gararek or the zany Flat Cats of Chicagoland.
“No moon at all, what a night
Even lightnin' bugs have dimmed
their lights
Stars have disappeared from sight
And there's no moon at all
“Don't make a sound, it's so dark
Even Fido is afraid to bark
What a perfect chance to park
And there's no moon at all
“Should we want atmosphere for
inspiration, dear
One kiss will make it clear
That tonight is right and bright
moonlight might interfere”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxdGFsO2v5g - Anita O’Day - 1955
www.youtube.com/watch?v=785sBbRwyRE - Ella Fitzgerald - 1962
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Occ3IaeAA - Sara Gazarek - 2014
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXNANLROA8s - Flat Cats - 2015
_______________________________________________________________Oh, You Crazy Moon By Jimmy Van Huesen & Johnny Burke
And except for "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," a jazz favorite from 1940, and "Swinging On A Star," an Academy Award-winning tune of 1944, Van Huesen wrote better tunes once he teamed up with Sammy Cahn to write for Frank Sinatra in the 1950s and 1960s.
In the 1960s Mel Tormé’s vocals for “Oh, You Crazy Moon” were slick. Peggy Lee gave it a cabaret workout. Only Frank Sinatra and his arranger Nelson Riddle could make this song swing.
In case you missed the point: Van Huesen did better work with Sammy Cahn on “Love and Marriage” in 1955, “All The Way" in 1957, “Come Fly With Me” in 1957, "High Hopes” in 1959 and “Call Me Irresponsible” in 1962. Alas and alack, none of these five tunes are moon songs.
“When they met, the way they
smiled, I saw that I was through
Oh, you crazy moon, what did you do?
And when they kissed, they tried to say that it was just in fun
Oh, you crazy moon, look what you've done.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2QzHVN5ypk - Mel Tormé -
1960
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGV0mNb0SPw - Peggy Lee -
1962
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktYH-k5Vbng - Frank Sinatra - 1965
_______________________________________________________________
Old Devil Moon By Burton Lane & Yip Harburg
Polka Dots and Moonbeams By Jimmy Van Huesen & Johnny Burke
Vocalist
Frank Sinatra and band leader Tommy Dorsey put this song on the map in 1940.
The enchanting melody draws you in so you will hear the words to a story
your heart already knows.
This is a truly memorable jazz standard. There is no shortage of classics, from cuts by pianist Bill Evans, vocalist Sarah Vaughn and guitarist Wes Montgomery to saxophonists Lester Young, Paul Desmond, Gerry Mulligan and Dexter Gordon, trumpeter Chet Baker and trombonist Carl Fontana. Spoiler alert: even John Denver and Bob Dylan made covers.
_______________________________________________________________
Racing with By Johnny Watson, Vaughn Monroe, Pauline Pope
the Moon
A popular
bandleader in the Big Band Era, Vaughn Monroe performed with a trombone, trumpet and lusty baritone voice. His five female back-up singers were always called the Moonmaids.
Like many musicians in the 1930s and 1940s, he played many one-night stands across the country. He played hotels, nightclubs, theaters, colleges, even a tobacco warehouse in the South.
In the 1950s he performed at the Meadows, a nightclub he owned in Framingham west of Boston. Monroe also sang in two grade-B cowboy movies, hosted a weekly radio show (the “Camel Caravan”) and performed in numerous television oaters during the 1960s.
His first million-seller, "Racing With The Moon” became Monroe's signature song in 1941. His big-selling records — "There, I've Said It Again," "Let It Snow," "Ballerina" and "Riders In The Sky" among them — came in the late 1940s.
Old Devil Moon By Burton Lane & Yip Harburg
This song
was written for “Finian’s Rainbow,” a play that ran for 725 performances on Broadway and won three Tony Awards. The play has a preposterous storyline, but it's been a favorite production for aspiring singers, ingénues, theater majors and all their parents ever since. In 1947 the song became a hit record for Margaret Whiting.
Today, it's worth the time to compare Whiting’s
version with recordings that came ten and 15 years later: the sultry hits made by Jo Stafford and Anita O’Day in the late 1950s as well as Nelson Riddle's arrangement for Frank Sinatra made a few years later.
“Wanna cry, wanna croon, wanna laugh like
a loon.
It's that old devil moon in your eyes.
Just when I think, I'm free as a dove.
Old devil moon, deep in your eyes, blinds me with love.”
It's that old devil moon in your eyes.
Just when I think, I'm free as a dove.
Old devil moon, deep in your eyes, blinds me with love.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzfwrMkCPmE - Margaret Whiting - 1947
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi1gSonLUfc - Jo Stafford - 1958
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cc_CWtrcw0 - Anita
O’Day - 1959
www.youtube.com/watch?v=unMxHSpvzoE - Frank
Sinatra - 1961
_______________________________________________________________Polka Dots and Moonbeams By Jimmy Van Huesen & Johnny Burke
This is a truly memorable jazz standard. There is no shortage of classics, from cuts by pianist Bill Evans, vocalist Sarah Vaughn and guitarist Wes Montgomery to saxophonists Lester Young, Paul Desmond, Gerry Mulligan and Dexter Gordon, trumpeter Chet Baker and trombonist Carl Fontana. Spoiler alert: even John Denver and Bob Dylan made covers.
“A country dance was being held in a
garden
I felt a bump and heard an "Oh, beg
your pardon"
Suddenly I saw polka dots and moonbeams
All around a pug-nosed dream
“The music started and was I the perplexed
one
I held my breath and said ‘May I have the
next one?’
In my frightened arms, polka dots and
moonbeams
Sparkled on a pug-nosed dream
“There were questions in the eyes of other dancers
As we floated over the floor
There
were questions but my heart knew all the answers
And perhaps a few things more
“Now in a cottage built of lilacs and
laughter
I know the meaning of the words
"Ever after"
And I'll always see polka dots and
moonbeams
When
I kiss the pug-nosed dream.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lJFRh4RmEw - Frank Sinatra -
1940
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mShXR9dqAC0 - Carl Fontana -
1956
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD2l7VwQpbg - Chet Baker -
1958
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gceeergGxtk - Gerry Mulligan - 1960
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLrs8wQ2qh8 - West Montgomery - 1960
_______________________________________________________________
Racing with By Johnny Watson, Vaughn Monroe, Pauline Pope
the Moon
Like many musicians in the 1930s and 1940s, he played many one-night stands across the country. He played hotels, nightclubs, theaters, colleges, even a tobacco warehouse in the South.
In the 1950s he performed at the Meadows, a nightclub he owned in Framingham west of Boston. Monroe also sang in two grade-B cowboy movies, hosted a weekly radio show (the “Camel Caravan”) and performed in numerous television oaters during the 1960s.
His first million-seller, "Racing With The Moon” became Monroe's signature song in 1941. His big-selling records — "There, I've Said It Again," "Let It Snow," "Ballerina" and "Riders In The Sky" among them — came in the late 1940s.
“In the blue heavens I see
Your face smiling at me
My heart will never be free
Until we're back together
“Racing with the moon
That is what I'll always do
Till I overtake the moon and you”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIbOevVYV3I -
Vaughn Monroe - 1965
_______________________________________________________________
Shine on Harvest Moon By Nora Bayes & Jack Norworth
Introduced
with great success in the “Ziegfield Follies” of 1908, this song has been covered with recordings from every man jack vocalist since its origin. It was one of several moon-influenced songs
popular in its day and still one of the earliest standards we sing today.
“Shine On Harvest Moon” has always been identified as written by the vaudeville team of Bayes and Norworth. But back in the day many songs were bought from the original performer or writer, with a purchaser owning all rights — including future royalties and derivative usage.
Some say this song was composed and sold by the Tin Pan Alley songwriters Edward Madden ("Moonlight Bay") and Gus Edwards ("My Merry Oldsmobile"). Also cited is pianist Dave Stamper, who as an employee accompanied Bayes and Norworth in 1908. Stamper went on to compose numerous tunes between 1912 and 1931 for vaudeville productions by Florenz Ziegfield.
Shine on Harvest Moon By Nora Bayes & Jack Norworth
“Shine On Harvest Moon” has always been identified as written by the vaudeville team of Bayes and Norworth. But back in the day many songs were bought from the original performer or writer, with a purchaser owning all rights — including future royalties and derivative usage.
Some say this song was composed and sold by the Tin Pan Alley songwriters Edward Madden ("Moonlight Bay") and Gus Edwards ("My Merry Oldsmobile"). Also cited is pianist Dave Stamper, who as an employee accompanied Bayes and Norworth in 1908. Stamper went on to compose numerous tunes between 1912 and 1931 for vaudeville productions by Florenz Ziegfield.
“The night was mighty dark
so you could hardly see,
The moon refused to shine.
A couple sat underneath a willow tree,
For love they pined.
“The
little maid was 'fraid of darkness
So she
said, ‘I guess I'll go.’
The boy
began to sigh, looked up at the sky
And told
the moon his little tale of woe
“Oh,
Shine on, shine on, harvest moon
Up in the
sky;
I ain't
had no lovin'
Since
January, February, June or July.
“Snow
time, ain't no time to stay
Outdoors
and spoon;
So shine
on, shine on, harvest moon,
For me
and my gal.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7Mu9fh23dY -
Ruth Etting - 1931
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLAWlGkV_jc -
Four Aces - 1955
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4j7cAV9TNI - Leon
Redbone - 1977
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u71y5oyIiAg -
Copacetics - 2017
_______________________________________________________________
What a Little Moonlight Can Do By Harry
Woods
The band backing Billie is now known as the epitome of 1930s jazz — with Teddy Wilson on piano, Benny Goodman on clarinet, Ben Webster on tenor sax, Roy Eldridge on trumpet, John Kirby on bass, John Trueheart on guitar, and Cozy Cole on drums.
Today, a lot of jazz combos like to give this song the Dixieland treatment, not quite what Billie and her friends were aiming at. Still, people will have their own way with this song. There's no stopping them now.
“Ooh, what a little moonlight can
do
Ooh, what a little moonlight can do for you
"You're in love, your heart's
aflutter
All day long, you only stutter
'Cause your poor tongue just will not utter
The words, 'I love you'
Ooh, what a little moonlight can do.
“Wait a while till a little
moonbeam
Comes peepin’ through, you’ll get
bold
Can’t resist him, all you’ll say
Ooh, what a little moonlight can
do.
“Ooh, what a little moonlight can
do.
Ooh, what a little moonlight can
do to you.”
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubkf3aXAbtg - Al Bowly -
1934
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldwDvw99HHs - Billie Holiday - 1935
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_jC_2CMB5g - Frankie Lymon - 1958
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEpqcLHYKHk - Crystal Gayle - 1982
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkM-Bg6Ht5M - Emilie-Claire Barlow - 2018
_______________________________________________________________
Resources
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The Birth Of Loud by Ian Port (Scribner — 2019)
The Birth Of Loud by Ian Port (Scribner — 2019)
BingFan03.blogspot.com
CowboyLyrics.com
eBay.com
GraphicsFairy.com
IBDB.com
IMDB.com
JazzStandards.com
MetroLyrics.com
MusicNotes.com
OldieLrics.com
TheGuitarGuy.com
TSort.info/music
VocalGroupHarmony.com
Wikipedia.org
YouTube.com
45Worlds.com
8Notes.com
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
© 2019 — Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved
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