Ken Lelen

Ken Lelen
Ken Lelen sings great American ragtime, jazz, swing and pop tunes in his concerts and plays vintage acoustic guitars for an authentic, back-in-the day sound.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

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
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

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

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

     “Allegheny Moon your silver beams
      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
      can make him mine."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1trcyVgGrWU                   -   Patti Page                    -     1956
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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.

     "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”

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
                                   
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.

     “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.”

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

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,
      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

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
      
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” 

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
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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.

     “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”

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
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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=lqT7qUS4yh8                    -  Nelson Eddy                -    1945
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKsdCtsRczY                     -  Frank Sinatra              -    1945
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
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
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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 Loudsome even called it the "national anthem of jazz."

The big hit from this song came in March 1951 from guitarist Les Paul, nĆ©e Lester Polsfuss, and his wife, vocalist Mary Ford, nĆ©e 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, StĆ©phane 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                  -  StĆ©phane Grappelli       -    1991
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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
      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
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=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 naĆÆve 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.

     “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
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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
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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:
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

     “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!’
      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
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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
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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”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TB_8H23EDI                   -  Glenn Miller                -    1941
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQbAS5oRbEw                   -  Moonlight Sinatra       -    1966
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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 TormĆ© 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
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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 TormĆ©’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 TormĆ©                    -    1960
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGV0mNb0SPw                 -  Peggy Lee                    -    1962
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktYH-k5Vbng                     -  Frank Sinatra              -    1965
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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, ingĆ©nues, 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.”

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
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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.

     “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


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.

     “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
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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.

“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

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.

     “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
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Resources
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
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


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© 2019 — Kenneth Lelen — All Rights Reserved

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