Song of the Day: Lost in the Stars

About This Song

“Lost in the Stars” was written by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson for the 1949 musical of the same name, based on the 1948 novel Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. The novel, and the musical, is set in apartheid South Africa. It tells the story of a black priest whose son has killed a close friend of his father, a white man. This song is sung at the end of Act One, as the priest experiences a crisis of faith.

Lost in the Stars was Kurt Weill’s last show; he died the following year.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Tony Bennett’s 1959 album with Count Basie: In Person! with Count Basie and His Orchestra. It is worth noting that of all the versions of “Lost in the Stars” that Bennett has recorded, this version is the one he chose for his box sets Forty/Fifty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett.

http://open.spotify.com/track/32cxJYmijy4f8hzFl1OnsS
“Lost in the Stars,” as well as the entire In Person! album, is available from iTunes and Amazon.