The song of the day for Friday, March 18, 2016 is “Swinging on a Star.”
About This Song
“Swinging on a Star” was written in 1944 by the songwriting team of Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke for the movie Going My Way, starring Bing Crosby. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for that year. Crosby recorded a very successful version of the song in 1944. Other recordings include those by Rosemary Clooney, Burl Ives, and Ruby Braff, among many others. I must confess that I can remember singing this song when I was young as three years old. I thought growing up to be a fish was the funniest thing I’d ever heard. I can only wonder how annoying this must have been for my loving, patient parents.
About This Version
Tony Bennett recorded “Swinging on a Star” in 1998 for his album for children, The Playground. It features the Ralph Sharon Quartet, with Sharon on piano, Gray Sargent on guitar, Paul Langosch on bass and Cameron Clayton on drums. The song is just as much fun as I remember it from 1953.
“Swinging on a Star,” as well as The Playground, is available from iTunes.
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