The song of the day for Sunday, March 30, 2014 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. It was written for the movie Going My Way, starring Bing Crosby and 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.

This song is a favorite of your opinionated author, who remembers hearing the song in the family kitchen while her mother making dinner when your author was only three years old. I remember laughing every time I heard the song. I also remember my mother would sometimes turn to me and sing just “or would you rather be a fish” and I would laugh again.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this song for his 1998 album The Playground, a collection of songs for the entire family. It’s a charming album with many great songs and features duets with Elmo and Kermit The Frog. Of course, this is quite timely, as Mr. Bennett has a cameo in the latest Muppets movie, Muppets Most Wanted.

http://open.spotify.com/track/12K4vdbpLp6f9DYjE9AOrB
“Swinging on a Star,” as well as the album The Playground, is available from iTunes.