Song Story: There’s Honey on the Moon Tonight

There’s Honey on the Moon Tonight is another song I’d not heard of before. The music was written by Fred Coots and the lyrics by Haven Gillespie and Mack Davis. The song may have been written around 1938, considering all publications I found happened in that year. The song was performed by Vincent Lopez, Fats Read More

Song Story: Carolina Moon

Carolina Moon is a popular song written by Joe Burke and Benny Davis in 1924. Gene Austin first recorded the song in 1928, in which it spent seven weeks at #1. In 1958, Connie Francis father recommended she record the song Carolina Moon.  She spent six weeks #1 on the UK Singles Chart. Others to Read More

Song Story: Blue Moon of Kentucky

Blue Moon of Kentucky was written in 1946 by Bill Monroe, a bluegrass musician.  Bill Monroe recorded the song and released it in early 1947.  The popularity of the song spread and it became a huge hit. Elvis Presley recorded the song with Sun Records in 1954.  Scotty Moore recalled, “We all of us knew Read More

Song Story: Moon Love

While working on this series of moon songs, I came across Moon Love.  Although a huge Sinatra fan, I’d not heard this song before.  I’m so glad I came across the song. Moon Love made it’s way onto Frank Sinatra‘s album, Moonlight Sinatra. The song was based on Tchaikovsky’s Souvenier d’un lieu cher for violin Read More

Song Story: Oh, You Crazy Moon

  Oh, You Crazy Moon is a jazz standard written by Jimmy Van Heusen.  The lyrics were written by Johnny Burke. The song was recorded by Mel Torme in 1960 and Frank Sinatra in 1965. I was unable to find any additional information on the song.

Song Story: Moonlight Serenade

Moonlight Serenade is an American swing ballad composed by Glenn Miller. The song evolved from a 1935 of a song titled “Now I Lay Me Down to Weep”. The song was first released in May 1939 by the Glenn Miller orchestra an instrumental arrangement and became an immediate phenomenon. Mitchell Parish would go on to Read More

Song Story: Moon River

Moon River is best remembered for Audrey Hepburn’s rendition in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The song was written for the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s and set to fit Hepburn’s vocal range. It is suggested that a movie executive with Paramount Pictures suggested removing the song from the movie, but Hepburn highly objected. The song was composed Read More

By the Light of the Silvery Moon

By the Light of the Silvery Moon is another popular song from the early 20th Century.  It was first published in 1909. The lyrics were written by Edward Madden, who wrote On Moonlight Bay. The composer was Gus Edwards, who also wrote songs such as  “I Can’t Tell You Why I Love You but I Read More

On Moonlight Bay

On Moonlight Bay is a popular song of the 20th Century.  The best known version is the one by Doris Day. The song was first published in 1912.  The lyrics were written by Edward Madden, an American lyricist who wrote songs such as What Could Be Sweeter? And Red Rose Rag. The composer was Percy Read More

Shine On Harvest Moon

Shine On Harvest Moon is another popular song from the early 1900s.  This is a favorite when I go to the nursing home to sing. The song is credited to Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth, a married Vaudeville team.   This was another song that was among the moon-related songs of the Tin Pan Alley era, Read More