Wednesday, April 15, 2009

#87: Moonglow

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
Then I start in praying
Oh lord, please let this last

This beautifully simple jazz number, written by composer Will Hudson in 1933 as a theme song for his Detroit band and lyricized soon after by Eddie DeLange, is just a few notes, and maybe that's why it feels as ethereal and magical as its subject. The bridge -- "we seem to float right through the air" -- glides right down the scale.

"Moonglow" became a go-to song for clarinetist Benny Goodman and his quartet, and it's still going strong with interpreters like the young New Orleans trumpeter and vocalist Jeremy Davenport on his album, "Maybe In a Dream." Here's Billie Holiday on YouTube with her 1952 take. Oh lord, please let this last, indeed!


1 comment:

  1. ah yes, moonglow is a perfect intersection of form and content...love it! Here's a version I did with Jodi Jean Amble in chicago.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hGXaNy2VmI

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