I've Told Ev'ry Little Star

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"I've Told Ev'ry Little Star"
Song
Published1932
Composer(s) Jerome Kern
Lyricist(s) Oscar Hammerstein II

"I've Told Ev'ry Little Star" is a popular song with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, introduced in the 1932 musical Music in the Air. [1]

Contents

History

Kern was inspired to write the song's melody by a bird singing outside his bedroom window. He sang it over and over to himself, but then, having retired late, went back to sleep, and couldn't remember it when he awoke again. Fortunately the bird returned the next morning and Kern was ready with a pencil and index card. [2]

The song became the center of Music in the Air's plot. It is written at the beginning of the show by two of the characters, a music teacher and schoolmaster in a small town in Bavaria, also inspired by a bird, and by the sound of the music teacher's daughter bringing him breakfast. They and other villagers take the song to Munich to find a publisher, and musical comedy complications ensue. [3] [4]

"Ev'ry Little Star" even played a small role in the story of Kern's own life. On November 5, 1945, Kern experienced a cerebral hemorrhage and collapsed on the sidewalk in New York City. He clung to life in an oxygen tent for six days. On November 11, his songwriting partner Oscar Hammerstein II, on watch at Kern's bedside, sang the song, which Kern had said was one of his favorites, into Kern's ear. Accounts vary as to whether Kern responded, but he died shortly thereafter. [5] [6]

Recordings

The first hit recording of the song was released in 1932 by Jack Denny and His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra. [1] It has since been recorded by many artists, most notably Linda Scott.

Linda Scott version

"I've Told Every Little Star"
Single by Linda Scott
from the album Starlight, Starbright
B-side "Three Guesses"
ReleasedJanuary 1961
Genre
Length2:32
Label Canadian-American Records
Songwriter(s) Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II
Producer(s) Hutch Davie
Linda Scott singles chronology
"I've Told Every Little Star"
(1961)		"Don't Bet Money Honey"
(1961)

The best-known recording is the 1961 teen pop hit by Linda Scott, [1] titled "I've Told Every Little Star", which reached No. 3 on the United States' Billboard Hot 100 chart. [7] Scott's version reached No. 1 in the Philippines, [8] South Africa, [9] and Sweden. [10] Scott's version also reached No. 1 in Denmark, in a tandem ranking with Gitte Hænning's version. [9]

The single was ranked No. 33 on Cash Box 's "Top 100 Chart Hits of 1961" [11] and No. 74 on Billboard 's "Hot 100 for 1961 – Top Sides of the Year". [12]

Chart performance

Chart (1961)Peak
position
Australia (Music Maker) [13] 7
Canada (CHUM Hit Parade) [14] 7
Denmark (Quan's Musikbureau) [9] 1
Hong Kong [15] 2
Ireland [16] 9
Israel (Kol Yisrael) [16] 6
New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade) [17] 2
Philippines [8] 1
South African and Lourenço Marques Radio [9] 1
Sweden [10] 1
UK ( Record Retailer ) [18] 7
US Billboard Hot 100 [7] 3
US Billboard Hot R&B Sides [19] 22

In an audition scene in the film Mulholland Drive , the Linda Scott recording was lip-synched to by an auditioning actress Camilla Rhodes (Melissa George), a character who bears some resemblance to Linda Scott herself. [1] The Linda Scott version also features as the title song of The Girl (2012) and as the opening theme for Japanese television personality Matsuko Deluxe's program Matsuko no Shiranai Sekai. This version was sampled by rapper Mac Miller on "Knock Knock", which appeared on his 2010 mixtape K.I.D.S. . The opening theme for the 1992 television series Billy featured a version of the song performed by Sonny Rollins, created especially for the series.

Gitte Hænning version

Danish singer Gitte Hænning released a version of the song in 1961. Her cover reached No. 1 in Denmark in tandem ranking with Linda Scott's version, [9] while it reached the top 5 in Finland [16] and No. 9 in Sweden. [9]

Chart performance

Chart (1961)Peak
position
Denmark (Quan's Musikbureau) [9] 1
Finland ( Ilta-Sanomat ) [16] ≥5
Sweden [9] 9

Other recordings

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Leszczak, Bob (2014). Who Did It First?: Great Pop Cover Songs and Their Original Artists , Rowman & Littlefield, pp. 116–117. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  2. ↑ Bordman, Gerald (1980). Jerome Kern: His Life and Music. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 324. ISBN   0-19-502649-7.
  3. ↑ Bordman 1980, p. 328.
  4. ↑ Banfield, Stephen (2006). Jerome Kern. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 212–213. ISBN   978-0-300-11047-0.
  5. ↑ Bordman 1980, p. 406.
  6. ↑ Banfield 2006, p. 66.
  7. 1 2 Linda Scott – Chart History – The Hot 100, Billboard.com. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Hits of the World", Billboard , August 21, 1961. p. 16. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Hits of the World", Billboard , September 4, 1961. p. 19. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  10. 1 2 "Hits of the World", Billboard , August 28, 1961. p. 22. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Top 100 Chart Hits of 1961", Cash Box , December 30, 1961. p. 11. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Chart Toppers", Billboard , January 6, 1962. p. 33. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Hits of the World", Billboard , July 24, 1961. p. 20. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  14. ↑ "1050 CHUM – CHUM Charts". Archived from the original on July 21, 2006. Retrieved 2017-04-15. Chart No. 209, April 24, 1961. CHUM.
  15. ↑ "Hits of the World", Billboard , November 20, 1961. p. 32. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Hits of the World", Billboard , October 23, 1961. p. 18. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Lever Hit Parade" 06-Jul-1961, Flavour of New Zealand. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  18. ↑ Linda Scott – Full Official Chart History, Official Charts Company . Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  19. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 514.
  20. ↑ "I've Told Ev'ry Little Star – Cannonball Adderley". AllMusic . Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  21. ↑ Information at Svensk mediedatabas (accessed 13 May 2011)
  22. ↑ "I've Told Ev'ry Little Star – Michael Ballam". AllMusic . Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  23. ↑ "I've Told Ev'ry Little Star – Stanley Black". AllMusic . Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  24. ↑ "I've Told Ev'ry Little Star – Pat Boone". AllMusic . Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  25. ↑ "I've Told Ev'ry Little Star – Ray Conniff". AllMusic . Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  26. ↑ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  27. ↑ Information på Svensk mediedatabas
  28. ↑ "I've Told Every Little Star – Percy Faith / Percy Faith & His Orchestra". AllMusic . Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  29. ↑ "I've Told Every Little Star – Ferrante & Teicher". AllMusic . Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  30. ↑ "I've Told Every Little Star – London Philharmonic Orchestra". AllMusic . Retrieved April 17, 2017.
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