"Moonlight Bay" is a

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

. It is commonly referred to as "On Moonlight Bay". The lyrics were written by

Edward Madden Edward Madden (July 17, 1878 – March 11, 1952) was an American lyricist. Early life Madden was born in New York City and graduated from Fordham University. After graduation, he wrote material for many singers including Fanny Brice and ...

, the music by

Percy Wenrich Percy Wenrich (January 23, 1880 – March 17, 1952) was an American composer of ragtime and popular music. Personal life and career Born in Joplin, Missouri to Daniel Wenrich and Mary Ray, he left for Chicago in 1901 where he attended classe ...

, and was published in 1912. It is often sung in a

barbershop quartet A barbershop quartet is a group of four singers who sing music in the barbershop style, characterized by four-part harmony without instrumental accompaniment, or a cappella. The four voices are: the lead, the vocal part which typically carries t ...

style. Early successful recordings in 1912 were by the American Quartet and by Dolly Connolly.

Notable covers

Glenn Miller Alton Glen Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band founder, owner, conductor, composer, arranger, trombone player and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Arm ...

and his Orchestra recorded the song on March 22, 1937, with a special swing arrangement by Miller. * The song was featured the film ''

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It originally referred to a specific place: West 28th Street ...

'' (1940), where it was sung by

Alice Faye Alice Faye (born Alice Jeanne Leppert; May 5, 1915 – May 9, 1998) was an American actress and singer. A musical star of 20th Century-Fox in the 1930s and 1940s, Faye starred in such films as ''On the Avenue'' (1937) and ''Alexander's Ragtime B ...

. Faye also included the song in her 1962 album ''Alice Faye Sings Her Greatest Movie Hits''. * The song, sung in barbershop quartet style, features in the first

Daffy Duck Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon fictional character, character created for Warner Bros. Cartoons, Leon Schlesinger Productions by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett. Styled as an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic American black duck, black ...

cartoon, ''

Porky's Duck Hunt ''Porky's Duck Hunt'' is a 1937 Warner Bros. '' Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Tex Avery. The cartoon was released on April 17, 1937, and stars Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, the latter making what is considered his first official appearance. Pl ...

'' (1937). * Porky Pig repeatedly tries to sing the song in the 1942 cartoon, ''

My Favorite Duck ''My Favorite Duck'' is a 1942 color Warner Bros. '' Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Chuck Jones, in his second collaboration with writer Michael Maltese. The cartoon was released on December 5, 1942, and stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. I ...

''. * The

Mills Brothers The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed the Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies a ...

recorded the song in 1940 for

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

. * The song was featured in the musical film '' On Moonlight Bay'' (1951) and gave the film its title; it was sung by

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

and

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals ''Oklahoma!'' (1955) and '' Carousel'' (1956) and who p ...

. Day also recorded the song commercially, and it appeared on her 1951 album '' On Moonlight Bay'', featuring songs from the film. * A duet performance by

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and Gary Crosby was recorded on March 22, 1951, and reached No. 14 in the Billboard charts in 1951. *

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

performed "Moonlight Bay" with comedians

Eric Morecambe John Eric Bartholomew, (14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984), known by his stage name Eric Morecambe, was an English comedian who together with Ernie Wise formed the double act Morecambe and Wise. The partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's de ...

and

Ernie Wise Ernest Wiseman, (27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known by his stage name Ernie Wise, was an English comedian, best known as one half of the comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, who became a national institution on British television, especially ...

on the duo's ATV programme '' Two of a Kind'' in December 1963. A recording of the performance was released on the Beatles' album ''

Anthology 1 ''Anthology 1'' is a compilation album by the Beatles, released on 20 November 1995 by Apple Records as part of ''The Beatles Anthology'' series. It features rarities, outtakes and live performances from the period 1958–64, including song ...

'' in 1995. * The song was sung in episodes of ''

Hey Arnold ''Hey Arnold!'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Craig Bartlett. It originally aired on Nickelodeon from October 7, 1996, to June 8, 2004. The show centers on fourth grader Arnold Shortman, who lives with his grandpare ...

''. * In the 1942 film,

Ship Ahoy ''Ship Ahoy'' is a 1942 American musical-comedy film directed by Edward Buzzell and starring Eleanor Powell and Red Skelton. It was produced by MGM. Background ''Ship Ahoy'' was the first of two films in which Powell and Skelton co-starred. It ...

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

leads his orchestra while

Eleanor Powell Eleanor Torrey Powell (November 21, 1912 – February 11, 1982) was an American dancer and actress. Best remembered for her tap dance numbers in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s, she was one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's top dancing stars duri ...

does a tap dance conveying a message in Morse code.

Verses

:Voices hum, crooning over Moonlight Bay :Banjos strum, tuning while the moonbeams play :All alone, unknown they find me :Memories like these remind me :Of the girl I left behind me :Down on Moonlight Bay :Candle lights gleaming on the silent shore :Lonely nights, dreaming till we meet once more :Far apart, her heart, is yearning :With a sigh for my returning :With the light of love still burning :As in days of yore

Chorus

:We were sailing along :On Moonlight Bay. :We could hear the voices ringing; :They seemed to say, :"You have stolen my heart" :"Now don't go 'way!" :As we sang "

Love's Old Sweet Song "Love's Old Sweet Song" is a Victorian parlour song published in 1884 by composer James Lynam Molloy and lyricist Graham Clifton Bingham. The first line of the chorus is "Just a song at twilight", and its title is sometimes misidentified as su ...

" :On Moonlight Bay The original sheet music and 1912 recordings use the lyrics above.

References

External links

Recording by Billy Murray and the American Quartet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moonlight Bay (Song) Songs with music by Percy Wenrich Songs with lyrics by Edward Madden 1912 songs 1910s song stubs Looney Tunes songs Doris Day songs Billy Murray (singer) songs The Beatles songs