"Moonlight Gambler" is a song written by

Bob Hilliard Bob Hilliard (born Hilliard Goldsmith; January 28, 1918 – February 1, 1971) was an American lyricist. He wrote the words for the songs: " Alice in Wonderland", "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", " Any Day Now", "Dear Hearts and Gentle ...

and Phil Springer and performed by

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American Singing, singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to hi ...

featuring Ray Conniff and His Orchestra. It reached #3 on the U.S. pop chart and #13 on the

UK Singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1957. The single ranked #32 on ''Billboard's'' Year-End top 50 singles of 1957. The song begins with a spoken recitation by Laine saying: "You can gamble for matchsticks,/ You can gamble for Gold,/ The stakes may be heavy or small,/ But, if you haven't gambled for love and lost,/ Then you haven't gambled at all"/ Which is repeated when sung in the Bridge section of the song. Laine's version also features a whistler and a clip clopping sound.

Other versions

Gene Barry Gene Barry (born Eugene Klass, June 14, 1919 – December 9, 2009) was an American stage, screen, and television actor and singer. Barry is best remembered for his leading roles in the films ''The Atomic City'' (1952) and ''The War of The World ...

released a version of the song as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to his 1962 single "

Red Silk Stockings and Green Perfume "Red Silk Stockings and Green Perfume" is a pop song written in 1946 by Bob Hilliard, Sammy Mysels, and Dick Sanford (''né'' Richard Young Sandford; 1896–1981). The first version was by *Ray McKinley and his Orchestra Other recorded versions ...

". *

Winifred Atwell Una Winifred Atwell (27 February or 27 April 1910 or 1914There is some uncertainty over her date and year of birth. Many sources suggest 27 February 1914, but there is a strong suggestion that her birthday was 27 April. Most sources give her ye ...

released a version of the song on her 2001 compilation album, ''Best of Winifred Atwell''. * T. Storm Hunter released a version of the song on his 2010 album, ''Airways Hotel''.

References

1956 songs 1956 singles Songs with lyrics by Bob Hilliard Frankie Laine songs Columbia Records singles {{1950s-single-stub