Shine On, Harvest Moon
Encyclopedia
"Shine On, Harvest Moon" is the name of a popular early-1900s song credited to the married vaudeville
team Nora Bayes
and Jack Norworth
. It was one of a series of moon
related Tin Pan Alley
songs of the era. The song was debuted by Bayes and Norworth in the Ziegfeld Follies
of 1908 to great acclaim. It became a pop standard, and continues to be performed and recorded into the 21st century.
During the vaudeville era, songs were often sold outright, and the purchaser would become the songwriter of record. John Kenrick
's Who's Who In Musicals credits songwriters Edward Madden
and Gus Edwards
, while David Ewen's All the Years of American Popular Music credits Dave Stamper
, who contributed songs to 21 editions of the Ziegfeld Follies
and was Bayes' pianist from 1903 to 1908. Vaudeville comic Eddie Cantor
also credited Stamper in his 1934 book Ziegfeld - The Great Glorfier.
Note: The months in the chorus have been sung is several different orders. The Ada Jones and Billy Murray song linked on this article has:
April, January, Ju-une or July
Leon Redbone's cover on his album Double Time had the lyric as:
January, February, June or July.
(repeat chorus)
directed a short titled Shine on Harvest Moon. A 1938 Roy Rogers
western was also named after the song, as was a 1944 biographical film
about Bayes and Norworth.
Popular British 1980's comedy drama, Shine on Harvey Moon
.
The song has been featured in dozens of movies including Along Came Ruth (1933), The Great Ziegfeld
(1936), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
(1945), The Eddy Duchin Story
(1956), and Pennies from Heaven
(1978).
By the time Murray was recording "follow the bouncing ball" cartoons in the 1930s, Shine On, Harvest Moon was also very much an "old time tune".
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
team Nora Bayes
Nora Bayes
Nora Bayes was a popular American singer, comedienne and actress of the early 20th century.-Early life and career:...
and Jack Norworth
Jack Norworth
Jack Norworth was a U.S. songwriter, singer and vaudeville performer.Norworth is credited as co-writer of a number of Tin Pan Alley hits. He wrote the lyrics of the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in 1908, his most long lasting hit. But it wasn't until 1940 that he actually witnessed a Major...
. It was one of a series of moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
related Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
songs of the era. The song was debuted by Bayes and Norworth in the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
of 1908 to great acclaim. It became a pop standard, and continues to be performed and recorded into the 21st century.
During the vaudeville era, songs were often sold outright, and the purchaser would become the songwriter of record. John Kenrick
John Kenrick (theatre writer)
John Kenrick is an American author, teacher and theatre and film historian. Kenrick is an adjunct teacher of musical theatre history at New York University, Brind School – University of the Arts and The New School, and lectures frequently on the subject elsewhere...
's Who's Who In Musicals credits songwriters Edward Madden
Edward Madden
Edward Madden was an American lyricist.Madden was born in New York City and graduated from Fordham University. After graduation he wrote material for many singers including Fanny Brice and for vaudeville acts...
and Gus Edwards
Gus Edwards (songwriter)
Gus Edwards was an American songwriter and vaudevillian. He also organised his own theatre companies and was a music publisher.-Early life:...
, while David Ewen's All the Years of American Popular Music credits Dave Stamper
Dave Stamper
Dave Stamper was an American songwriter of the Tin Pan Alley and vaudeville eras, a contributor to twenty-one editions of the Ziegfeld Follies, writer for the Fox Film Corporation, and composer of more than one thousand songs, in spite of never learning to read or write traditional music notation...
, who contributed songs to 21 editions of the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
and was Bayes' pianist from 1903 to 1908. Vaudeville comic Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter...
also credited Stamper in his 1934 book Ziegfeld - The Great Glorfier.
Lyrics
First verse
- The night was mighty dark so you could hardly see,
- For the moon refused to shine.
- Couple sitting underneath a willow tree,
- For love they did pine.
- Little maid was kinda 'fraid of darkness
- So she said, "I guess I'll go."
- Boy began to sigh, looked up at the sky,
- And told the moon his little tale of woe
Chorus
- Oh, Shine on, shine on, harvest moon
- Up in the sky;
- I ain't had no lovin'
- Since April, January, June or July.
- Snow time ain't no time to stay
- Outdoors and spoon;
- So shine on, shine on, harvest moon,
- For me and my gal.
Note: The months in the chorus have been sung is several different orders. The Ada Jones and Billy Murray song linked on this article has:
April, January, Ju-une or July
Leon Redbone's cover on his album Double Time had the lyric as:
January, February, June or July.
Second verse
- I can't see why a boy should sigh when by his side
- Is the girl he loves so true,
- All he has to say is: "Won't you be my bride,
- For I love you,
- I can't see why I'm telling you this secret,
- When I know that you can guess."
- Harvest moon will smile,
- Shine on all the while,
- If the little girl should answer "yes."
(repeat chorus)
Film and television connections
The song has had a long history with the movies. In 1932, animation great Dave FleischerDave Fleischer
David "Dave" Fleischer was an American animator film director and film producer, best known as a co-owner of Fleischer Studios with his two older brothers Max Fleischer and Lou Fleischer...
directed a short titled Shine on Harvest Moon. A 1938 Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
western was also named after the song, as was a 1944 biographical film
Shine On, Harvest Moon (film)
Shine On, Harvest Moon, starring Ann Sheridan, is a 1944 musical film biography of the vaudeville team of Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth, who wrote the popular song "Shine On, Harvest Moon".-Cast:*Ann Sheridan as Nora Bayes*Dennis Morgan as Jack Norworth...
about Bayes and Norworth.
Popular British 1980's comedy drama, Shine on Harvey Moon
Shine on Harvey Moon
Shine on Harvey Moon is a British television series made by Central Television for ITV from 8 January 1982 to 23 August 1985 and briefly revived in 1995 by Meridian....
.
The song has been featured in dozens of movies including Along Came Ruth (1933), The Great Ziegfeld
The Great Ziegfeld
The Great Ziegfeld is a 1936 musical film produced by MGM. A fictionalized biography of Florenz Ziegfeld from his show business beginnings to his death, it showcases a series of spectacular musical productions. The film includes original music by Walter Donaldson and Irving Berlin...
(1936), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn may refer to:*A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , a novel by Betty Smith*A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , the cinema adaptation of the novel*A Tree Grows in Brooklyn , the stage adaptation of the novel...
(1945), The Eddy Duchin Story
The Eddy Duchin Story
The Eddy Duchin Story is a 1956 biopic of band leader and pianist Eddy Duchin. It was directed by George Sidney-helmed film, written by Samuel A. Taylor, and starred Tyrone Power and Kim Novak. The musical soundtrack recording, imitating Duchin's style, was performed by pianist Carmen Cavallaro....
(1956), and Pennies from Heaven
Pennies from Heaven
Pennies from Heaven may refer to:* "Pennies from Heaven" , a popular American song by Johnny Burke and Arthur Johnston* Pennies from Heaven , starring Bing Crosby and Madge Evans, and introducing the song...
(1978).
Other references
- Billy MurrayBilly Murray (singer)William Thomas "Billy" Murray was one of the most popular singers in the United States in the early decades of the 20th century...
did not hesitate to record parodies and other songs that made fun of popular hits, including his own. Today's hits quickly become tomorrow's oldies. At the time this song was popular, Murray recorded a song whose title is the last line, gently poking fun at this "modern" song:
- Oh, I'm sick of all these ditties about "moon" and "spoon" and "June"
- So, will you stand up and sing, for your father, an old time tune?!
By the time Murray was recording "follow the bouncing ball" cartoons in the 1930s, Shine On, Harvest Moon was also very much an "old time tune".
Other recordings
- Kirsten CookeKirsten CookeKirsten Cooke is an English stage actress who trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, London. Almost all of her acting work has been in the field of comedy....
and Arthur BostromArthur BostromArthur Bostrom is an English actor, most famous for his role as Officer Crabtree, in the long-running BBC sitcom Allo 'Allo!.-Biography:...
perform it as Michelle DuboisMichelle DuboisMichelle Dubois is a fictional character in the situation comedy Allo 'Allo!. The part was played by the actress Kirsten Cooke.She is a tall, thin, dark-haired young woman who usually dresses in the unofficial "uniform" of the Gaullist French Resistance, a tan trench coat and black beret...
of the resistance and officer CrabtreeOfficer CrabtreeOfficer Crabtree is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Allo 'Allo!, which ran from 1982 to 1992; he was played by actor Arthur Bostrom....
in the sitcom 'Allo 'Allo (Season 8 Episode 7). Carmen SilveraCarmen SilveraCarmen Blanche Silvera was a Canadian-born British comic actress of Spanish-Jewish descent who moved to Coventry with her family when she was a child...
as Madame Edith also sings the number during the closing credits of the same episode. - Jerry GrayJerry Gray (Arranger)Jerry Gray was an American violinist, arranger, composer, and leader of swing dance orchestras bearing his name. He is widely known for his work with popular music during the Swing era. His name is inextricably linked to two of the most famous bandleaders of the time, Artie Shaw and Glenn Miller...
and his orchestra (recorded August 24, 1951, Decca RecordsDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
catalog numberCatalog numbering systems for single recordsThis article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
27868) - Laurel and HardyLaurel and HardyLaurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
perform it in their film The Flying DeucesThe Flying DeucesThe Flying Deuces, also known as Flying Aces, is a 1939 comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy, in which the duo join the French Foreign Legion. It is a partial remake of their 1931 short film Beau Hunks.- Plot :...
(1939). - MarahMarahMarah may refer to:* Marah or Manroot, a kind of wild cucumber* Marah , an American country band* Marah , one of the locations which the Torah identifies as having been travelled through by the Israelites during the Exodus...
recorded the song for their 2007 EP, Can't Take it With YouCan't Take It with YouCan't Take It with You is the name of a 2007 EP released by the band Marah. It was released as a digital download and limited edition 10" vinyl by Yep Roc Records.-Track listing:#"Shine on Harvest Moon " #"Angels on a Passing Train"...
. - Moon MullicanMoon MullicanAubrey Wilson Mullican , known as Moon Mullican, was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and pianist. However, he also sang and played jazz, rock 'n' roll and the blues...
live, 1955. - Coleman HawkinsColeman HawkinsColeman Randolph Hawkins was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Hawkins was one of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument. As Joachim E. Berendt explained, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn"...
and Ben WebsterBen WebsterBenjamin Francis Webster , a.k.a. "The Brute" or "Frog," was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. Webster, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young...
both perform sax in a nearly five-minute jazz version on the 1957 album, "Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster". - Leon RedboneLeon RedboneLeon Redbone is a singer and guitarist specializing in interpretations of early 20th-century music, including jazz and blues standards and Tin Pan Alley classics....
recorded the song for his 1976 album, Double Time (album). - Art GillhamArt GillhamArt Gillham, , was an American songwriter, who was among the first crooners as a pioneer radio artist and a recording artist for Columbia Records....
's recording of the song for Columbia in 1931 was praised by Walter Winchell. - Ruth Etting revived the song in the 1931 Ziegfeld Follies.
- Mance LipscombMance LipscombMance Lipscomb was an American blues singer, guitarist and songster. Born Beau De Glen Lipscomb near Navasota, Texas, United States, he as a youth took the name of 'Mance' from a friend of his oldest brother Charlie .-Biography:Lipscomb was born April 9, 1895 to an ex-slave father from Alabama and...
recorded the song live in 1965 for Arhoolie RecordsArhoolie RecordsArhoolie Records is a small record label run by Chris Strachwitz. The label was founded by Strachwitz in 1960 as a way for him to record and publish previously obscure "down home blues" artists such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Snooks Eaglin and Bill Gaither...
on Mance Lipscomb Vol. 3 Texas Songster in a Live Performance. - Eight-year-old Britney SpearsBritney SpearsBritney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
sang a rendition of the song in her video audition for the Mickey Mouse ClubMickey Mouse ClubThe Mickey Mouse Club is an American variety television show that began in 1955, produced by Walt Disney Productions and televised by the ABC, featuring a regular but ever-changing cast of teenage performers. The Mickey Mouse Club was created by Walt Disney...
. - In an early I Love LucyI Love LucyI Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
episode, the group sings the song at the piano.