View source for Swinging on a Star

{{Short description|1944 song by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke}}
{{for|the Bing Crosby compilation volume|Swinging on a Star (album)}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Swinging on a Star
| cover      =
| alt        =
| border     = yes
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Bing Crosby]] with [[The Williams Brothers|the Williams Brothers Quartet]] and [[John Scott Trotter]] and His Orchestra
| album      = [[Selections from Going My Way]]
| released   = April 1944
| recorded   = February 7, 1944
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Traditional pop]]
| length     =
| label      =
| writer     = {{plainlist|
* [[Jimmy Van Heusen]]
* [[Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke]]
}}
| producer   =
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title =
| next_year  =
| misc       = {{External music video|header=Official audio|{{YouTube|Do4wBzWuVTk|" Swinging on a Star"}}}}  
}}
"'''Swinging on a Star'''" is an American [[pop standard]] with music composed by [[Jimmy Van Heusen]] and lyrics by [[Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke]].<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited 
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| page= 134}}</ref> It was introduced by [[Bing Crosby]] in the 1944 film ''[[Going My Way]]'', winning an [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]] that year,<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/><ref name="pc2a" /> and has been recorded by numerous artists since then. In 2004, it finished at No. 37 in [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs]] survey of top tunes in American cinema.

Many artists have recorded it under the title "'''Would You Like to Swing on a Star'''".{{cn|date=October 2024}}

==Origins==
Songwriter [[Jimmy Van Heusen]] was at Crosby's house one evening for dinner, and to discuss a song for the film project ''[[Going My Way]]''. During the meal, one of the children began complaining about how he did not want to go to school the next day. The singer turned to his son [[Gary Crosby (actor)|Gary]] and said to him, "If you don’t go to school, you might grow up to be a mule." Van Heusen thought this clever rebuke would make a good song for the film.<ref name="pc2a">{{Pop Chronicles 40s|2|A |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1633227/m1/#track/5 }}</ref> He pictured Crosby, who played a priest, talking to a group of children acting much the same way as his own child had acted that night. Van Heusen took the idea to his partner [[lyricist]] [[Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke]], who approved. They wrote the song.<ref name="jazzdiscography.com">[http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Artists/Crosby/crosby1bDecca.html A Bing Crosby Discography, Part 1b: Commercial Recordings - The Decca Years]</ref>

The first recording of "Swinging on a Star", with Bing Crosby with [[John Scott Trotter]] and His Orchestra, took place in [[Los Angeles]] on February 7, 1944, and was released as [[Decca Records]] on Disc No. 18597 paired with "Going My Way". The song topped the US charts in 1944 and Australian charts in 1945. [[The Williams Brothers|The Williams Brothers Quartet]], including a young [[Andy Williams]], sang backup vocals behind Crosby.<ref name="jazzdiscography.com"/>

==Composition==
The lyrics follow the usual verse-refrain format.<ref name="Owens">{{cite book |last=Owens |first=Thomas |title=Bebop: The Music and Its Players |year=1996 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-510651-0 |page=207 }}</ref> The length of the composition is unusual: the refrain is just 8 bars in length, whilst the verse is 12 bars.<ref name="Owens" />

==Other versions==
*A 1963 recording by [[Big Dee Irwin]] and [[Little Eva]] reached No. 38 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in the US<ref>{{youtube|sBphlQ6as5g|Swinging on a Star}}</ref><ref name=WhitburnSingles>
{{cite book
  | last = Whitburn
  | first = Joel
  | author-link = Joel Whitburn
  | title = Top Pop Singles, 12th Edition
  | publisher = Record Research
  | year = 2009 }}
</ref> and No. 7 on the [[UK Singles Chart]] in January 1964.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/> 
*The American [[sitcom]] ''[[Out of This World (American TV series)|Out of This World]]'' (1987–1991) used a modified, updated version of "Swinging on a Star" as its theme song.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://singingthesonginmyheart.com/swinging-on-a-star/ |title=Song Story: Swinging on a Star |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=Singing the Song in my Heart}}</ref>
*Actors [[Bruce Willis]] and [[Danny Aiello]] perform the song in the 1991 action comedy ''[[Hudson Hawk]]'' in order to time out a heist their characters pull. They, however, incorrectly cite the length of the song as five minutes, thirty-two seconds as well as sing the verses in the incorrect order.{{opinion|date=December 2023}}

==Awards and honors==
*[[Academy Award for Best Original Song]] (1944)
*[[Grammy Hall of Fame]] (2002)

==See also==
*[[List of number-one singles of 1944 (U.S.)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Bing Crosby singles}}
{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalSong 1941–1950}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1944 songs]]
[[Category:1944 singles]]
[[Category:1963 singles]]
[[Category:Bing Crosby songs]]
[[Category:Little Eva songs]]
[[Category:Songs with music by Jimmy Van Heusen]]
[[Category:Songs with lyrics by Johnny Burke (lyricist)]]
[[Category:Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songs]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in the United States]]
[[Category:Music published by Bourne Co. Music Publishers]]