On this date in 1940, Frances Langford, known as the "GI Nightingale", an American armed-forces sweetheart, who entertained troops by frequently touring with Bob Hope, recorded Walt Disney trademark, When You Wish Upon a Star. Here are some facts about the song.
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When You Wish Upon a Star was written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for the 1940 Disney animated film Pinocchio.
The first person to record it was Cliff Edwards, who voiced Jiminy Cricket in the film.
Although the movie wasn’t a huge box office success at first, perhaps because distributing it in Europe was problematic thanks to the second world war, critics noticed the music. Not only did Harline and Washington win an Oscar for Best Original Score, When You Wish Upon a Star won best original song, making it the first Disney song to win an Oscar.
Harline and Washington knew right away this was a spotlight song that should be given prominence in the film. Disney decided that the song should play over the opening credits, and used as a musical theme throughout the film. When the producers decided to promote Jiminy to the narrator role, using Edwards' recording of the song made sense as the title theme.
It has become known as Disney’s unofficial theme song. Not only does it feature in films, documentaries and at Disney theme parks, but Disney Cruise Line ships use the first seven notes of the song as their signal horns.
In Sweden, Norway and Denmark, it has become a Christmas song, referring to the Star of Bethlehem.
As well as Cliff Edwards and Frances Langford, many artists have covered the song including: Glenn Miller, Rosemary Clooney, Eddie Fisher, Stevie Wonder, Louis Armstrong, Mary J. Blige, Barbara Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, Diana Ross, and Olivia Newton John.
The song was covered by John Williams for Steven Spielberg's 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Spielberg called Williams's version "When You Wish Upon a Star meets science fiction".
The song is a relatively simple tune, referring to the tradition where a child makes a wish on the first shooting star they see at night. Gene Simmons of KISS, who grew up in Israel, once said in an interview that while he “could barely speak English… I knew the words [to the song] were true.”
In 2009, the song was preserved in the National Recording Registry as the Library of Congress deemed the song to be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The original sheet music is kept in the National Museum of American History.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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