Wand'rin' Star

"Wand'rin' Star"
"Wand'rin' Star"
Single by Lee Marvin
B-side	"I Talk to the Trees"; (Clint Eastwood);
Released	1970
Length	4:30 (album version); 2:59 (radio edit)
Label	Paramount
Songwriter(s)	Alan J. Lerner (lyrics); Frederick Loewe (music);
Producer(s)	Tom Mack

"Wand'rin' Star" is a song that was originally written by Alan J. Lerner (lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music) for the stage musical Paint Your Wagon in 1951.

Lee Marvin recording

"Wand'rin' Star" was a number one single in the UK for three weeks^[1] and in Ireland for two weeks for Lee Marvin in March 1970. The song also peaked at number 10 in Australia.^[2]

Background

When the film of the musical was made in 1969, Lee Marvin took the role of prospector Ben Rumson. Not a natural singer, Marvin nevertheless sang all of his songs in the film, rejecting the idea of miming to another singer's voice. Despite the film being a box office flop, the soundtrack became a success. Orchestrated and arranged by Nelson Riddle, Marvin's version of the song "Wand'rin Star" became a number 1 single in Ireland and the UK, keeping The Beatles at number 2 in the UK with their single "Let It Be". Marvin never released a follow-up single, so he is considered a one-hit wonder.

Cover versions

A sound-alike cover appeared on the 1970 album Top of the Pops, Volume 10, with one reviewer using terms like "laryngitic croak" and "gargling gargoyles" to describe how he felt about the cover.^[3]
"Wand'rin' Star" was covered by English comedian and novelist Julian Clary; his version was released as a single in the United Kingdom in 1990, backed with the self-penned track "Uncanny and Unnatural".
Shane MacGowan and The Popes rendering was included on their 1997 album The Crock of Gold.
German dance group Scooter covered the song on their 2021 album God Save the Rave.

Popular culture

In 2002, the song was played at the end of Joe Strummer's funeral.^[4]
The song was mentioned in the words of "Build a Fire" by the KLF. The last lines are, "We'll stop for lunch, in some taco bar./Lee Marvin on the jukebox, 'Wand'rin' Star.'"

Sample

sample of "Wand'rin' Star" by Lee Marvin

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References

^ "All The Number 1 Singles > 1970's". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 16 March 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 194. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ [Top of the Pops, Vol. 10 – Various Artists at AllMusic]
^ Singleton, Phil (24 January 2003). "An Audience with Glen Matlock". God Save the Sex Pistols. North Bar, Blackburn. Retrieved 7 October 2018.

This 1970s pop song–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "All The Number 1 Singles > 1970's". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 16 March 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2010.

[aus-2] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 194. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[3] [Top of the Pops, Vol. 10 – Various Artists at AllMusic]

[4] Singleton, Phil (24 January 2003). "An Audience with Glen Matlock". God Save the Sex Pistols. North Bar, Blackburn. Retrieved 7 October 2018.

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