The attraction of "Sweet Leilani" is Bing's splendid entrance after the high pitched Hawaiian singer. I love that moment when he comes in.

Nothing particularly profound to add, I'm afraid, but I do remember an occasion many years ago when a friend of mine named her first daughter Leilani.

I asked her if she'd chosen the name because of Bing's song, but she was completely unaware of the song's existence!

Having told her of my life-long passion for Bing's voice, she asked if I would play her the song. I didn't think anything of it as I put the disc in the player, but as the first voice came out of the speakers, she looked across at me as if to say, "You've had a life-long passion for THAT voice..?!

Having listened to the record to the end, however, she said that she heard what all the fuss was about..!

(By the way - sorry, Richard, but I'm with Malcolm on this one!)

OK - let's try and keep it going, albeit by taking a slightly sideways move...

The two Bing recordings I have always had a slight problem with come just before "Sweet Leilani" chronologically - the two sides he made with Dixie. "The Way You Look Tonight" and "A Fine Romance". I find the way the arrangement has to change key after virtually every phrase to accommodate Bing and Dixie's widely differing vocal registers really off-putting.

I can't help thinking that it's no co-incidence that these were the only sides they made together.

I haven't got access to my Fred Reynolds books at the moment, but I'd be interested to read his comments. Also, any evidence that Jack Kapp - or even Bing - had a view..?

Thanks for that, Richard - particularly the bit about my "sensitive musician's ear"..!

I just found this on YouTube:-

Last edited by Admin (06/7/2015 10:19 am)

Carmela, which version of 'Stardust' don't you like? The 1931 or the after one.
Another song that I believe that Bing insisted on singing in a movie is 'Swanee River' in 'Mississippi'. I really like 'Down By The River' in this movie and apparently the song writers for the movie didn't like that 'Swanee River' was included. Don't have info of those blokes at my finger tips but I don't think recorded any of their other songs for many years after that.

It is amazing just what power Bing had so early in his career at Paramount after only joining them in 1932. 'Mississippi' 1935 and 'Waikiki Wedding' 1937. Just 3 years in. Don't think any other 'big' stars - Gable, Tracy, Cooper, Wayne, Hope, Joan Crawford etc etc etc had the same pull.
Jeremy, we have our room booked already at Weetwood - did it last October. Hope to get to Bucharest and Poland (Anita's ancestry) prior to Leeds.

48blonde wrote:

Ron, I'm not crazy about any version of Stardust. I always felt the song[melody] didn't flow right. .

It has an unusual structure - but may be that is one of it's attractions. Certainly many musicians have done interesting things with it, and it plays an important part in Bing's own story. Consider the entry in "Wiki" which says in part

" - a slower version had been recorded in October 1928, but the real transformation came on May 16, 1930, when bandleader Isham Jones recorded it as a sentimental ballad. "Stardust" represents the rare case of a song in AABA form lacking a refrain. The title appears seemingly incidentally, not as a memorable hook. In the final A-section, the usual place of the refrain is filled by the word 'refrain' ("...the memory of love's refrain")- - - -- . - - -  Jones's recording became the first of many hit versions of the tune. Young baritone sensation Bing Crosby released a version in 1931, and by the following year, over two dozen bands had recorded "Stardust." It was then covered by almost every prominent band of that era. Versions have been recorded by Artie Shaw, Billy Butterfield, Louis Armstrong,, Dave Brubeck, Tommy Dorsey, Tex Beneke with The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Jan Garber, Fumio Nanri, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole (considered by many to be the best), Mel Tormé (which is considered to be second best), 

Personally I like many of the versions though I think I dispute the ordering in terms of "the best" by the Wiki writers. Our man has to be the best!

And of course Frank Sinatra managed to make a nearly new song out of just the first verse. 

In the above quote I have removed all the references to recording dates and catalogue numbers.

And also returning to "Sweet Leilani", it seems there is some agreement about the introduction, but what reaction to Paul Fisher's attempt to improve it - his "mashup"?