"When You Wish Upon a Star"
Single by Cliff Edwards
from the album Pinocchio (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
ReleasedFebruary 9, 1940 (1940-02-09)
Recorded1939
GenreSoundtrack
Length3:17
LabelVictor, EMI
Composer(s)Leigh Harline
Lyricist(s)Ned Washington

"When You Wish Upon a Star" is a song written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for the 1940 Disney animated film Pinocchio, based on the children's fairy tale novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Italian author Carlo Collodi.[1] The original version was sung by Cliff Edwards in the character of Jiminy Cricket,[1] and is heard over the opening credits and in the final scene of the film. The recording by Cliff Edwards and Chorus was released by Victor Records as catalogue number 261546 and 26477A (in the US) and by EMI on the His Master's Voice Label as catalogue number BD 821.

Edwards recorded another version in 1940 for an American Decca Records "cover version" of the score of Pinocchio, conducted by Victor Young and featuring soprano Julietta Novis and The King's Men. It was first released on a 4-record 78-RPM album set, and years later as one side of an LP, backed by selections from The Wizard of Oz. A recording with Christian Rub (with Mister Geppetto's voice), Cliff Edwards and Chorus was released by Victor Records as catalogue number 26479B (in the US) and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalogue number BD 823. It won the 1940 Academy Award for Best Original Song.[1] It was also the first Disney song to win an Oscar.

"When You Wish Upon a Star" is widely considered as the signature song of The Walt Disney Company and is often used as such in the production logos at the beginning of many Disney films since the 1980s.

Development

Harline and Washington delivered "When You Wish Upon a Star" to the Pinocchio story crew in early autumn 1938, and they recognized it right away as 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.[2]

In October, Edwards recorded the song as a "test take", because Edwards was cast as Jiminy Cricket, and at the time the cricket's role in the story was limited. When the producers decided to promote Jiminy to the narrator role, using Edwards' recording made sense as the title theme. In the film, Edwards' performance plays over the titles, and bridges into Jiminy's opening scene.[2]

Legacy and influence

The Library of Congress deemed Edwards's recording of the song "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and inducted it into the National Recording Registry in 2009.[3] The American Film Institute ranked "When You Wish Upon a Star" seventh in their 100 Greatest Songs in Film History, the highest ranked of only four Disney animated film songs to appear on the list, the others being "Someday My Prince Will Come" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ranked at No. 19, "Beauty and the Beast" from Beauty and the Beast ranked at No. 62, and "Hakuna Matata" from The Lion King, ranked at No. 99.

The song reached the top five in Billboard's Record Buying Guide, a predecessor of the retail sales chart. Popular versions in 1940 were by Glenn Miller with vocal by Ray Eberle (No. 1 for five weeks),[4] Guy Lombardo (vocal by Carmen Lombardo), Horace Heidt and Cliff Edwards.[5] It is the oldest song to be certified by the Recording Industry Association of America. It has been recorded by many other artists since then. In more recent times, Beyoncé sang a cover of the song as part of The Disney Family Singalong. Brian Wilson has said that the melody of the Beach Boys hit song, "Surfer Girl", which has the same AABA form,[6] is loosely based on the Dion and the Belmonts version of "When You Wish Upon a Star".[7][8][9][10]

In Japan, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark, the song has become a Christmas song, often referring to the Star of Bethlehem. The Swedish version is called "Ser du stjärnan i det blå", (lit. 'Do you see the star in the blue'), and the Danish title is "Når du ser et stjerneskud" (lit. 'When you see a shooting star'). The song features in Disney's one-hour Christmas special From All of Us to All of You, originally broadcast in 1958 in the US, but now considered a Christmas tradition in the Nordic countries, where it is broadcast each Christmas Eve.

The song was covered by John Williams for Steven Spielberg 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Spielberg himself called Williams's work "When You Wish Upon a Star meets science fiction".[11]

The song was covered by Kiss bassist Gene Simmons on his self-titled 1978 solo album. "It spoke to me," he declared. "I thought Jiminy Cricket was actually talking to me! He said, When you wish upon a star, doesn't matter who you are… Yes, it's you, Gene. Gene, I'm talking to you. Go and get it – it's all yours."[12]

In 1987, actor and singer Michael Crawford with the London Symphony Orchestra recorded a version of "When You Wish Upon a Star" for his debut album Songs from the Stage and Screen. Released as a single, it reached number 97 in the UK Singles Chart.[13]

Over the Christmas period in 2011, the finalists of The X Factor UK that year covered "When You Wish Upon A Star" for the year's Christmas advertising campaign for UK department store Marks & Spencer.[14]

Disney icon

"When You Wish Upon a Star", along with Mickey Mouse, has become an icon of The Walt Disney Company. In the 1950s and 1960s, Disney used the song in the opening sequences of all the editions of the Walt Disney anthology television series. It has also been used to accompany the Disney logos – including the present-day logo – since the 1980s. All of the ships of the Disney Cruise Line use the first seven notes of the song's melody as their horn signals. Additionally, many productions at Disney theme parks – particularly firework shows and parades – employ the theme song.

Different arrangements of the theme were used in the Disney logo. The one in the 1985 logo was arranged by John Debney. A different arrangement by Mark Mancina, with David Metzger as the co-arranger and orchestrator, was used for the 2006 logo, while a new arrangement by Christophe Beck, with Tim Davies as the orchestrater, is used for the 2022 logo, in honor of the studio's 100th anniversary in 2023. The version used in the 2006 Disney logo is in the pilot episode of Mickey Mouse Funhouse, entitled "Mickey the Brave!"

In December 2008, a number of prominent performers gathered for a concert called BBC Radio 2 Celebrates the Music of Disney. It was hosted by Josh Groban, who performed "When You Wish Upon A Star."[15]

To commemorate the centennial anniversary of The Walt Disney Company, Sara Bareilles recorded a cover of the song as part of the company's "100 Years of Wonder" campaign and was released as a single on May 14, 2023 after being performed live as part of Disney Night on season 21 of American Idol.[16]

The finale of the Walt Disney Animation Studios short film Once Upon a Studio (2023) features a cast of 543 Disney animated characters singing the song, with the original Cliff Edwards recording being utilized for Jiminy Cricket's vocals.[17]

The first five notes of the song are featured multiple times in Dave Metzger's underscore for Walt Disney Animation Studios' feature film Wish.[18]

Earth, Wind & Fire

The lyrics of Earth, Wind & Fire's song Shining Star directly reference the Disney song.

As a jazz standard

The piece has become a jazz standard.[19]

Family Guy parody and lawsuit

The owner of the rights to the song, Bourne Co. Music Publishers, sued Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., Fox Broadcasting Company, Fuzzy Door Productions, Cartoon Network, Walter Murphy and Seth MacFarlane to try to stop distribution of a 2003 Family Guy episode entitled "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" that parodies the song in a version called "I Need a Jew". A federal judge ruled against Bourne Co, stating that a parody of the song did not infringe on the company's copyright.[20]

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[21] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 134. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ a b Kaufman, J.B. (2015). Pinocchio: The Making of the Disney Epic. Weldon Owen. p. 124. ISBN 978-1616288099.
  3. ^ "The Sounds of Fighting Men, Howlin' Wolf and Comedy Icon Among 25 Named to the National Recording Registry". Library of Congress.
  4. ^ Fragias, Leonidas (2016). US Hit Singles. Arts & Charts.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, US: Record Research Inc. p. 609. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  6. ^ Philip Lambert, Inside The Music Of Brian Wilson: The Songs, Sounds, and Influences of the Beach Boys' Founding Genius (Continuum, 2007):28.
  7. ^ Brian Wilson, in @BrianWilsonLive, February 16, 2011: "We're doin' "When You Wish Upon A Star" for the new album. It kinda inspired "Surfer Girl." – Brian".
  8. ^ Philip Lambert, Inside the Music of Brian Wilson: The Songs, Sounds, and Influences of the Beach Boys' Founding Genius (Continuum, 2007):27.
  9. ^ Jim Fusilli, Pet Sounds, Volume 19 of 33 1/3 (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005):23.
  10. ^ Domenic Priore, Smile: The Story of Brian Wilson's Lost Masterpiece (Sanctuary, 2005):32.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference making was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Gitter, Mike (6 March 1993). "Talkin' 'bout revolutions". Kerrang!. No. 433. p. 39.
  13. ^ "MICHAEL CRAWFORD". Official Charts. January 10, 1987.
  14. ^ "X Factor Marks & Spencer advert". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on November 11, 2011.
  15. ^ "Groban Hosts Starry BBC Radio 2 Celebrates the Music of Disney Concert Dec. 8". Playbill.
  16. ^ Hopper, Alex (15 May 2023). "Sara Bareilles Joins 'Idol' Contestants for 'When You Wish Upon A Star'". American Songwriter. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  17. ^ "JoBlo Gets an Early Look at Disney's Wish (plus new trailer) and Once Upon A Studio". Joblo. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  18. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (2023-10-18). "Disney's 'Wish': How Composer Dave Metzger Pays Homage to 'When You Wish Upon a Star'". Variety. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  19. ^ "When You Wish Upon A Star". Jazz Standards.com. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  20. ^ Owner of Wish Upon A Star Son Loses Lawsuit Yahoo News, March 16, 2009
  21. ^ "American single certifications – Cliff Edwards, Disney Studio Chorus – When You Wish Upon A Star". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
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