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"The Fountain in the Park", also known as "While Strolling Through (orThru')the Park One Day", is a song by Ed Haley, a member of the vaudeville act the Haley Brothers.[1] Some authors believe the song was written byRobert A. Keiser, to whom Haley dedicated the song.[2][3] The song was published in 1884 by Willis Woodward & Co. of New York, but dates from about 1880.[4] It is best known for the lyric "While strolling through the park one day, in the merry merry month of May," and has been featured in numerous films, includingStrike Up the Band (1940), in which it was sung byJudy Garland.
As early as 1938,Shep Fields and his Rippling Rhythm Orchestra recorded the song as a Swing Jazz fox trot entitledIn the Merry Month of May forBluebird Records (#B-7606, 1938) featuring the young concert accordionistJohn Serry Sr.[5][6]
Bing Crosby included the song in a medley on his album101 Gang Songs (1961)
A few bars of "The Fountain in the Park" were sung on theMoon byNASA AstronautsHarrison Schmitt andEugene Cernan on theApollo 17 mission. Schmitt started by singing "I was strolling on the Moon one day..." when Cernan joined in. Cernan kept with the original "merry month of May", however, while Schmitt sang "December", which was the actual date at the time. After a brief debate, Schmitt resumed, singing "When much to my surprise, a pair of bonny eyes..." before humming the notes instead. Moments later,Capsule CommunicatorRobert A. Parker cut in fromHouston, punning "sorry about that, guys, but todaymay be December."[7]
| External audio | |
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 You may hear the tune "In the Merry Month of May" performed by theShep Fields Rippling Rhythm Orchestra with the accordionistJohn Serry Sr. in 1938Here on DAHR |
