| "When You Wish upon a Star" | |
|---|---|
| Single byCliff Edwards | |
| from the albumPinocchio (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
| Published | 1940 byIrving Berlin, Inc. |
| Released | February 9, 1940 (1940-02-09) |
| Recorded | 1939 |
| Studio | Decca |
| Genre | Soundtrack,Traditional Pop |
| Length | 3:17 |
| Label | Victor,EMI |
| Composer | Leigh Harline |
| Lyricist | Ned Washington |
"When You Wish upon a Star" is a song written byLeigh Harline andNed Washington for the 1940Disney animated filmPinocchio, based on the children's fairy tale novelThe Adventures of Pinocchio by Italian authorCarlo Collodi.[1] The original version was sung byCliff Edwards in the character ofJiminy Cricket,[1] and is heard over theopening credits and in the final scene of the film. The recording by Cliff Edwards and Chorus was released byVictor Records as catalogue number 261546 and 26477A (in the US) and byEMI on theHis Master's Voice label as catalogue number BD 821.
Edwards recorded another version in 1940 for an AmericanDecca Records "cover version" of the score ofPinocchio, conducted byVictor 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 fromThe Wizard of Oz. A recording withChristian Rub (withMister Geppetto's voice), Cliff Edwards and Chorus was released byVictor Records as catalogue number 26479B (in the US) and byEMI on theHis Master's Voice label as catalogue number BD 823. It won the 1940Academy 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 ofThe Walt Disney Company and is often used as such in theproduction logos at the beginning of manyDisney films since the 1980s.
Harline and Washington delivered "When You Wish upon a Star" to thePinocchio 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]
TheLibrary of Congress deemed Edwards's recording of the song "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and inducted it into theNational Recording Registry in 2009.[3] TheAmerican Film Institute ranked "When You Wish Upon a Star" seventh in their100 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" fromSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs ranked at No. 19, "Beauty and the Beast" fromBeauty and the Beast ranked at No. 62, and "Hakuna Matata" fromThe Lion King, ranked at No. 99.
The song reached the top five inBillboard'sRecord Buying Guide, a predecessor of the retail sales chart. Popular versions in 1940 were byGlenn Miller with vocal byRay Eberle (No. 1 for five weeks),[4]Guy Lombardo (vocal byCarmen Lombardo),Horace Heidt and Cliff Edwards.[5] It is the oldest song to be certified by theRecording 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 ofThe Disney Family Singalong.Brian Wilson has said that the melody ofthe Beach Boys hit song, "Surfer Girl", which has the sameAABA form,[6] is loosely based on theDion 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 aChristmas song, often referring to theStar of Bethlehem. TheSwedish 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 specialFrom All of Us to All of You, originally broadcast in 1958 in the US, but now considered a Christmas tradition in theNordic countries, where it is broadcast each Christmas Eve. A special Christmas-themed album made forSailor Moon exclusively in Japan featured a jazz-inspired cover of the song byMichie Tomizawa, the voice ofSailor Mars.
The song was covered byJohn Williams forSteven Spielberg's 1977 filmClose Encounters of the Third Kind. Spielberg himself called Williams's work "When You Wish upon a Star meets science fiction".[citation needed]
The song was covered byKiss bassistGene Simmons on hisself-titled 1978 solo album. "It spoke to me," he declared. "I thoughtJiminy 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."[11]
In 1987, actor and singerMichael Crawford with theLondon Symphony Orchestra recorded a version of "When You Wish upon a Star" for his debut albumSongs from the Stage and Screen. Released as a single, it reached number 97 in theUK Singles Chart.[12]
Over the Christmas period in 2011, the finalists ofThe X Factor UK that year covered "When You Wish upon a Star" for the year's Christmas advertising campaign for UK department storeMarks & Spencer.[13]
"When You Wish Upon a Star", along withMickey Mouse andTinker Bell, has become an icon ofThe Walt Disney Company. Since 1954, Disney has used the song in the opening sequences of all the editions of theWalt Disney anthology television series. It has also been used to accompany the Disneylogos – including the present-day logo – on films since the 1980s. All of the ships of theDisney Cruise Line use the first seven notes of the song's melody as their horn signals. Additionally, many productions atDisney 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 byJohn Debney. A different arrangement byMark Mancina, withDavid Metzger as the co-arranger and orchestrator, was used for the 2006 logo, while a new arrangement byChristophe Beck, withTim Davies as the orchestrator, 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 ofMickey Mouse Funhouse, entitled "Mickey the Brave!"
The 1991 videoSimply Mad About the Mouse: A Musical Celebration of Imagination featured a recording ofBilly Joel performingWhen You Wish Upon a Star accompanied by animation. The Joel video was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video.
In December 2008, a number of prominent performers gathered for a concert calledBBC Radio 2 Celebrates the Music of Disney. It was hosted byJosh Groban, who performed "When You Wish Upon A Star".[14]
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 onseason 21 ofAmerican Idol.[15]
The finale of theWalt Disney Animation Studios short filmOnce Upon a Studio (2023) features a cast of 543 Disney animated characters singing the song, with the originalCliff Edwards recording being utilized forJiminy Cricket's vocals.[16]
The first five notes of the song are featured multiple times in Dave Metzger's underscore for Walt Disney Animation Studios' feature filmWish.[17]
The lyrics ofEarth, Wind & Fire's songShining Star directly reference the Disney song.
The piece has become ajazz standard.[18]
The owner of the rights to the song,Bourne Co. Music Publishers, suedTwentieth Century Fox Film Corp.,Fox Broadcasting Company,Fuzzy Door Productions,Cartoon Network,Walter Murphy andSeth MacFarlane to try to stop distribution of a 2003Family Guy episode entitled "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" thatparodies 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'scopyright.[19]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[20] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
