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| “Wand’rin’ Star” | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Single by Lee Marvin | |
| A-side | “Wand’rin’ Star” |
| B-side | “I Talk to the Trees” (Clint Eastwood) |
| Released | 1970 |
| Format | 7″ |
| Songwriter(s) |
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“Wand’rin’ Star” was a number one single in the UK and Ireland for Lee Marvin for three weeks in March 1970.
It was originally written by Alan J. Lerner (lyrics) and Frederick Loewe (music) for the stage musical Paint Your Wagon in 1951. 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-one single in Ireland and the UK, keeping The Beatles at number two in the UK with their single “Let It Be“. Marvin never released a follow-up single, so he is considered a one-hit wonder.
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.
“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”.
The song was covered by Shane MacGowan and The Popes on their 1997 album The Crock of Gold.
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.'”
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