Old Moon

There’s an Old Moon in the sky tonight.  It’s different than the old moon you see in the sky every night.  This one has capital letters.  Plus it refers to the first full moon after the winter solstice.

In honor of this occasion – and also because of two other things that I’m not at liberty to disclose – Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me To the Moon” has been in my brain today.   Tons of people have covered this song, but it’s this version that everyone thinks of.  You know who you should thank for that?  Quincy Jones.  He’s the one who arranged it for Frank/Count Basie.  Before that, it was quite different.  In fact, it wasn’t even originally called “Fly Me To the Moon.”  It was called “In Other Words.”  And the very first recording of that,  back in 1954,  was by Kaye Ballard.

You can download both of them here, just in time to play them while you’re toasting the Old Moon.  In New York, the very moment of that is 4:21p.  Too early to toast?  Maybe.  But maybe not.  Go ahead, download them now just in case.  Always better to be prepared.

Fly Me To the Moon here and In Other Words here

Tags: Count Basie, Fly Me To the Moon, Frank Sinatra, In Other Words, Kaye Ballard, Old Moon, Quincy Jones