When You Wish Upon a Star - Gheorghe Zamfir



Continuing Unconventional Instrument Week, today's featured instrument is the pan flute, also known as the pan pipes. And who better to feature playing the fan flute than the undisputed "Master of the Pan Flute", GHEORGHE ZAMFIR.

The pan flute is a series of tubes, usually bamboo, of different length. The tubes are closed at one end and are played by blowing air over the open hole. The different lengths of tubing determine the note. The pan flute is a very old instrument, dating back as early as Ancient Greece. In fact, the instrument is called a pan flute because it was often played by the Greek god, Pan.

Zamfir first started playing the pan flute at the age of 14 in his home country of Romania. He was brought to America in 1972 when a Romanian folk music historian heard him playing. Since then, he has had a remarkable career recording and performing a variety of different genres, all incorporating his instrument. In addition to his over 200 albums, Zamfir has also been featured on the soundtracks to many popular movies, including Kill Bill, The Karate Kid and Once Upon a Time in America.

This version of When You Wish Upon a Star can be found on a few different albums, including THE FEELING OF CHRISTMAS.

Labels: feeling of christmas, gheorghe zamfir, pinocchio, when you wish upon a star

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  I've Got No Strings - The Andrews Sisters with the Glenn Miller Orchestra



There are a lot of great arrangements of this song, but I think this one, by the ANDREWS SISTERS and the GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA. I am a big fan of the Andrews Sisters having been first exposed to them through the work they did for Walt Disney (Make Mine Music's Johnny Fedora & Alice Blue Bonnet and Melody Time's Little Toot). They have recorded their own versions of many Disney songs, but I've Got No Strings may be one of their earliest.

This live recording was part of the THE CHESTERFIELD BROADCASTS, which were broadcast in New York between December 1939 and March 1940 at the time of the New York World's Fair. At that time the Glenn Miller Orchestra was the #1 swing band in the country and the Andrews Sisters were the #1 vocal group thanks to their beautiful voices and intricate harmonies.

At the beginning of this track, an announcer introduces the song, saying "There's a new hit in town, Walt Disney's Pinocchio!"

Pinocchio was not considered a success when it was first released. It only bought it half of what it cost to make the film ($2.2M) and the oncoming WWII hindered the film's revenue for the next few years. It wasn't until the film was released over seas after the war, and the reissue of the film in the US in 1945 that it started gaining more momentum. But basing a film's success based on box office numbers is not often a fair representation of the movie. Pinocchio remains to be one of Disney's finest works, a true masterpiece and a high standard for every animated movie that followed.

Labels: andrews sisters, chesterfield broadcasts, glenn miller, i've got no strings, oldies, pinocchio

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  Little Wooden Head - Bill Frisell with Wayne Horvitz



One song from Pinocchio that is often forgotten is Little Wooden Head. It is the music box song that Geppetto sings as he dances around with Pinocchio, who has not yet come to life.

To make the song even more forgettable, the version that you hear on the official Pinocchio soundtrack doesn't contain the vocal track, sung by the voice of Geppetto, Christian Rub. When listening to the soundtrack, Little Wooden Head blends right in with the rest of the score.

Well, a few people over the years haven't forgotten about this song and have recorded their own versions of it. Included in that very short list are BILL FRISELL and WAYNE HORVITZ who collaborated on the 1988 album, STAY AWAKE: VARIOUS INTERPRETATIONS OF MUSIC FROM VINTAGE DISNEY FILMS.

Bill Frisell, guitar virtuoso and music composer who is one of the leading jazz guitarists of the past twenty years, provides some fancy guitar work and plucks out the melody on the banjo, and Wayne Horvitz, accomplished keyboardist and renowned record producer, backs it up with unique synthesizer sounds and pads.

The song seems to go in a different direction right at the very end, but then fades out. I would have liked to hear where they were planning on going.

Labels: bill frisell, little wooden head, pinocchio, wayne horvitz

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  When You Wish Upon a Star - Frances Langford
Note from Kurtis: I was unable to get my hands on a full version of this song in time for this post. Please listen to this sample clip and check back for updates. If you have this track, please email me at the email address to the right.



Hello Covering the Mouse readers! I'm Tony your guest blogger and I'll be taking you through today's installment. I recently discovered Covering the Mouse while performing my daily "Disney web wanderings." I instantly liked the site because it was unique and involved two of my favorite topics - Disney and music (especially cover versions).

I've chosen this version of When You Wish Upon a Star (as you may know originally used in Disney's Pinocchio) for today February 24, because it was on this day in 1940 that Frances Langford recorded her version of it.

Langford (born April 4, 1913) was an American singer, actress and entertainer known for her performances on radio, the big screen, and television. Her early days on radio (in her home state of Florida) led to singer-bandleader Rudy Vallee asking her to be a part of his enormously popular national radio show. Appearances on Vallee's show led to her first major film - the 1935 Every Night at Eight. It was in that feature she introduced what became her signature song – I'm in the Mood for Love. (She went on to make more than 30 pictures over the next 20 years.)

During World War II Langford became wildly popular when she joined Bob Hope, Jerry Colonna, and other celebrities on countless U.S.O. tours throughout Europe, North Africa, and the South Pacific to boost wartime morale. (Ironically Hope and Colonna would have a "Disney connection" as well. Hope helped host Disney World's TV debut and comedian Colonna provided the voice of the March Hare in Alice in Wonderland.)

Langford was also one of the first artists to sign with Decca Records (a British record label which first established a U.S. counterpart in 1934). Among her many recordings was When You Wish Upon a Star, performed with the Harry Sosnik Orchestra. She literally recorded the song (on this day in Los Angeles) just weeks after the debut of Disney's Pinocchio, possibly making it the very first non-Disney version and the first version to be sung by a female. Written by Ned Washington and Leigh Harline, the tune was first sung by Cliff Edwards (the voice of Jiminy Cricket) in the animated Pinocchio. What's interesting to note is that Langford's rendition features the short 6-bar introduction (not always included in later versions by other artists). The track's old-fashioned warm arrangement and intimate performance make it sound as if it could have been used in an early Disney production. (Since 1940, When You Wish Upon a Star has become an icon of The Walt Disney Company and as your know from reading Covering the Mouse – has been re-recorded dozens of times.)

Langford's career later included Disney's 1948 animated feature Melody Time. Made up of several sequences set to popular music, she sang the title tune to the Once Upon a Wintertime segment.

A lover of boating and fishing, she and her husband built a Polynesian-themed restaurant and marina in Florida called Outrigger Resort (today operated as the Dolphin Bar & Shrimp House). Frances Langford passed in 2005 at the age of 92, but her rendition of When You Wish Upon a Star will live on at Covering the Mouse.

A big thank you to Kurt for letting me sit in! When you get a chance, please visit my site This Day in Disney History.

Labels: frances langford, oldies, pinocchio, when you wish upon a star

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  Give a Little Whistle - Tōru Hidaka (Beat Crusaders)



Even though we celebrated the 70th anniversary of Pinocchio a few weeks ago, the film was premiered only in California. It was on this day that Pinocchio saw its wide release in the United States and for the rest of this week we will be featuring the classic songs from the movie that everyone loves so very, very much.

Today's cover of Give a Little Whistle is a really fun version by TŌRU HIDAKA and his band BEAT CRUSADERS.

Beat Crusaders, or BECR as they are often known, are a very versatile rock band from Japan whose styles range from power pop to punk rock. You can here a bit of the pop sound that they display as they play with the melody and chords of the Jiminy Cricket tune. It is unique and makes you want to get up and dance! This is just one of the many excellent tracks found on the Japanese exclusive MOSH PIT ON DISNEY from 2004.

Any time this band makes any live appearances, whether on stage or television, they always cover their faces with drawings of their own faces that they have printed out on a dot-matrix printer. Head over to their website to check that out!

Labels: beat crusaders, give a little whistle, pinocchio, rock, toru hidaka

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  Give a Little Whistle - Glenn Miller and His Orchestra feat. Marion Hutton



Today is the 70th anniversary of Pinocchio! It is really amazing how old this movie is, especially since it looks so good every time I watch it. I recently bought the Platinum Edition DVD and the picture quality is so clean, it really lets the incredible animation shine through. I encourage everyone to watch it today!

When Pinocchio was released in theatres, some of the songs, including Give a Little Whistle and When You Wish Upon a Star, became hit singles. Disney allowed these songs to be arranged by the various jazz and dance bands of the day which would help promote his movie.

GLENN MILLER recorded Give a Little Whistle on January 15th 1940, a month before the release of the film, and when it was released it went on to become a hit record. However, it didn't do nearly as well as Glenn Miller's In the Mood and A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square which also came out in 1940.

Singing on the recording is MARION HUTTON who was discovered by Miller at the age of seventeen and sang with his orchestra from 1938 to 1942.

This cover of Give a Little Whistle can be found on a variety of Glenn Miller CDs, including PLATINUM GLENN MILLER.

Labels: give a little whistle, glenn miller, oldies, pinocchio

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  Etta James - It's a Small World/When You Wish Upon a Star Medley



ETTA JAMES began her singing career when she moved to Los Angeles by herself at the age of 14 to sing in a trio called THE PEACHES. Their most famous song was The Wallflower (Dance with Me Henry)

Etta James started out as an R&B singer in a doo-wop group, however over the course of her sixty year career she has become an award winning vocalist in a number of styles, including pop, jazz and blues.

In 1995, she recorded a pop/R&B medley of It's a Small World and When You Wish Upon a Star for Disney's MUSIC FROM THE PARK. The two songs go together very well, and Etta's low, sultry voice is a pleasure to listen to.

Happy birthday to Etta James who turns 72 today!

Labels: etta james, it's a small world, music from the park, pinocchio, pop, when you wish upon a star

  ¶ 8:36 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

  When You Wish Upon a Star - Freddie and the Dreamers




FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS were one of the many British bands that rode on the popularity wave created by the Beatles. The Manchester quintet had a few hit records and a number of hit singles in the UK in 1963 and 1964, and when their popularity started to fade, they took their act overseas where the British Invasion was just hitting North America.

It has been said that Freddie and the Dreamers are indirectly responsible for all of the songs written by the Beatles. Let me explain:

The band made a hit single out of an arrangement of James Ray's If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody. Back in that day, bands didn't write their own material. Record labels had song writers that supplied all their artists with music. Everyone covered everyone else and it was up to the artist to make the song their own.

But apparently the arrangement of If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody that the Dreamers were performing was arranged by the Beatles who played that particular arrangement at a show in Manchester. The Dreamers released the song as a single, which made the UK Top 5 and didn't give any credit to the Beatles. It was from that moment on that the Beatles decided to write their own music.

How would you like that to be your legacy?

In 1966, the Dreamers released a whole album of Disney covers called, IN DISNEYLAND. It contains some really swell 60s Brit pop versions of both rare and common Disney songs.

Labels: freddie and the dreamers, in disneyland (freddie), oldies, pinocchio, when you wish upon a star

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  Got No Strings - Michelle Shocked




I know that the posts on this site have become a bit rare (mostly due to a new baby being born!), but I am planning a comeback in the new year. So please hang in there for a few more months and you will get regular posts with even more covers of your favourite Disney tunes!

But in the meantime, please listen to this version of Pinocchio's I've Got No Strings as performed by the Texan singer-songwriter MICHELLE SHOCKED.

This is the title track to her 2005 album GOT NO STRINGS which was actually part of a three disc box set called THREESOME. The GOT NO STRINGS disc was completely made up of Disney cover songs, stretching from the most popular to the obscure.

Labels: folk, got no strings, i've got no strings, michelle shocked, pinocchio

  ¶ 12:27 PM 2 Comments Links to this post

  When You Wish Upon a Star - Jason Mraz
To conclude When You Wish Upon a Star Week I have posted a live cover that Jason Mraz Live performed at Java Joe's on April 20, 2002 in Ocean Beach, California.

Jason uses this song as a vehicle for improv with his buddies Bushwalla and Gregory Page. While it is fun to listen to, this cover may be for Mraz enthusiasts only.

When You Wish Upon a Star Jason Mraz 2002

Labels: acoustic, jason mraz, pinocchio, when you wish upon a star

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  When You Wish Upon a Star - Lolita
And now for something completely different: A Eurobeat version of When You Wish Upon a Star!

LOLITA is a Eurobeat project that usually contains very fast synth lines but in this song they trade the synth for an electric guitar. The vocalist is Elena Gobbi Frattini who has been singing with the group since 1995.

When You Wish Upon a Star Lolita 2000

Labels: eurobeat, eurobeat disney 1, lolita, pinocchio, when you wish upon a star

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  When You Wish Upon a Star - Jimmy Scott
Jazz is the musical style for day three of When You Wish Upon a Star Week and out of the numerous jazz versions of this song, I have chosen this cover by JIMMY SCOTT.

Scott began his career as a male jazz vocalist in the 40s but his career really took off when he signed to Ray Charles' record label, Tangerine, and recorded FALLING IN LOVE IS WONDERFUL which was produced by Charles.

He disappeared in the late 60s but made a comeback in 1991 which has survived to this very day. Now he usually plays Vegas.

Jimmy Scott has a genetic disorder called Kallmann's syndrome which prevented him from reaching puberty and has stunted his growth at five feet. This caused his voice to remain much higher than a typical male voice and gave his sound a distinct, romantic feeling that has won over many fans.

When You Wish Upon a Star Jimmy Scott 2002

Labels: jimmy scott, pinocchio, when you wish upon a star

  ¶ 1:29 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

  Wish Upon a Star - Michelle Shocked
Day two of When You Wish Upon a Star Week and we take a turn into the world of guitar players with this nice folky/bluegrassy version that MICHELLE SHOCKED has called Wish Upon a Star.

This track comes from her 2005 Disney cover album GOT NO STRINGS.

When You Wish Upon a Star Michelle Shocked 2005

Labels: got no strings, michelle shocked, pinocchio, when you wish upon a star

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  When You Wish Upon a Star - Diana Ross & the Supremes
Welcome to another Monday and another work week. Since it's been a while since I posted any covers of When You Wish Upon a Star and since I have something like 200 of them, I have decided that this week will be When You Wish Upon a Star Week. Each day this week I will post a version of this Pinocchio classic in a different style.

This week's style is sort of a cross between motown and showtunes by DIANA ROSS & THE SUPREMES from when their style was heading in a different direction. This track comes from an unreleased Disney album by the Supremes from 1967.

When You Wish Upon a Star Diana Ross & the Supremes 1967

Labels: diana ross, motown, pinocchio, showtunes, supremes, supremes sing disney classics, when you wish upon a star

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  Disney Medley - Barbra Streisand
A while back a reader requested to hear Someday My Prince Will Come covered by BARBRA STREISAND. While she did do a studio version of the song, I have chosen to post a live version that she did for her 34th album, THE CONCERT.

THE CONCERT is a two-disc album of a show Streisand did at Madison Square Gardens at what many fans consider the apex of her career. The album reached #10 on the US charts before going triple-platinum and selling over 3 million copies. Pretty remarkable stats for a double live album!

Disney Medley is a story Barbra tells of her memories watching Disney movies with her daughter. She takes us through Sleeping Beauty's Once Upon A Dream, Pinocchio's When You Wish Upon A Star and ends with Snow White's Someday My Prince Will Come, which ends up being the feature song in the medley.

Disney Medley Barbra Streisand 1994

Labels: barbra streisand, once upon a dream, pinocchio, pop, sleeping beauty, snow white and the seven dwarfs, some day my prince will come, the concert, when you wish upon a star

  ¶ 1:43 PM 2 Comments Links to this post

  When You Wish Upon a Star - The Swingfield Big Band
This month's cover of When You Wish Upon a Star is from a disc called BIG BAND LOVE SONGS. The CD features big band versions of love songs mostly from the movie world.

BIG BAND LOVE SONGS is one of those cheap CDs you find at Wal-Mart in a rack that lets you sample the tunes and THE SWINGFIELD BIG BAND is a group that has recorded dozens of albums for the label that produces these value discs. They are very much a studio band.

However, don't let that jade your thinking. This version of When You Wish Upon a Star has a great arrangement and is performed better than a lot of other jazz versions of this song. Listen for yourself and you will probably find that you want to hear more. The same album also contains a version of Some Day My Prince Will Come.

When You Wish Upon a Star The Swingfield Big Band 2005

Labels: big band love songs, jazz, pinocchio, swingfield big band, when you wish upon a star

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  When You Wish Upon a Star - Chet Atkins
For this month's installment of When You Wish Upon a Star Week, I've posted a cover of the classic Pinocchio tune by a classic guitarist.

CHET ATKINS, also known as Mr. Guitar, began his career as a musician of the string variety by playing ukulele, fiddle and then guitar, all before he was ten years old.

He grew up playing the guitar through the 30s and 40s and started performing in 1946 as part of Red Foley's country dance band. His guitar playing soon became very popular and he signed a deal with Steve Sholes of RCA Records to start recording records.

In 1957, Steve Sholes got a bit too busy producing and promoting an artist called Elvis Presley. Sholes couldn't keep up with the other branches of the label so Sholes put Atkins in charge of his Nashville branch. This was the beginning of Atkins' long career as a record producer. Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton are just a few of the names Atkins brought to the label.

It was around that time that Atkins started designing his own line of electric guitars with Gretsch. Atkins' guitars were the number one reason Gretsch could compete with the big names like Fender and Gibson. The Chet Atkins Country Gentleman was used by many musicians including Elvis Presley.

Atkins retired in the 70s after becoming dissatisfied with the way new executives ran RCA and the new ways his guitars were being made. He signed with Columbia and started making guitars with Gibson.

This beautiful cover of When You Wish Upon a Star is from PICKIN' MY WAY, an LP released by RCA in 1970. It is the perfect example of the awesome abilities Atkins possessed.

When You Wish Upon a Star Chet Atkins 1970

Labels: acoustic, chet atkins, folk, pickin my way, pinocchio, when you wish upon a star

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