“Sinatra enjoyed a succession of several dozen hits with the Dorsey band, his first being the ballad ‘Polka Dots and Moonbeams’...” - JW

Rank 79 Music Jimmy Van Heusen Lyrics Johnny Burke   The 1939 recording of “All or Nothing at All” is sometimes credited as Frank Sinatra’s first hit, but in actuality it didn’t make the charts until its re-release four years later in 1943. Harry James had hired Frank Sinatra after hearing him on a New York radio station, and they recorded the song shortly before Sinatra left to join Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra in 1940. Sinatra enjoyed a succession of several dozen hits with the Dorsey band, his first being the ballad “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” which hovered at eighteenth place on the charts for one week. In 1942 Sinatra struck out on his own, appearing that year on the charts with “Night and Day.”   Chart information used by permission from Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954   In the late 1930’s and throughout the 1940’s Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen wrote mostly for Bing Crosby, and Crosby’s films and were so successful that they became know as the Gold Dust Twins. Not all their compositions were written for films. “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” and “Imagination” (1939) were both written for the Tommy Dorsey band, and neither had any screen affiliation.     More on Jimmy Van Heusen       More on Johnny Burke

More information on this tune... Robert Gottlieb, Robert Kimball Reading Lyrics Pantheon Hardcover: 736 pages (This book contains a short biography of Johnny Burke and over eight pages of his lyrics, including those for “Polka Dots and Moonbeams.”) See the Reading and Research page for this tune for additional references. - Jeremy Wilson

This section suggests definitive or otherwise significant recordings that will help jazz students get acquainted with “Polka Dots and Moonbeams.” These recordings have been selected from the Jazz History and CD Recommendations sections.

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Frank Sinatra’s 1940 recording of “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” is one of his best ballad performances and perhaps the best-loved version of the song. Sarah Vaughan’s tender 1957 version (Swingin' Easy) represents a very different approach, but an equally effective one. The influential ballad style of guitarist Wes Montgomery, meanwhile, is well represented on a landmark performance of the tune from 1960 (The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery).

Noah Baerman - Jazz Pianist and Educator

While there is no doubt that “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” has an appealing melody, it is a wonder that the song is so often performed with lyrics as corny as they are. William Zinsser in Easy to Remember: The Great American Songwriters and Their Songs describes the words as “…too cute for any but the strongest stomach…” He may have been referring to lyrics such as:

I saw polka dots and moonbeams sparkled on a pug-nosed dream

and

…in a cottage, built of lilacs and laughter I know the meaning, of the words: “ever after.”

The literal meaning of the lyrics, however, may be somewhat irrelevant to a vocalist. In Singing Jazz: The Singers and Their Styles, by Bruce Crowther and Mike Pinfold, vocal artist Stacey Kent is quoted as saying,

If I love the feel or the melody of a song, it might not matter what the lyric is. Of course, the lyric matters! But I almost feel that I can make any lyric work…I can sing “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” earnestly and honestly, without even bothering to think that I myself might not ask a pug-nosed dream, dressed in polka dots, to dance.

-JW

Musical analysis of “Polka Dots and Moonbeams”
Original Key	F major; false key change to A major in the bridge
Form	A1 – A2 – B – A2
Tonality	Primarily major
Movement	It moves primarily step-wise, ascending and descending, with occasional leaps and skips; melodic contour is very wave-like.
Comments     (assumed background)
This is not one of Van Heusen’s more sophisticated pieces; however, because of its relative simplicity, jazz performers have been able to use substitutions and extended harmonies. The harmonic sequence in the first half of “A” and the entirety of “B” is based on I – vi – ii7 – V7 – I (“Blue Moon,” “Heart And Soul”). Contemporary players have substituted iii for I in mm. 3-4 of “A”. In the second half of “A,” the ii7 proceeds to III7 as a dominant, leading to vi. Today, a vii˚7 is usually inserted before the III7 (Dm7b5 - G7 in the original key). On its way back to the tonic, Van Heusen used a rather tasteful and unusual sequence. Instead of simply going vi – ii7 – V7 – I (which works, but is bland sounding), the progression ascends by step so that vi is followed by bVII9 (a substitution for V7 and a “common-tone modulation,” since the 9th of this chord corresponds to the root tone of the tonic key). Modulation into the new key of section “B”–a major third higher than the tonic (from F major to A major in the original)--is accomplished via a seventh chord a half step lower than I (vii7 functioning as V7 of the new key). Returning to the tonic key for the final “A” is easily accomplished through the cycle of fifths.
K. J. McElrath - Musicologist for JazzStandards.com

Gil Evans, the masterful arranger for Miles Davis, rose to prominence arranging for band leader/pianist Claude Thornhill, and his 1947 arrangement of “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” illustrates why his talents appealed to Miles.

This was also a favorite number of tenor sax giant Lester Young. He recorded it several times, first in 1949 with pianist Hank Jones, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Buddy Rich. In an interesting reunion with former boss Count Basie, he recorded a live version at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival.

Two interesting sessions from May 7, 1957, feature trumpeter Donald Byrd playing “Polka Dots and Moonbeams.” The first is a quartet session led by Byrd; the second is led by pianist Elmo Hope and has John Coltrane on tenor saxophone.

Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian

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Gil Evans The Real Birth of the Cool: Studio Sessions Jazz Factory (Spain) 22801 Donald Byrd and Doug Watkins The Transition Sessions Blue Note Records 40528 Elmo Hope All Star Sessions Milestone 47037

“Polka Dots and Moonbeams” was included in these films:

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• Hannah and Her Sisters (1986, as part of a medley by Dick Hyman)
• The Sensible Thing (1996)

Interestingly, “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” was almost included in the 23-song soundtrack of the Oscar-nominated, 1995 documentary A Great Day in Harlem. First-time producer Jean Bach found that one song could cost 20 percent of her film’s $500,000 budget. In the International Herald Tribune she is quoted as saying, “The publisher wanted $100,000 for Lester Young playing ‘Polka Dots And Moonbeams,’ so we dropped that one.”

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