Review: 'Swinging on a Star' by Bing Crosby

'Swinging on a Star,' Bing Crosby, MCA. Cover: good. We don't have the CD jacket, so don't know if it comes with lyrics or not, but except for not knowing Latin, this may not matter; Crosby's voice and enunciation are so clear that you'll probably understand every word.


Our parents instilled in us a love of Bing Crosby's music, so this album is sentimental and special to us. Perhaps predictably, it has a bent towards romance: 'Moonlight Becomes You' (which shows off Crosby's voice nicely), 'Constantly,' 'Sunday, Monday or Always,' and 'The Day After Forever' are all romantic, as is 'If You Please,' which has some truly poetic lyrics. 

There are also some really upbeat songs: 'Road to Morocco,' with Bob Hope, is one of our favourites. Then there's 'Ain't Got a Dime to My Name,' about a guy who's free and doesn't care that he's broke; the slower (but still happy) 'Going My Way'; and 'Swinging on a Star,' a quirky song which tells kids to stay on the straight and narrow if they want to grow up right. 

There are two Christmas classics, 'Ave Maria' (to which Crosby's voice is well suited) and 'Silent Night.' We also like 'Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (An Irish Lullaby),' which Crosby does as appropriately soft and tender. 

Favourite lyrics include: 'We may run into villains but we're not afraid to roam/Because we read the story and we end up safe at home (yeah)/Certainly do get around/Like Webster's Dictionary we're Morocco bound' ('Road to Morocco'); 'Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral/Too-ra-loo-ra-li/Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral/That's an Irish lullaby' ('Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral'); and all of 'Silent Night.'