Little Star (The Elegants song)

"Little Star"
Single by The Elegants
B-side "Getting Dizzy"
Released 1958
Format 45 rpm, 78 rpm
Genre Doo-wop
Length 2:42
Label Apt
Songwriter(s) Vito Picone, Arthur Venosa

"Little Star" is a song recorded by The Elegants. Members Vito Picone and Arthur Venosa co-wrote the lyrics. The music was adapted from "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."[1] When released as a single in 1958, it topped both the R&B Best Sellers list and the Billboard Hot 100;[2] however, it was the only song that ever charted for The Elegants. Reportedly, the Elegants refused to pay payola to a prominent New York disc jockey, which inhibited air play of their follow up recordings.

"Little Star" remains one of the most popular examples of doo-wop music. Phil Spector described it as an "awful good record."[1] Other artists to record this song include Dion, Randy & the Rainbows, The Slades, Vera Lynn, Linda Scott and Bobby Vee.

A small portion of the song was performed by Paul Simon as part of the 1989 Dion song "Written on the Subway Wall."

See also

References in culture

  • The title poem of American poet Mark Halliday's collection Little Star (W. Morrow, 1987) is an homage to this song, The Elegants, and Vito Picone. The poem is also available in Allen Grossman (with Mark Halliday), The Sighted Singer: Two Works on Poetry for Readers and Writers (Johns Hopkins UP, 1992), pages 25-27.

References

  1. 1 2 Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 14 - Big Rock Candy Mountain: Phil Spector & Frank Zappa review the '50s" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 184.


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