Star Light, Star Bright
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For the science fiction by Alfred Bester, see Star Light, Star Bright (book) and Star Light, Star Bright (short story).
| "Star Light, Star Bright" Roud #16339 |
|
| Written by | Traditional |
|---|---|
| Published | Late 19thC |
| Written | USA |
| Language | English |
| Form | Nursery rhyme |
"Star Light, Star Bright" is an English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 16339.
Contents |
[edit] Lyrics
The lyrics usually conform to the following:
- Star light, star bright,
- The first star I see tonight;
- I wish I may, I wish I might,
- Have the wish I wish tonight.[1]
[edit] Origins
The supersition of hoping for wishes granted when seeing a shooting or falling star may date back to the ancient world.[2] Wishing on the first star seen may also predate this rhyme, which first begins to be recorded in late nineteenth-century America.[3] The song and tradition seem to have reached Britain by the early twentieth century and have since spread worldwide.[2]
[edit] References in popular culture
- It is used in Walt Disney's movie Pinocchio (1940) and then in Walt Disney World's and Disneyland Paris's Wishes firework shows.
- It is the name of a 1979 crime novel by Stanley Ellin.
- It forms some of the lyrics of Madonna's song, "Lucky Star" (1983).
- It forms some of the lyrics of Kimbra's song, "Cameo Lover".
- It forms the name and some of the lyrics of Syl Johnson's song, "Star Bright, Star Lite" (1975).
- This nursery rhyme appears in the movie 8 mm (1999)
- The Metallica song, "King Nothing" (1999), features the line "I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight".
- It is cited in Star Trek: The Original Series: "The Conscience of the King" (at the 19 minute, 5 seconds mark).
- In the movie The Last Starfighter (1984), the movie begins in a trailer park named "StarLight StarBright".
- It is used in the Abbott and Costello film In the Navy (1941).
- Is used as title of the short fiction 'Star light, star bright', 1953 by Alfred Bester.
- It is also mentioned in Samantha: An American Girl Holiday movie. When she hears that she would move in with her uncle, she and her friend runs away to Samantha's boathouse and wishes on a star.
- Jeannie (Barbara Eden) says the Star Light, Star Bright nursery rhyme in the I Dream of Jeannie series, season 1, episode 7, "Anybody Here Seen Jeannie", around the 24th minute.
- Barbie recites it before she sings the song "The Wish I Wish Tonight" in Barbie: A Perfect Christmas.
