Glenn Miller was not much of a composer and very few songs by him have stayed in the public's memory. "Moonlight Serenade," however, is one of the exceptions. With its yearning, four-note melody insistently reiterated and its harmonies that reach for but never quite touch the sky, "Moonlight Serenade" remains one of the most romantic songs of the big band era. It started as a mathematical exercise in 1935, an attempt on Miller's part to fit his four-note theme into a 32-bar song structure. After working it over for months, Miller finally found the ideal solution to his problem: quicker reiterations. Unfortunately, Miller was unable to find a set of lyrics with which he was happy. Lyricist Edward Herman wrote a set and gave the tune the title "Now I Lay Me Down to Weep." George Simon wrote another set that gave the song the title "Gone With the Dawn." Finally, Mitchell Parrish came up with the words that matched the tune's rhythm and longing and gave the tune the title of "Moonlight Serenade." Although the song was released as the B-side of a single with "Sunrise Serenade" on the A-side, "Moonlight Serenade" became the hit and the band's theme song.

© James Leonard, All Music Guide