Wandrin’ Star

“Seek, and ye shall find” is one of the Bible’s more enigmatic verses.Of course, you’re unlikely to find something without seeking it. There’s probably an limit to the amount of good fortune you can expect if you spend all day watching Netflix on your sofa. But the opposite is also true. You can spend your whole life seeking and still never find what you’re looking for.Which is pretty much what “Wandrin’ Star” is all about.“Wandrin’ Star” was written for the musical “Paint Your Wagon” by Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe and sung, somewhat improbably, by Hollywood actor Lee Marvin.In terms of characterisation, Lee Marvin was perfect. As a gruff loner working his way through life, drifting from town to town, Lee Marvin was a 10/10 for casting.There was a major practical problem, though. Lee Marvin couldn’t sing.However, sometimes the greatest inspirations come out of adversity. So Lee Marvin mumbled his way, relatively tunelessly, through “Wandrin’ Star” and somehow made it into a hit record in the process.Despite the film not getting much in the way of critical acclaim or commercial success, in early 1970 Lee Marvin spent three weeks at Number One in the UK singles chart with “Wandrin’ Star”.(The UK singles charts in the 1970s seemed to have a soft spot for American actors who couldn’t sing. Later that same decade, Telly Savalas, star of the popular TV detective show “Kojak”, also had a UK number one with a similarly-mumbled version of the David Gates song “If”.)Now, I mean no disrespect in this. After all, nobody is ever going to buy any song I might record. So I’m in no position to throw shade.My point is that, despite the initially unpromising starting point, it’s still possible to create a piece of work that represents artistic perfection on its own terms. And that’s exactly what Lee Marvin did with “Wandrin’ Star”…and Telly Savalas did with “If”, for that matter.
Naturally, it helped that Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe were top-drawer songwriters. Between them, they wrote the scores for My Fair Lady, Camelot, Brigadoon and Gigi.Alan J. Lerner knew how to write a perfect set of lyrics too. They’re clever without being too self-important. Amusing, without making the humour too forced or contrived. Insightful, without being too pleased with themselves.The metaphor of someone being born under a wandering star is perfect too. They’re not wandering aimlessly. They’re following their own destiny, even if that destiny is unclear to everyone apart from themselves, and doesn’t always necessarily correspond to either the laws of physics or common sense…All of Alan J. Lerner’s lyric-writing skills are on display right out the starting gate here. He sets up the story, introduces the character, outlines the plot and introduces a clever touch of gentle humour…and that’s only the first verse.
The quality of Lee Marvin’s vocal is integral to the overall feel of “Wanderin’ Star”. They have a great sense of weariness. It’s the voice of someone who is resigned to his fate, without necessarily being entirely happy about it. And someone who has lived his life that way for so long, they’ve given up hope of their life ever being any different.I couldn’t absolutely swear to it, but I’m pretty sure the first time I heard Lee Marvin sing “Wanderin’ Star” would have been on Ed Stewart’s Junior Choice show on BBC Radio in the mid-1970s. A hugely popular request show in its day, with a wide range of what can only be described as idiosyncratic musical choices, I loved Junior Choice and listened every week on my little transistor radio in my bedroom.And every two or three weeks, odds are someone would request “Wandrin’ Star”, which is how I really got to know the song.As a lonely kid with no friends to speak of, “Wandrin’ Star” made my life seem seemed somehow more noble and worthwhile.This was the story of someone making their own way through life on their own terms. They had no-one around them, and no-one to help them in their time of need, but they didn’t complain about it and keep going anyway.Pretty much, that’s what I’ve spent my life doing. The older I get the sadder it makes me feel, as I look around at other people with friends, family, cheerleaders and supporters. At the time of my greatest achievements, there’s no-one with a round of applause nearby. And in my darkest moments, there’s no-one to give me a hug and tell me things will be OK. But mostly, like Lee Marvin in “Wandrin’ Star”, I have lived that life so long, I’ve accepted my only hope of redemption is to keep on travelling…