The other day I saw an online posting asking, “What is your favorite Disney song?”
I knew immediately. It was the tune that is played before every Disney movie. It was the song I heard every Sunday night when we sat down to watch “The Wonderful World of Disney.”
It was Jiminy Cricket’s beautiful and haunting, “When You Wish Upon a Star.” It embodies everything wonderful about the Disney magic. It’s haunting, lyrical, and heartbreakingly beautiful.
And yet, not one person replying to the question mentioned this song. Every song they mentioned was from Disney movies within the last dozen years. Most from the last five years.
Every once in a while I’m reminded about how old I am. In this case it was a reminder of how young so many people online are. They didn’t spend Sunday nights with Uncle Walt. They might not even know that Walt Disney was real person. They know their recent favorites from endless DVD repeats, not from seeing them fresh on the big screen. And to them, my favorite song is just a jingle, something that you hear, but don’t really pay attention to.
I’m learning to sing and play this beautiful song on my ukulele, just like Cliff Edwards, Ukulele Ike himself (and, of course, the voice of Jiminy Cricket). It’s pushes my range a bit, but I think I can manage the final falsetto, if I’m careful. And if I never, ever, sing it in public.
And I still feel the thrill and get the goosebumps when I hear Jiminy sing it.
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through.
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true.
I don’t believe in magic. I don’t rely on wishes. But I see the stars and I revel in beauty. That’s what I hear in that little refrain.
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