Shine On, Harvest Moon

Album: Ziegfeld Follies (1908)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Absolutely not to be confused with Neil Young's "Harvest Moon," this much earlier song is a standard that first appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1908; the sheet music credits it words by Jack Norworth, music by Nora Bayes-Norworth, copyright Jerome H. Remick of New York and Detroit. It was published the same year in London, also, by Francis, Day & Hunter.

    Nora Bayes (1880-1928) was a well known vaudeville star, and Jack Norworth (1879-1959) was the second of her five husbands! They married the same year it was debuted to great acclaim.
  • Rumor has it, some people question who actually wrote this song in whole or in part. It's easy to make unsubstantiated claims concerning the authorship of a song, as the daughter of Al Dubin did about "Among My Souvenirs," especially with older songs like these. At the time, and even much later, songs were sometimes sold outright and the purchaser would go on record as the author. Sometimes too, songs were even stolen, probably the most outrageous and visible examples of this were the antics of A.P. Carter, whose biggest rip off was "Wildwood Flower."

    Some sources credit Edward Madden and Gus Edwards as the writers; at least one other possible author has been named.
  • Nora and Jack recorded "Shine On, Harvest Moon" for the Victor Talking Machine Company in New York on March 7, 1910, but it was never released, apparently for technical reasons.

    The song even went into Charles B. Cochran's 1931 Revue, where it replaced Noël Coward's "Half-Caste Woman," and in 1944 lent its name to a biopic about its authors (starring Ann Sheridan and Dennis Morgan in the lead roles). >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 3

Comments: 1

  • Clindsey from TexasMy great grandmother Ruth Effie Hubbard actually wrote this song, and it was stolen from her.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Did They Really Sing In That Movie?

Did They Really Sing In That Movie?Fact or Fiction

Bradley Cooper, Michael J. Fox, Rami Malek, Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow and George Clooney: Which actors really sang in their movies?

Linda Perry

Linda PerrySongwriter Interviews

Songwriting Hall of Famer Linda Perry talks about her songs "What's Up" and "Beautiful," her songwriting process, and her move into film music.

Martin Page

Martin PageSongwriter Interviews

With Bernie Taupin, Martin co-wrote the #1 hits "We Built This City" and "These Dreams." After writing the Pretty Woman song for Go West, he had his own hit with "In the House of Stone and Light."

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)Songwriter Interviews

The former Metallica bassist talks about his first time writing a song with James Hetfield, and how a hand-me-down iPad has changed his songwriting.