Clark was born Samuel Goldberg to Jewish parents in Boston, Massachusetts. He made his Big Band singing debut in 1934 with Benny Goodman on the Let's Dance radio program. In 1936 he started to perform on the show, Your Hit Parade, and lasted until 1938. In the mid-1930s he signed with Vocalion Records, having a top-20 hit with "Spring Is Here". He did not have another hit until the late 1940s, but continued recording, appearing in movies, and dubbing other actors' voices.
In 1946 he signed with Columbia Records and scored his biggest hit with the song "Linda" recorded in November of that year, but hitting its peak in the following spring. Linda was written especially for the six-year-old daughter of a show business lawyer named Lee Eastman, whose client, song-writer Jack Lawrence, wrote the song at Lee’s request. Upon reaching adulthood and becoming famous as a photographer, Linda was, for a while, something of a musician, later became a prominent spokeswoman for vegetarianism and animal rights, and broke a generation of teenage girls' hearts when she married Beatle Paul McCartney.[citation needed]
1947 also saw hits for Clark with such titles as "How Are Things in Glocca Mora" (from the musical Finian's Rainbow), which made the Top Ten, "Peg O' My Heart", "An Apple Blossom Wedding", and "I'll Dance at Your Wedding". The following year he had another major hit with "Love Somebody" (a duet with Doris Day, selling a million and reaching #1 on the charts) and nine more chart hits, and extended his success into 1949 with a number of hits, both solo and duetting with Day and Dinah Shore. He was fatally injured in a private plane crash in Los Angeles, returning from a college football game, when the craft ran low on fuel and crash-landed on Beverly Boulevard. A month after his death, his recording of "A Dreamer's Holiday" hit the charts.
Buddy Clark and five other friends had rented a small plane to attend a Stanford vs. Michigan football game. After the game on the way back to Los Angeles, the plane developed engine problem, due to lack of gas, and lost altitude and crashed on Beverly Boulevard, in California. Clark didn't survive the crash. At that time, he was 37 years old reaching new heights of popularity, when tragedy struck.
Stars Fell on Alabama
Buddy Clark Lyrics
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All the world a dream come true
Did it really happen, was I really there, was I really there with you?
We lived our little drama, we kissed in a field of white
And stars fell on Alabama last night
I can't forget the glamor, your eyes held a tender light
And stars fell on Alabama last night
A fairy land where no one else could enter
And in the center just you and me, dear
My heart beat like a hammer, my arms wound around you tight
And stars fell on Alabama last night
We lived our little drama, we kissed in a field of white
And stars fell on Alabama last night
I can't forget the glamor, your eyes held a tender light
And stars fell on Alabama last night
I never planned in my imagination a situation so heavenly
A fairy land where no one else could enter
And in the center just you and me, dear
My heart beat like a hammer, my arms wound around you tight
Buddy Clark's "Stars Fell on Alabama" is a love song that evokes the magic of the southern state's romantic landscape. The song describes a dream come true, where the singer finds themselves in a surreal world where stars fall from the sky and the world is a fairy tale in which the singer is a leading character. The lyrics paint a picture of moonlit romance, magnolias in bloom, and tender kisses in a field of white under a starry Alabama night. The singer shares feeling so alive and in love that it was as if they were the only two people in the world.
The song exemplifies the influence of southern culture and a deep connection between geography, natural scenery, and human love. The romance is heightened by the magical realism of Alabama's stunning beauty, and the lyrics convey a sense of nostalgia for the once-in-a-lifetime experience of falling in love. The singer reflects on how their heart pounded like a hammer as they held their beloved tight, and the world around them was transformed into a fairyland full of wonder and possibility.
Line by Line Meaning
Moonlight and magnolia, starlight in your hair
The beauty of nature that surrounded you was enhanced by the moonlight and stars which added to the atmosphere of enchantment.
All the world a dream come true
The beauty of the world around us seemed like a dream come true, a place of sheer delight and magical wonder.
Did it really happen, was I really there, was I really there with you?
The experience was so surreal and mesmerizing that the thought occurred, was this all a dream, or did it truly happen?
We lived our little drama, we kissed in a field of white
We shared a magical moment, and the world faded away, leaving us to bask in the love that we share.
And stars fell on Alabama last night
The stars that filled the sky above us seemed to be an extension of our love, a reflection of the beauty that we shared.
I can't forget the glamor, your eyes held a tender light
The memory of you is always with me, and the warmth and beauty that you brought to my life will never be forgotten.
I never planned in my imagination a situation so heavenly
The overwhelming joy and happiness that the experience brought was beyond what could have been fathomed or conceived in any imagination.
A fairy land where no one else could enter
The moment that we shared was special and exclusive to us, a memory that will always be sacred and cherished.
And in the center just you and me, dear
The world revolved around us, and all that mattered was the love that we shared.
My heart beat like a hammer, my arms wound around you tight
In that moment of pure and unbridled passion, everything else faded away, and nothing else mattered as I held you close.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Frank Perkins, Mitchell Parish
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Trombonology Erstwhile
Love this side -- what a talent ... gone too soon.