Edwards was born Clifton A. Edwards in Hannibal, Missouri. He left school at age 14 and soon moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he entertained as a singer in saloons. As many places had pianos in bad shape or none at all, Edwards taught himself to play ukulele (then often spelled "ukelele") to serve as his own accompanist (selecting that instrument as it was the cheapest in the music store). He got the nickname "Ukelele Ike" from a club owner who could not remember his name. He got his first break in 1918 at the Arsonia Cafe in Chicago, Illinois, where he performed a tune called "Ja Da", written by the club's pianist, Bob Carleton. Edwards and Carleton made the tune a hit on the vaudeville circuit. Vaudeville headliner Joe Frisco hired Edwards as part of his act, which was featured at the Palace in New York City, the most prestigious theater in vaudeville, and then in the Ziegfeld Follies.
Edwards made his first phonograph records in 1919. He recorded early examples of jazz scat singing in 1922. The following year he signed a contract with Pathé Records. He became one of the most popular singers of the decade, and appeared in several Broadway shows. He recorded, in his distinctive style, many of the pop and novelty hits of the day, such as "California, Here I Come", "Hard Hearted Hannah", "Yes Sir, That's My Baby", and "I'll See You in My Dreams".
In 1925, his recording of "Paddlin’ Madeleine Home" would reach number three on the pop charts. In 1928, his recording of "I Can't Give You Anything but Love" was number one for one week on the U.S. pop singles chart. In 1929, his recording of "Singin' in the Rain" was number one for three weeks. Edwards's own compositions included "(I'm Cryin' 'Cause I Know I'm) Losing You", "You're So Cute (Mama O' Mine)", "Stack O' Lee", "Little Somebody of Mine", and "I Want to Call You 'Sweet Mama'". He also recorded a few "off-color" novelty numbers for under-the-counter sales, including "I'm a Bear in a Lady's Boudoir".
More than any other performer, Edwards was responsible for the soaring popularity of the ukulele in the 1920s. Millions of ukuleles were sold during the decade, and Tin Pan Alley publishers added ukulele chords to standard sheet music. Edwards always played American Martin ukuleles favoring the small soprano model in his early career. In his later years Edwards moved to the sweeter, large tenor ukulele more suited to crooning which was becoming popular in the 1930s.
Edwards' continued to record until shortly before his 1971 death. His last record album, Ukulele Ike, was released posthumously on the independent Glendale label. He reprised many of his 1920s hits, but his then failing health was evident in the recordings
When You Wish Upon A Star
Cliff Edwards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true
"When You Wish Upon a Star" is a powerful and expressive song that has captured the hearts of people all around the world. It speaks to the universal human desire for hope, and the idea that no matter who you are or what your circumstances might be, you can find joy and fulfillment in life if you hold onto your dreams and believe in yourself.
The song's opening lines, "when you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are," suggest that the stars are equal opportunity wish-granters. No matter who you are or what your background may be, your wishes can come true if you believe in them with your whole heart. The second verse builds on this idea, noting the power of dreams to inspire and motivate us to take risks and pursue our deepest desires. When we commit ourselves to our dreams, there is no request that is too extreme, and no goal that is out of reach.
The final verse speaks to the idea that fate is kind to those who truly love and believe in themselves. Like a bolt out of the blue, fate steps in and sees us through, helping us to make our dreams a reality. With its soaring melody and inspiring lyrics, "When You Wish Upon a Star" is a timeless classic that celebrates the power of hope, love, and self-belief.
Line by Line Meaning
When you wish upon a star
By having a wishful thought while focusing on a particular star, you call the universe to manifest your desire.
Makes no difference who you are
It does not matter who you are or where you come from, the universe will listen to your wish and make it come true.
Anything your heart desires
Your wish can be anything that you truly desire within your heart.
Will come to you
Your wish will manifest into your reality and become a part of your life.
If your heart is in your dream
If you truly believe and hold onto your dreams, then you increase the likelihood of them coming true.
No request is too extreme
There is no limit to what the universe can manifest, any request you have is within its reach.
As dreamers do
Dreamers are the ones who actively believe in and pursue their dreams, just like you should.
Fate is kind
The universe is kind to those who believe in themselves and their dreams, by making them come true.
She brings to those who love
The universe manifests the dreams of those who love and have a positive outlook on life.
The sweet fulfillment of
The universe will bring you the sweet satisfaction of your heart's desires.
Their secret longing
Your deepest and profound desires that are hidden within you.
Like a bolt out of the blue
Sometimes, the universe sends you a sign or a manifestation of your desires unexpectedly or quickly.
Fate steps in and sees you through
The universe intervenes by helping you in unexpected ways to make your dreams come true.
Your dreams come true
Your deepest desires will come to fruition and manifest into your reality.
Lyrics © Sentric Music
Written by: Leigh Harline, Ned Washington
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@skekze
Lyrics
When you wish upon a star
makes no difference who you are
anything your heart desires will come to you
If you heart is in your dream
no request is too extreme
when you wish upon a star
as dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
their secret longing
Like a bolt of the blue
suddenly it comes in view
when you wish upon a star
your dreams come true
When a star is born
they possess a gift or two
one of them is this
they have the power to make a wish come true
When you wish upon a star
makes no difference who you are
anything your heart desires will come to you
If you heart is in your dream
no request is too extreme
when you wish upon a star
as dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
their secret longing
Like a bolt of the blue
suddenly it comes in view
when you wish upon a star
your dreams come true
@renzcruzmabalatan2225
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing
Like a bolt out of the blue
Suddenly it comes in view.
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true
When a star is born
They posses a gift of true
One of them is this.
They have the power to make a wish come true
When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you
If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do
Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing
Like a bolt of of the blue
Suddenly it comes in view
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true.
@Bobbnoxious
Cliff Edwards was 45 when he recorded this. He was struggling with drug and alcohol addictions and was a longtime heavy smoker to boot. It's amazing that his voice still had that soulful purity of tone at that point, especially in the high notes. And it breaks your heart.
@OriginalMindTrick
I always thought the singer was an older man maybe 65+. Much soul in that voice.
@ninarichardson2308
.
@dambuster6387
He sings it from his heart.
@crispusattucks4007
What type of drug addiction?
@White_Tiger93
it's sad that such depressing thing happened to him, a great singer but morally broke, although, I'm sure his songs has good meaning to the whole world.. RIP
@tomschwartz5076
This is the most beautiful song ever recorded, especially in the original movie version. We can be transported for a minute or two before we head back to reality.
@joannewilton5348
Thing is, this song is true. So called 'reality' is the illusion.
@MrWarriormax
This is the heart and soul of Disney, this song brought Disney to life, it’s audio is used in the intro with the castle in almost every single one of their movies and will never be forgotten, this song was one of Disney’s greatest creations and I bet they are more than grateful for cliff Edwards supplying such a incredible song for Disney, and no one thought that the song would travel this far and would still be used.
@jr-xn4ei
And yet poor Cliff Edwards died poor and penniless...