Accompanied by Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, Louie Bellson, and Ray Brown, "Midnight Sun" (1954) was originally an instrumental composed by Lionel Hampton and Sonny Burke in 1947 and is now considered a jazz standard. Subsequently, Johnny Mercer wrote the words to the song. It is said that Johnny Mercer was driving along the freeway from Palm Springs to Hollywood, California, when he heard the instrumental on his car radio and started to set words to the song as he drove.
Sarah Vaughan recorded the song on her album How Long Has This Been Going On? (1978). Musicians on the recording were pianist Oscar Peterson, guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Louis Bellson. Hamilton wrote the standard "My Sweet" (1932) and Sievier wrote the English version of "Parlez-moi d'amour" (1930) by Jean Lenoir. Recorded April 25, 1978, Hollywood, Ca. (Pablo Records)
Your lips were like a red and ruby chalice
Warmer than, warmer than the summer night
The clouds were like an alabaster palace
Rising to a snowy height
Each star its own aurora borealis
Suddenly you held me tight
I could see the midnight sun
I can't explain the silver rain that found me
Or was that a moonlit veil?
The music of the universe around me
Or was that a nightingale, a nightingale
And then your arms miraculously found me
Suddenly, suddenly, suddenly the sky turned pale
I could see the midnight sun
Was there such a night
It's a thrill I still don't quite believe
But after you were gone
There was still some stardust on my sleeve
Stardust on my sleeve
The flame of it may dwindle to an ember
And the stars, and the stars
And the stars forget to shine
And we may see the meadow in December
Icy white, icy white and crystalline
But oh, my darling always I'll remember
When, when your lips were close
When your lips where close to mine
And I saw the midnight sun
And I saw the midnight sun
And I saw the midnight sun
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