The Fountain in the Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Fountain in the Park is an 1884 song by Ed Haley, first published by Willis Woodward & Co. It is best known for the being the source of the tune that contains the lyric "While strolling in the park one day,/All in the merry month of May", and has been featured in numerous films.
A few bars of The Fountain in the Park was sung on the Moon by NASA Astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan on the Apollo 17 mission. Schmitt started by singing "I was strolling on the Moon one day..." when Cernan joined in. Cernan kept with the original "merry month of May", however, while Schmitt sang "December", which was the actual date at the time. After a brief debate, Smitt resumed, singing "When much to my surprise, a pair of bonny eyes..." until he could no longer remember the lyrics and began vocalizing the notes instead. Moments later, Capsule Communicator Robert A. Parker cut in from Houston, saying "sorry about that, guys, but today may be December." [1]
[edit] External links
- The Fountain in the Park sheet music from the Library of Congress.
- A Web site featuring background information on (and a MIDI version of) The Fountain in the Park.
- Ed Haley's filmography from the Internet Movie Database.
