Willie Sings "Moonlight in Vermont"
Willie Nelson has called "Moonlight in Vermont" his favorite song, and the power and beauty of his rendering of it on his game changing, breakthrough record, Stardust , attests to his affection for this great standard. In fact, when listening to this record recently it struck me that this, and not the title track, is the true heart and artistic pinnacle of the album. Which is saying something. This song is famous for having no rhymes in the verses. Written by John Blackburn (lyrics) and Karl Suessdorf (music), this circumstance unlfolded like this: "After completing the first 12 bars of the lyric," said Blackburn, "I realized there was no rhyme and then said to Karl, 'Let’s follow the pattern of no rhyme throughout the song.' It seemed right." Some have likened the verses to haiku. Also interesting is that the bridge, or B section, doesn't resolve but leads in an open-ended manner into the next verse. Those who are truly accomplished k...
