"Wand'rin' Star" was a number one single in the UK for three weeks[1] and in Ireland for two weeks for Lee Marvin in March 1970. The song also peaked at number 10 in Australia.[2]
Background
When the film of the musical was made in 1969, Lee Marvin took the role of prospector Ben Rumson. Not a natural singer, Marvin nevertheless sang all of his songs in the film, rejecting the idea of miming to another singer's voice. Despite the film being a box office flop, the soundtrack became a success. Orchestrated and arranged by Nelson Riddle, Marvin's version of the song "Wand'rin Star" became a number 1 single in Ireland and the UK, keeping The Beatles at number 2 in the UK with their single "Let It Be". Marvin never released a follow-up single, so he is considered a one-hit wonder.
Cover versions
A sound-alike cover appeared on the 1970 album Top of the Pops, Volume 10, with one reviewer using terms like "laryngitic croak" and "gargling gargoyles" to describe how he felt about the cover.[3]
"Wand'rin' Star" was covered by English comedian and novelist Julian Clary; his version was released as a single in the United Kingdom in 1990, backed with the self-penned track "Uncanny and Unnatural".
In 2002, the song was played at the end of Joe Strummer's funeral.[4]
The song was mentioned in the words of "Build a Fire" by the KLF. The last lines are, "We'll stop for lunch, in some taco bar./Lee Marvin on the jukebox, 'Wand'rin' Star.'"
