Wandrin’ Star — Lee Marvin
“Seek, and ye shall find” is one of the Bible’s more enigmatic verses.
Of course, you’re unlikely to find something without seeking it. There’s probably an limit to the amount of good fortune you can expect if you spend all day watching Netflix on your sofa.
But the opposite is also true. You can spend your whole life seeking and still never find what you’re looking for.
Which is pretty much what “Wandrin’ Star” is all about.
“Wandrin’ Star” was written for the musical “Paint Your Wagon” by Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe and sung, somewhat improbably, by Hollywood actor Lee Marvin.
In terms of characterisation, Lee Marvin was perfect. As a gruff loner working his way through life, drifting from town to town, Lee Marvin was a 10/10 for casting.
There was a major practical problem, though. Lee Marvin couldn’t sing.
However, sometimes the greatest inspirations come out of adversity. So Lee Marvin mumbled his way, relatively tunelessly, through “Wandrin’ Star” and somehow made it into a hit record in the process.
Despite the film not getting much in the way of critical acclaim or commercial success, in early 1970 Lee Marvin spent three weeks at Number One in the UK singles chart with “Wandrin’ Star”.
