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Arrangement: Ian J. Watts / Mike Wilbury · Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks
Lyrics
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the earth so high,
Like a diamond in the sky,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
In the dark blue sky you keep,
While you through my window peep,
And you never shut your eye,
'Till the sun is in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Traditional lyrics — public domain. Arrangement © Singalongasong Band / ClassicRocks.
History & Background
History & Origin
This acoustic version of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" presents the same beloved song in a stripped-back arrangement that removes the fuller production of the standard recording and places the melody and words at the front, close and unhurried.
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is based on a poem by Jane Taylor, published in 1806 in Rhymes for the Nursery, written jointly with her sister Ann. The melody derives from a French air of 1761, which Mozart used as the theme for his Twelve Variations in 1781-82. Jane Taylor's opening verse is among the most quoted lines in children's literature, and the song it became is one of the most widely recognised pieces of music in the world.
The acoustic arrangement here uses minimal instrumentation to create a quiet, intimate sound — the kind that suits a darkened room and a child who is almost asleep. The gentleness of an acoustic version of this song is not simply a stylistic choice but a practical one: there is something about the stripped-back sound that allows the words their full weight, and the image of the star twinkling in the dark blue sky has never needed anything more than that.
