The Predestined Song.
Fly Me to the Moon
At first, few could have predicted the monumental legacy of Fly Me to the Moon. Composed in 1954 by pianist and songwriter Bart Howard — an ardent admirer of Cole Porter — the song was crafted as a jazz-infused homage to his idol. Remarkably, it took Howard just 20 minutes to write, hastily scribbled on a napkin. Originally titled In Other Words, the song debuted that same year in a modest recording by vocalist Kaye Ballard, which garnered little fanfare.
Yet over time, the tune captivated a constellation of artists, inspiring interpretations by legends like Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Julie London, and Astrud Gilberto. Decades later, renditions by Diana Krall and Japanese superstar Utada Hikaru — featured in the Kingdom Hearts video game series — further cemented its cross-cultural appeal. Even Brazilian icon Djavan added his voice to the song’s storied history.
But no version soared as high as Frank Sinatra’s 1964 recording. Arranged by Quincy Jones and performed with the Count Basie Orchestra, Sinatra’s smooth, swinging rendition became definitive. By 1963, the song had unofficially adopted its now-iconic title, Fly Me to the Moon, drawn from its most memorable line.
Beyond its musical brilliance, the song’s fate intertwined with history. In May 1961, President John F. Kennedy stood before Congress and declared:
“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth.”
Eight years later, on July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 fulfilled that promise. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin — the second man to walk the lunar surface, just minutes after Neil Armstrong — was also the first astronaut to hold a PhD (in aerospace engineering from MIT). A man of both science and spirit, Aldrin held a quiet communion on the Moon, taking bread and wine before stepping onto the dust. Among the cassette tapes he carried, one song was destined for immortality: Fly me to the Moon, in Sinatra’s timeless voice.
By then, the song had already become NASA’s unofficial anthem, a symbol of humanity’s celestial dreams. During the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 in 2009, Diana Krall performed it at the official ceremony — a fitting tribute to a melody forever linked to the stars.
In 1999, the Songwriters Hall of Fame honored Fly me to the Moon with the Towering Song Award, reserved for compositions that reshape culture. It joined the ranks of classics like As Time Goes By, Moon River, When the Saints go marching in and I Left My Heart in San Francisco, among others.
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The lyrics themselves mirror the romance and grandeur of the Apollo era:
Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like On Jupiter and Mars
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, darling, kiss me
Fill my heart with song
And let me sing forevermore
You are all I long for All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you
A love song for the ages, a hymn for explorers — Fly Me to the Moon was, quite simply, written in the stars. It could be listen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2rDb4Ur2dw
A version on Portuguese could be found at https://medium.com/@fernandoalmeidapradojr/a-m%C3%BAsica-predestinada-f1ccc3cdaae4
