| "Moonlight Gambler" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Frankie Laine | ||||
| B-side | "Lotus Land" | |||
| Released | October 29, 1956 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:50 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Bob Hilliard, Phil Springer | |||
| Producer(s) | Mitch Miller | |||
| Frankie Laine singles chronology | ||||
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"Moonlight Gambler" is a song written by Bob Hilliard and Phil Springer and performed by Frankie Laine featuring Ray Conniff and His Orchestra. It reached #3 on the U.S. pop chart and #13 on the UK Singles chart in 1957.[1]
The single ranked #32 on Billboard's Year-End top 50 singles of 1957.[2]
The song begins with a spoken recitation by Laine saying:
"You can gamble for matchsticks,/ You can gamble for Gold,/ The stakes may be heavy or small,/ But, if you haven't gambled for love and lost,/ Then you haven't gambled at all"/ Which is repeated when sung in the Bridge section of the song. Laine's version also features a whistler and a clip clopping sound.