A (relatively) in-depth analysis of the song Wand'rin' Star by Lee Marvin (in just under 20 minutes). The song was originally written for the stage musical Paint Your Wagon in 1951 and was recorded by Lee Marvin when the musical was translated in a movie in 1969.

Released as a single in 1970, Wan'drin' Star became a number one hit in the UK. A sound-alike cover version appeared on the 1970 Top of the Pops album with one reviewer using terms like "laryngitic croak" and "gargling gargoyles" to describe how he felt about the version. It was also covered by UK comedian Julian Clary and released as a single in 1990. Shane MacGowan and The Popes also covered the song on their 1997 album The Crock of Gold and the song was played at the end of the funeral of Joe Strummer in 2002.

In this episode I am in conversation with Dr. Andrew Webber.

I hope you enjoy this podcast.

Mathew Woodall

The introduction to this episode features an excerpt from 'Ma' from the album 'Asimov' by Inafer Era. Thank you to Auden and Meah.