Classic BBC Radio Theme ~ Desert Island Discs

"desert island"

This is (By The) Sleepy Lagoon composed by Eric Coates and performed by Eric Coates and the Symphony Orchestra.

The original version was recorded by Coates for introducing the BBC radio series Desert Island Discs, which has run since 1942, and the theme is still in use today.

Upon hearing the melody, Jack Lawrence wrote the song lyrics to it, and it became a hit for bandleader Harry James reaching no1 in the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart in 1942.

Other hit versions were recorded by Dinah Shore, David Rose, Fred Waring, Glenn Miller and others.

The song made the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960, in a version by the Platters, found originally on the flipside of the 1960 top ten "Harbor Lights".

The song is used at one of the rides (The Magic Clock) in De Efteling in The
Netherlands, one of Europe's largest theme parks.