Peak
3
Weeks
22
Score
4,442
Chart Year
1957
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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. The single ranked #32 on Billboard's Year-End top 50 singles of 1957. The song begins with a spoken recitation by Laine saying: "You can gamble for matchsticks,/ You can gamble for Gold,/ The Takes 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, too.
You can gamble for match sticks, you can gamble for gold The stakes may be heavy or small But if you haven't gambled for love and lost, you haven't gambled at all They call me a moonlight gambler I've gambled for love and lost When I gamble for love and it isn't in the cards Oh, what heartaches it can cost me Win or lose, I'm a moonlight gambler And a winner is what I long to be So I'll gamble for love just as long as I live Till the day Lady Luck smiles at me You can gamble for match sticks 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 No, if you haven't gambled for love in the moonlight Then you haven't gambled at all So I'll gamble for love just as long as I live Till the day Lady Luck smiles at me They call me the moonlight gambler They call me the moonlight gambler
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dec 1, 1956 | 51 | 75 |
| 2 | Dec 8, 1956 | 31 | 95 |
| 3 | Dec 15, 1956 | 20 | 106 |
| 4 | Dec 22, 1956 | 24 | 102 |
| 5 | Dec 29, 1956 | 15 | 111 |
| 6 | Jan 5, 1957 | 10 | 116 |
| 7 | Jan 12, 1957 | 6 | 120 |
| 8 | Jan 19, 1957 | 3 | 123 |
| 9 | Jan 26, 1957 | 4 | 122 |
| 10 | Feb 2, 1957 | 5 | 121 |
| 11 | Feb 9, 1957 | 5 | 121 |
| 12 | Feb 16, 1957 | 6 | 120 |
| 13 | Feb 23, 1957 | 7 | 119 |
| 14 | Mar 2, 1957 | 7 | 119 |
| 15 | Mar 9, 1957 | 9 | 117 |
| 16 | Mar 16, 1957 | 10 | 116 |
| 17 | Mar 23, 1957 | 17 | 109 |
| 18 | Mar 30, 1957 | 21 | 105 |
| 19 | Apr 6, 1957 | 33 | 93 |
| 20 | Apr 13, 1957 | 56 | 70 |