"Polka Dots and Moonbeams" is a popular song from 1940, with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was published that year and has become a jazz standard. The song is a ballad in the traditional pop genre and is written in F. Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra recorded it for Victor Records in March 1940, with Frank Sinatra singing the vocal refrain. The single became Sinatra's first hit, and he went on to record many more songs by Van Heusen. The release coincided with a rise in polka-dot fashion, and during the Second World War polka dots were a symbol of patriotism.
Later recordings include versions by Lester Young (1952), Mel Tormé (1955), Sarah Vaughan (1957), Chet Baker (1958), Wes Montgomery (1960), The Bill Evans Trio (1962), John Denver (1976) and Bob Dylan (2016). Doja Cat's 2018 single "Mooo!" sampled Montgomery's recording.
