Polka Dots and Moonbeams is a popular jazz ballad with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke, published in 1940. It was first recorded and released as a single by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra on Victor Records, with Frank Sinatra on vocals, making it Sinatra’s first hit. The tune sits in the traditional pop and jazz standards genre and has since become one of the most frequently recorded jazz standards. Its release coincided with a wartime surge in polka dot fashion in the United States. Notable renditions include Lester Young, Bud Powell, Mel Tormé, Sarah Vaughan, Chet Baker, Wes Montgomery, and the Bill Evans Trio, among others, and it has appeared in film soundtracks and even inspired later samples, such as Doja Cat’s 2018 track Mooo!
