"Lost in the Stars" is a vocal "standard," and it's been sung by famous crooners like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. But the song has a secret history that explains its disturbing lyrics. Nearly 20 years after the song was written, its somber message found their way to Leonard Nimoy. In a strange moment of synchronicity, it was the television actor who delivered the perfect interpretation of the song.

It originated with a 1949 musical - which was also called "Lost in the Stars." The musical is based on a novel about a South African priest who searches for his lost son in Johannesburg. The songs were written by Kurt Weill, who had previously collaborated with Bertolt Brecht. In a crucial moment in the musical, a troubled priest hesitates, and expresses a moment of doubt.

Tenderly he sings his own story about the origins of the earth. The earth is a lost star that somehow fell through god's fingers, and god searched the night for "the little dark star in the wind down there." God promises thereafter he'll take special care of the planet, and it's a source of comfort to the troubled priest.

"A man don't mind if the stars go dim
And the clouds blow over and darken him.
So long as the Lord's watching over them
Keeping track how it all goes on."

But the point of that song is not the comfort, but it's absence. He sings of walking on, of his aging eyes and graying hair, and then adds gently, almost as an afterthought, that sometimes it seems maybe God's gone away. "And we're lost out here in the stars." There's no comfort in this song, only a reminder of the winds in the night sky.

It's message of despair was too serious for Sinatra, and it required a singer who was more philosophical. In the late 60s, an album was being prepared to feature Leonard Nimoy, who played the logical vulcan Spock on the original "Star Trek." They may have chosen the song only because its title included the word "star." But its thoughtful message was a surprisingly good fit for Leonard Nimoy's character.

His version opens with a starry harp, and it's eventually joined by a harpsichord. Nimoy's wobbly voice only makes him sound more vulnerable and human as he recreates the moment of doubt. He sings softly, relaying the story of the lost star, and gently underplays its bridge about the stars going dim, as a flute plays in the background. He's ultimately just another man trying to make sense of an illogical world, and he raises a question for which there is no good answer.

"Sometimes it seems maybe God's gone away...
And we're lost out here in the stars."

Learn more about this author, Moe Zilla.
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