"Wonderland by Night" (German title "Wunderland bei Nacht") is a popular song by Bert Kaempefert that was a Billboard number one hit for three weeks, starting January 9, 1961. Written by Klaus Günter Neumann with English lyrics by Lincoln Chasw, it was recorded in July 1959 and became Bert Kaempfert's first hit with his orchestra. The song featured Charly Tabor on trumpet.
Bert Kaempfert, a middle-aged German with a difficult-to-pronounce name and a whole lot of forehead, briefly became a pop star in America on the back of “Wonderland By Night.” And shockingly enough, “Wonderland By Night” doesn’t even represent Kaempfert’s greatest contribution to pop history. That would come later in 1961, when Kaempfert recruited a Hamburg-based club band called the Beatles to back up British rocker Tony Sheridan on his album My Bonnie, thus becoming responsible for the Beatles’ first commercially available recordings.
As for “Wonderland By Night,” it’s a cool song. Powered by a slow, assured R&B shuffle, Kaempfert plays a drifting but memorable trumpet riff. For a while, he lets it hang there in the air before doing a few muted wah-wah things on a chorus. There are vocals but no words. At a few fun little moments, the entire band grunts in unison. It’s a short and simple track, but it sets a mood, managing to be mournful and contemplative and horny all at once.