Songfacts®:

• The Suite bergamasque, which consists of four movements, is one of the most famous piano suites of French composer Claude Debussy. The Bergamask was considered to be a clumsy rustic dance, which is said to have been derived from the natives of Bergamo in Italy. The inhabitants were reputed to be very awkward in their manners and the Bergamask dance is associated with clowns or buffoonery.
• The best known part of Suite bergamasque is the third movement, titled "Clair de lune," meaning moonlight. It was named after Paul Verlaine's 1869 poem of the same name, which references a bergamask.
• "Clair De Lune" was originally titled "Promenade Sentimentale." Debussy commenced the suite in 1890, but he did not finish or publish the work until 1905. It seems that a publisher came to Debussy in order to cash in on his fame and have these pieces published. Debussy revised the Suite before making it available to the public.
• "Clair De Lune" is heard widely in movies, TV shows and adverts. Its use in films include being a key part of the soundtrack to James Dean's final motion picture, Giant, the scene outside the Bellagio's fountains in Ocean's Eleven, and Edward and Bella listening to the song in his room in Twilight.