As early as 1938, Shep Fields and his Rippling Rhythm Orchestra recorded the song as a Swing Jazz fox trot entitled In the Merry Month of May for Bluebird Records (#B-7606, 1938) featuring the young concert accordionist John Serry Sr.[5][6] Bing Crosby included the song in a medley on his album 101 Gang Songs (1961) A few bars of "The Fountain in the Park" were sung on the Moon by NASA Astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan on the Apollo 17 mission.

Schmitt started by singing "I was strolling on the Moon one day..." when Cernan joined in.

Cernan kept with the original "merry month of May", however, while Schmitt sang "December", which was the actual date at the time.

After a brief debate, Schmitt resumed, singing "When much to my surprise, a pair of bonny eyes..." before humming the notes instead.

Moments later, Capsule Communicator Robert A. Parker cut in from Houston, saying "sorry about that, guys, but today may be December.