From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cover of sheet music for
Blue Moon arranged by Jeff Funk, scored by SATB choir, and published by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.
"Blue Moon" is a classic popular song. It was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934, and has become a standard ballad.
Lyrics
The lyrics presumably refer to an English idiomatic expression: "once in a blue moon" means very rarely. (The origin of the expression is unclear; see article blue moon.) The narrator of the song is relating a stroke of luck so unlikely that it must have taken place under a blue moon. The title relies on a play on words, since Blue is also the colour of melancholy, and indeed the narrator is sad and lonely until he (or she) finds love.
History
Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart were contracted to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in May 1933. They were soon commissioned to write the songs for Hollywood Party, a film that was to star many of the studio's top artists. Richard Rodgers later recalled "One of our ideas was to include a scene in which Jean Harlow is shown as an innocent young girl saying - or rather singing - her prayers. How the sequence fitted into the movie I haven't the foggiest notion, but the purpose was to express Harlow's overwhelming ambition to become a movie star ('Oh Lord, if you're not busy up there,/I ask for help with a prayer/So please don't give me the air...')." The song was not even recorded and MGM Song #225 "Prayer (Oh Lord, make me a movie star)" dated June 14, 1933, was registered for copyright as an unpublished work on July 10, 1933.
Lorenz Hart wrote new lyrics for the tune to create a title song for the 1934 film Manhattan Melodrama: "Act One:/You gulp your coffee and run;/Into the subway you crowd./Don’t breathe, it isn’t allowed". The song, which was also titled It's Just That Kind Of Play, was cut from the film before release, and registered for copyright as an unpublished work on March 30, 1934. The studio then asked for a nightclub number for the film. Rodgers still liked the melody so Hart wrote a third lyric: The Bad In Every Man, (Oh, Lord …/I could be good to a lover,/But then I always discover/The bad in ev’ry man), which was sung by Shirley Ross made up in blackface. The song, which was also released as sheet music, was not a hit.
After the film was released by MGM, Jack Robbins — the head of the studio's publishing company—decided that the tune was suited to commercial release but needed more romantic lyrics and a punchier title. Hart was initially reluctant to write yet another lyric but he was persuaded. The result was "Blue moon/you saw me standing alone/without a dream in my heart/without a love of my own".
In actual fact, there is another verse that comes before the usual start of the song. Both Eric Clapton & Rod Stewart used it in their recent versions of the song. The last line of this extra verse is "Life was a bitter cup for the saddest of all men."
Robbins licensed the song to Hollywood Hotel, a radio program that used it as the theme. On January 15, 1935, Connee Boswell recorded it for Brunswick Records. It subsequently was featured in at least seven more MGM films including the Marx Brothers' At the Circus and Viva Las Vegas. Part of the song was in the musical Grease.
Recordings after 1934
Since 1934, the song has been recorded by many performers. A partial list follows:
- A version of Blue Moon is heard in Fellini's 8½.
- Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis in Moonlighting (TV series)
- Louis Armstrong
- Shelley Knee, various Jam sessions 2009
- Daniel Ash (1991, as an intro to his first solo album after leaving the bands Love and Rockets and Bauhaus)
- Tony Bennett, with Ella Fitzgerald
- Belle Baker
- Connee Boswell
- Sam Cooke (one of three different versions used in the 1981 film An American Werewolf in London)
- Course of Empire, Texas band (1998, on their third album)
- Cowboy Junkies, a Canadian band, on their 1988 album The Trinity Session. Their version combined the song into a medley with an original song written by the band.
- Da Vinci's Notebook, Virginia a cappella band (1997, on their first album, as an a cappella song)
- Tommy Emmanuel, Australian virtuoso guitarist, on his album Initiation (1995), recorded without vocals.
- Dizzy Gillespie
- Billie Holiday
- Bob Dylan
- Elkie Brooks
- The Mavericks, this version featured on the soundtrack to the movie Apollo 13
- Ondřej Havelka, A Czech actor, director, singer and dancer.
- Chris Isaak
- The Marcels
- Komety, Polish rockabilly band (2002, on their debut album)
- Frankie Laine & Michel Legrand
- Ivan Lins, Brazilian composer and singer, on his 1991 album Ivan Lins 20 anos, combined into a medley with two other songs written by Ivan Lins and Vitor Martins.
- Julie London
- Helmut Lotti, Belgian singer (2007, on his "crooners CD")
- The Marcels (in a doo-wop version, see below; this was one of three different versions used in the 1981 film An American Werewolf in London)
- Dean Martin
- Vaughn Monroe
- Samantha Mumba (2002, on her second album, Woman)
- Orange and Lemons, OPM band, (2006). This version served as the theme song of the movie of the same name.
- Lee Perry's Upsetters (1971)
- Django Reinhardt pitching in with the most famous jazz versions.
- Amalia Rodrigues, in Fado style
- Charlie and his Orchestra
- Frank Sinatra
- Atlas Sound
- Jo Stafford
- John Alford
- Eri Chiemi
- The Supremes (on their 1967 album The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart)
- Mel Tormé
- Pedro Vargas, Mexican tenor (in a Spanish translation as Luna Azul, which became a great success in Latin America)
- Vazelina Bilopphøggers, a Norwegian band, (1983) as Blå lys (literally: Blue light(s), but also meaning emergency vehicle lighting) with Norwegian lyrics about drunk driving. Blå lys' was also the title of the album.
- Bobby Vinton (one of three different versions used in the 1981 film An American Werewolf in London)
- The Ventures
- Sha Na Na
- Gene Summers (1975)
- César Camargo Mariano, a brazilian musician
- Mark Isham (with vocals by Tanita Tikaram)
- Rod Stewart featuring Eric Clapton - "Stardust: The Great American Songbook Volume III" (2004)
- Tori Amos has performed the song at several concerts.[1]
- Ann Hampton Callaway on her 2006 album "Blues in the Night"
- The Huntingtons did an instrumental version on their 1997 cd single, The Only One
- MxPx on an early Vagrant Records compilation and as a B-side of the "Chick Magnet" single
- Showaddywaddy
- Overboard
- Joe Robinson, a 19 year old Australian virtuoso guitarist
- Phish, Live in Miami, FL 12-31-09, on the Blue Moon
- Mud
- Last Drive, a greek rock band, 1986
- Less Than Jake on their 1996 EP, Greased, featuring covers of songs from the musical Grease
Mel Tormé's version was the only one that actually reached the Billboard magazine charts; it was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 15428. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on April 8, 1949 and lasted 5 weeks on the chart, peaking at #20. The record was a two-sided hit, as the flip side "Again" also charted.[2]
Rock and Roll adaptations
The first crossover recording to rock and roll came from Elvis Presley, but the version that really stirred things up came from The Marcels, a doo-wop group. In 1961 the Marcels had 3 songs to record and needed one more. Producer Stu Phillips did not like any of the other songs except one that had the same changes as Heart and Soul and Blue Moon. He asked them if they knew either, and one knew Blue Moon and taught it to the others, though with the bridge or release (middle section - "I heard somebody whisper...") wrong. The famous introduction to the song ("bomp-baba-bomp" and "dip-da-dip") was an excerpt of an original song that the group had in its act. The record reached #1 on the Billboard Pop chart for three weeks and #1 on the R&B charts.[3] The Marcels version of "Blue Moon" sold a million copies, and is featured in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
In 1967, Eric Clapton used a portion of the song in his guitar solo from Cream's hit "Sunshine of Your Love." Bob Dylan covered the song on his Self Portrait album in 1970. In 1978, an arrangement by Jeff Funk was used in the film Grease. This has been followed by a country version from The Mavericks. More recently, it has been recorded by Rod Stewart. Elkie Brooks. Cybill Shepherd sang "Blue Moon" on an episode of Moonlighting (the detective agency in that show was called "Blue Moon Investigations".)
In Jim Jarmusch's 1989 film "Mystery Train", the three distinct stories that make up the narrative are linked by a portion of Elvis Presley's version of "Blue Moon" (as heard on a radio broadcast) and a subsequent offscreen gunshot, which are heard once during each story, revealing that the three stories occur simultaneously in real time.
Choral adaptations
A version suitable for performance by chamber choir arranged by David Blackwell is in the collection "In the Mood" published by Oxford University Press.
Homage
See also
References
- Brent, Bill. 'The Story of Blue Moon', Weekly Bugle. Retrieved June 6, 2005
- Hart, Lorenzo; Hart, Dorothy; Kimball, Robert. The Complete Lyrics of Lorenz Hart (New York: Knopf, 1986). ISBN 0-394-54680-6
- Kanfer, Stefan. 'Richard Rodgers: Enigma Variations', City Journal, Autumn 2003.
- Martini, Alessandro. 'Song: Blue Moon', LorenzHart.org. Retrieved June 6, 2005
- Moser, Enoch. 'A Tribute to Richard Rodgers', Community Band of Brevard (2002). Retrieved June 6, 2005.
Elvis Presley singles discography |
|
1950s |
|
|
1960s |
1960: " Stuck on You" / "Fame and Fortune" · "A Mess of Blues" / "The Girl of My Best Friend" · " It's Now or Never" / "A Mess of Blues" · " Are You Lonesome Tonight?" / "I Gotta Know"
1961: ""Wooden Heart" / "Tonight Is So Right for Love" · " Surrender" / "Lonely Man" · "Flaming Star" / "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears" / "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" / "It's Now or Never" (EP) · "I Feel So Bad" / "Wild in the Country" · " (Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame" / " Little Sister" · " Can't Help Falling in Love" / " Rock-A-Hula Baby"
1962: " Good Luck Charm" / " Anything That's Part of You" · "No More" / "Sentimental Me" · "Follow That Dream" / "Angel" / "What a Wonderful Life" / "I'm Not the Marrying Kind" (EP) · " She's Not You" / "Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello" · "King of the Whole Wide World" / "I Got Lucky" · "King of the Whole Wide World" / "This is Living" / "Riding the Rainbow" / "Home Is Where the Heart Is" / "I Got Lucky" / "A Whistling Tune" (EP) · " Return to Sender" / "Where Do You Come From"
1963: "One Broken Heart for Sale" / "They Remind Me Too Much of You" · "Night Rider" / "Girls, Girls, Girls" · " (You're The) Devil in Disguise" / "Please Don't Drag That String Around" · "Bossa Nova Baby" / "Witchcraft"
1964: "Kissin' Cousins" / " It Hurts Me" · "Kiss Me Quick" / "Suspicion" · "Fun in Acapulco" / "Mexico" · What'd I Say" / " Viva Las Vegas" · "If You Don't Think I Need You" / C'mon Everybody" / Today, Tomorrow and Forever" · "C'mon Everybody" / "Today, Tomorrow and Forever" / "If You Think I Don't Need You" / "I Need Somebody to Lean On" (EP) · "Such a Night" / "Never Ending" · "Ask Me" / "Ain't That Loving You Baby" · " Blue Christmas" / "Wooden Heart"
1965: " Do the Clam" / " You'll Be Gone" · " Crying in the Chapel" / "I Believe in the Man in the Sky" · "(Such an) Easy Question" / "It Feels So Right" · "I Feel that I've Known You Forever" / "Slowly but Surely" / "Night Rider" / "Put the Blame on Me" / "Dirty Feeling" (EP) · "I'm Yours" / "(It's a) Long Lonely Highway" · "Puppet on a String" / " Wooden Heart" · "Puppet on a String" / "Tell Me Why" · "Santa Claus Is Back in Town" · "Blue Christmas" (re-release)
1966: "Blue River" / Do Not Disturb" · "Tell Me Why" / "Blue River" · "Joshua Fit the Battle" / "Known Only to Him" · "Milky White Way" / "Swing Down Sweet Chariot" · "Frankie and Johnny" / "Please Don't Stop Loving Me" · " Love Letters" / "Come What May" · "Spinout" / "All That I Am" · "If Every Day Was Like Christmas" / "How Would You Like to Be"
1967: "Indescribably Blue" / "Fools Fall in Love" · "Easy Come Easy Go" / "Suppose" · "Long Legged Girl (With the Short Dress On)" / " That's Someone You Never Forget" · "You Gotta Stop" / "Love Machine" · " There's Always Me" / "Judy" · " Big Boss Man" / " You Don't Know Me"
1968: "Guitar Man" / " Hi-Heel Sneakers" · "U.S. Male" / "Stay Away" · " You'll Never Walk Alone" / "We Call on Him" · "Your Time Hasn't Come Yet Baby" / "Let Yourself Go" · " A Little Less Conversation" / "Almost in Love" · "If I Can Dream" / "Edge of Reality" · "If I Can Dream" / "Memories"
1969: "Memories" / "Charro" · "His Hand in Mine" / " How Great Thou Art" · " In the Ghetto" / " Any Day Now" · "Clean Up Your Own Backyard" / "The Fair Is Moving On" · " Suspicious Minds" / "You'll Think of Me" · " Don't Cry Daddy" / "Rubberneckin'"
|
|
1970s |
|
|
1980s |
1980: It's Only Love" / "Beyond the Reef"
1981: "Guitar Man" / "Faded Love" · "Lovin' Arms" / "You Asked Me To"
1982: "You'll Never Walk Alone" / "There Goes My Everything" (re-release) · "The Elvis Medley" / "Always on My Mind" · "Are You Lonesome Tonight" / "From a Jack to a King"
1983: "I Can Help" (short version) / "I Can Help" (long version) · "I Was the One" (re-release) / "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" (re-release)
1985: "Always on My Mind" / "My Boy"
1987: "Ain't That Loving You Baby" / "Bossa Nova Baby" · "Love Me Tender" / "If I Can Dream"
|
|
1990s |
1992: "Don't Be Cruel" / "Ain't That Loving You, Baby" · "Don't Be Cruel" / "Fame and Fortune"
1995: "The Twelfth of Never" / "Walk a Mile in My Shoes"
1996: "Heartbreak Hotel" (re-release) / "I Was the One"
1998: "Blue Christmas" (re-release) / "(same)"
|
|
2000s |
2001: "America the Beautiful" / "If I Can Dream" · "Blue Christmas" / "(same)"
2002: "A Little Less Conversation" (JXL remix) / "(same)"
2003: "Rubberneckin'" (remix) / "(same)"
2004: "That's All Right" / "Blue Moon of Kentucky" · "Who Am I" / "(same)"
2005: "Jailhouse Rock" / "Treat Me Nice" · "Rock-A-Hula Baby" / "I Can't Help Falling in Love"
2006: "Heartbreak Hotel" / "I Was the One"
2007: "Blue Suede Shoes" / "Tutti Frutti" · "Hound Dog" / "Don't Be Cruel" · "In The Ghetto" / "(same)"
2008: "Baby Let's Play House" / "(same)" · " I'll Be Home for Christmas" (with Carrie Underwood) / "(same)" · "Blue Christmas" (with Martina McBride) / "(same)"
|
|
The Elvis Presley portal |
|