Blue Moon (song)
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"Blue Moon" is a classic popular song. It was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934, and has become a standard ballad.
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[edit] Lyrics
The lyrics are presumed to refer to an English idiomatic expression: a blue moon is either the second full moon in a month or the third one when four full moons occur in one season of the year, which is a somewhat rare occurrence. If something happens "once in a blue moon" it happens almost never. The narrator of the song is relating a stroke of luck so unlikely that it must have taken place under a blue moon.
[edit] History
Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart were contracted to MGM 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 Jean'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and MGM Song #225 "Prayer ((Oh Lord, make me a movie star)" dated June 14, 1933 was registered for copyright as an unpublished work on July 10, 1933.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was also titled It's Just That Kind Of Play, was cut from the film before release, and registered for copyright as an unpublished work on March 30, 1934.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".
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 Columbia Records. It subsequently was featured in at least seven more MGM films including the Marx Brothers' At the Circus and Viva Las Vegas.
[edit] Recordings after 1934
Since 1934, the song has been recorded by many of the great performers: Connee Boswell, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Vaughn Monroe, Dean Martin, Frankie Laine & Michel Legrand, and Tony Bennett, with Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Django Reinhardt pitching in with the most famous jazz versions.
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, they shocked the purists (and the composers) with a new version that began with the bass singing, "bomp-baba-bomp" and "dip-da-dip". The record 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 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. Cybill Shepherd sang "Blue Moon" on an episode of Moonlighting (the detective agency in that show was called "Blue Moon Investigations".)
The Canadian band Cowboy Junkies recorded a rendition of "Blue Moon" on their 1988 album The Trinity Session — their version combined the song into a medley with an original song written by the band.
In the 1982 film An American Werewolf in London, three different versions are used. Bobby Vinton's plays over the opening credits, Sam Cooke's ballad is used during a transformation sequence and The Marcels' doo-wop version is used over the closing credits.
In 1995 Australian virtuoso guitarist Tommy Emmanuel recorded a rendition of "Blue Moon" on his album Initiation, without vocals. His fingerpicking style is used extensively on this track.
A cover has also been done by Fado legend Amalia Rodrigues.
In 1998 Texas band Course of Empire recorded "Blue Moon" on their third album.
In 2002 Polish rockabilly band Komety recorded "Blue Moon" on their debut album.
In 2002 Samantha Mumba recorded it for her second album Woman.
In 2006, the song was covered by OPM band Orange and Lemons, which served as the theme song of the movie of the same name.
In 2007 Helmut Lotti, a Dutch singer from Belgium, covered this song on his "crooners cd".
[edit] Other uses
The song is the official club chant of Crewe Alexandra football club and Manchester City football club fans. It is known to have been first sung by Crewe fans in the 1980's after Manchester City adopted the tune. It is also the tune used by the International Boxing Federation world champion Ricky Hatton, a fan of Manchester City , as he makes his entrance into the ring.
| Preceded by "Surrender" by Elvis Presley |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single (The Marcels version) April 3, 1961 |
Succeeded by "Runaway" by Del Shannon |
Elvis Presley singles chronology
- Last single = "Trying to Get to You" (1956)
- This single = "Blue Moon" (1956)
- Next single = "Money Honey" (1956)
[edit] 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.
