Blue Moon (1934 song)

"Blue Moon"
Song
Published	1935
Composer(s)	Richard Rodgers
Lyricist(s)	Lorenz Hart

"Blue Moon" is a classic popular song. It was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934, and has become a standard ballad. The song has been covered as a released single by artists such as Billie Holiday, and Mel Torme. In popular culture, the song has featured in musical films such as Grease and Blue Moon is generally regarded as the anthem of Manchester City Football Club.

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 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and MGM Song #225 "Prayer (Oh Lord, make me a movie star)" dated June 14, 1933, was registered for copyright as an unpublished work on July 10, 1933.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was also titled It's Just That Kind Of Play, was cut from the film before release, and registered for copyright as an unpublished work on March 30, 1934.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. 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".

There is another verse that comes before the usual start of the song. Both Eric Clapton and 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.

Strong similarities between Rodgers's melody and the opening of the 2nd movement of Sergei Taneyev's Piano Quartet in E, Op.20, published by Belaieff in 1907 have been noted.

Cover versions

Mel Tormé cover

"Blue Moon"
Song
B-side	"Again"

Mel Tormé did a cover version of "Blue Moon" that reached the Billboard charts in 1949. It was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 15428. It first reached the Best Seller chart on April 8, 1949, and lasted five weeks on the chart, peaking at number 20. The record was a two-sided hit, as the flip side, "Again", also charted.

Elvis Presley cover

"Blue Moon"
Song
B-side	"Just Because"

"Blue Moon"'s first crossover recording to rock and roll came from Elvis Presley in 1956. His cover version of the song was included on his self-titled debut album Elvis Presley.

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.

The Marcels cover

"Blue Moon"
Song
B-side	"Goodbye To Love"

The Marcels, a doo-wop group, also recorded the track for their album Blue Moon. In 1961, the Marcels had three songs left to record and needed one more. Producer Stu Phillips did not like any of the other songs except one that had the same chord 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.

Reception

The record reached number one on the Billboard Pop chart for three weeks and number one on the R&B chart. It also peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart. The Marcels version of "Blue Moon" sold a million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. It is featured in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The Marcels doo-wop version is one of three different versions used in the 1981 film An American Werewolf in London. Their version of the song is referenced in the 1962 Academy Award nominated animated short Disney musical film, A Symposium on Popular Songs during the song, "Puppy Love Is Here to Stay" written by Robert & Richard Sherman.

Chart performance

Chart (1961)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
UK Singles Chart	1
R&B Chart	1

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

• Blue Moon is commonly recognised as the "Theme Tune" of Manchester City Football Club in British culture. It is the song most commonly sung by Manchester City supporters during football matches. The song is known to have been first sung by Crewe Alexandra fans in the 1980s.
• Frank Sinatra's recording of Blue Moon was also featured in the first teaser trailer for Fallout: New Vegas. It can also be heard frequently when exploring areas of The Strip, in the city of New Vegas, and is broadcasted on the in-game radio station Radio New Vegas.

Other recordings

Since 1934, the song has been recorded by many performers. A partial list follows:

• 1935 Al Bowlly
• 1935 Connee Boswell
• 1935 Belle Baker
• 1935 Greta Keller
• 1935 Django Reinhardt pitching in with the most famous jazz versions.
• 1939 Harpo Marx played an interpretation of the song in a medley for the Marx Brothers film, At the Circus.
• 1943 Charlie and his Orchestra
• 1945 Vaughn Monroe
• 1950 Billie Holiday
• 1952 Nat King Cole
• 1952 Jo Stafford (this version is also heard the 2009 film A Single Man)
• 1952 Eri Chiemi
• 1954 Dizzy Gillespie
• 1955 Louis Armstrong
• 1956 Elvis Presley, one the selftitled album Elvis Presley
• 1958 Julie London
• 1960 Sam Cooke (one of three different versions used in the 1981 film An American Werewolf in London)
• 1961 Frank Sinatra
• 1961 The Ventures
• 1961 Eino Grön & Kukonpojat, in Finnish, as "Sininen Kuu"
• 1963 A version of Blue Moon is heard in Fellini's 8½.
• 1963 Bobby Vinton (one of three different versions used in the 1981 film An American Werewolf in London)
• 1964 Dean Martin
• 1964 Caterina Valente (-> Caterina Valente in London)
• 1965 Sergio Franchi on his tribute to The Songs of Richard Rodgers, (RCA Victor).
• 1965 Amália Rodrigues, in Fado style
• 1967 The Supremes (on their 1967 album The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart)
• 1970 Bob Dylan, recorded the song on his Self Portrait album.
• 1971 Lee Perry's Upsetters (1971)
• 1971 Sha Na Na
• 1973 Tony Bennett, with Ella Fitzgerald
• 1974 Showaddywaddy
• 1974 Mud
• 1975 Gene Summers (1975)
• 1978 Grease movie, an arrangement by Jeff Funk was used in the film Grease.
• 1979 Cornell Campbell (JB Music)
• 1982 Sung by an uncredited wedding singer at the reception scene in the 1982 movie "Diner".
• 1983 César Camargo Mariano, a Brazilian musician
• 1983 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.
• 1984 Elkie Brooks
• 1985 Cybill Shepherd on the Moonlighting Soundtrack album which accompanied the television series, Moonlighting.
• 1986 New Edition, for their doo-wop covers album Under the Blue Moon

• 1986 The Last Drive
• 1988 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 called "Song for Elvis".
• 1990 Mark Isham (with vocals by Tanita Tikaram)
• 1991 Daniel Ash (1991, as an intro to his first solo album after leaving the bands Love and Rockets and Bauhaus)
• 1991 Ivan Lins, Brazilian composer and singer, on his 1991 album Ivan Lins 20 anos, combined into a medley
• 1994 Chris Isaak
• 1995 Tommy Emmanuel, Australian virtuoso guitarist, on his album Initiation (1995), recorded without vocals
• 1995 The Mavericks, this version featured on the soundtrack to the film Apollo 13
• 1996 John Alford
• 1996 Less Than Jake on their 1996 EP, Greased, featuring covers of songs from the musical Grease
• 1996 Tori Amos has performed the song at several concerts.
• 1997 Da Vinci's Notebook, Virginia a cappella band (1997, on their first album, as an a cappella song)
• 1997 The Huntingtons did an instrumental version on their 1997 CD single, The Only One
• 1997 MxPx on an early Vagrant Records compilation and as a B-side of the "Chick Magnet" single
• 1998 Course of Empire, Texas band (1998, on their third album)
• 2002 Komety, Polish psychobilly band (2002, on their debut album)
• 2002 Samantha Mumba (2002, on her second album, Woman)
• 2004 Rod Stewart featuring Eric Clapton - "Stardust: The Great American Songbook Volume III" (2004)
• 2005 My Morning Jacket for "Louisville is for Lovers, Vol. 5"
• 2006 Orange and Lemons, OPM band, (2006). This version served as the theme song of the movie of the same name.
• 2006 Ann Hampton Callaway on her 2006 album "Blues in the Night"
• 2007? Atlas Sound
• 2007 Helmut Lotti, Belgian singer (2007, on his album, Crooners)
• 2007 Joe Robinson, a 19 year old Australian virtuoso guitarist
• 2011 Clinic
• 2011 Beady Eye recorded the song to support Manchester City's new 2011/12 football kit, as it's commonly sung by fans during matches.
• ? Ondřej Havelka, A Czech actor, director, singer and dancer.
• ? Frankie Laine & Michel Legrand
• ? Pedro Vargas, Mexican tenor (in a Spanish translation as Luna Azul, which became a great success in Latin America)
• ? Overboard
• ? Nat King Cole

See also

• Blue Moon of Kentucky
• List of 1930s jazz standards
• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1961 (U.S.)
• List of number-one R&B singles of 1960 (U.S.)
• List of number-one singles from the 1960s (UK)