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Blue Room (The Orb song)

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"Blue Room"
Single by the Orb
from the album U.F.Orb
B-side"Towers of Dub" (remix)
Released8 June 1992 (1992-06-08)[1]
GenreAmbient house
Length39:58
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Alex Paterson
  • Kris Weston
The Orb singles chronology
"Perpetual Dawn"
(1991) 		"Blue Room"
(1992) 		"Assassin"
(1992)
Audio sample
Sample from the Orb's 40 minute version of "Blue Room"

"Blue Room" is a single by English electronic music duo the Orb. It was released on 8 June 1992 on Big Life Records. The full 39-minute version features a number of samples, including a small portion of the beginning of "Mysterious Traveller" by Weather Report and a damaged portion of "Happy Birthday to You" by Marilyn Monroe at the end. An edited version of the song appears on the album U.F.Orb.

"Blue Room" is the longest single to ever appear on the UK Singles Chart, at 39 minutes and 58 seconds.[2] It entered the listing at position 12 and peaked at number eight the next week. In Ireland, the song reached number 28, and in the United States, it peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Background

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After a number of maxi-singles had been excluded from the UK Singles Chart (or like how Prince's "Gett Off" maxi-single ended up on the UK Albums Chart),[3][4] the chart compilers Chart Information Network, decided to include a rule alongside the usual 25 minute maximum playing time, which allowed 'maxi singles' to run to 40 minutes[5] if only one title was listed amongst the single's tracks.[6] The Orb thus decided to record a 39:58 version of "Blue Room" for a special release, as there would be only one track on the single. The title "Blue Room" is a reference to the supposed Blue Room of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which was investigated as a possible UFO evidence-holding room.[7]

In addition to being the longest UK chart hit, "Blue Room" is also "possibly the most amelodic song ever to chart anywhere," according to Trouser Press.[8]

Top of the Pops performance

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The Orb caused controversy when appearing on Top of the Pops to promote the single. Instead of performing, Alex Paterson and Kris Weston, the latter holding a toy sheep, played a chess-like game whilst passing a globus cruciger back and forth. The performance had a profound impact on Robbie Williams, then a member of Take That, who later declared "that Top of the Pops changed my life".[9]

Track listings

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Charts

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Chart (1992–1993) Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[16] 48
Ireland (IRMA)[17] 28
UK Singles (OCC)[18] 8
US Dance Club Play (Billboard)[19] 46

References

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  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 6 June 1992. p. 17. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Record-Breakers and Trivia". Everyhit.com.
  3. ^ "Prince | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". OfficialCharts.com.
  4. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 75 | Official Charts Company". OfficialCharts.com.
  5. ^ "Who We Are – History of the Official Charts – the Nineties". OfficialCharts.com.
  6. ^ "Rules for Chart Eligibility : Singles" (PDF). OfficialCharts.com. January 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  7. ^ Sandall, Robert (12 July 1992). "Hippie dippie draw". The Times.
  8. ^ Ferguson, James. "Orb". Trouser Press. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  9. ^ Aitken, Stuart. ""The Orb Playing Chess On Top Of The Pops Changed My Life"". Sabotage Times. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  10. ^ Blue Room (UK CD1 liner notes). The Orb. Big Life, WAU! Mr. Modo Recordings. 1992. BLRDA 75, 863 095-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Blue Room (UK CD2 liner notes). The Orb. Big Life, WAU! Mr. Modo Recordings. 1992. BLRDB 75, 863 171-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Blue Room (UK 12-inch single sleeve). The Orb. Big Life, WAU! Mr. Modo Recordings. 1992. BLRT 75, 863 095-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Blue Room (UK cassette single sleeve). The Orb. Big Life, WAU! Mr. Modo Recordings. 1992. BLRMC 75.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Blue Room (US 12-inch single sleeve). The Orb. Big Life, Mercury Records. 1992. 863 653-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Blue Room (European maxi-CD single liner notes). The Orb. Logic Records. 1992. 74321 10702 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 28. 11 July 1992. p. 11. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  17. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Blue Room". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  19. ^ "Dance Club Songs". Billboard. 16 January 1993. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
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